It's all about kids in Sarajevo
26/06/2009
In a country with many pressing problems, the annual Kids' Festival brings laughter to the children of Sarajevo.
By Ema Kovac for Southeast European Times in Sarajevo -- 26/06/09
 Magicians were among some of the performers who entertained 40,000 children at this year's festival. [EU] |
Cheer spread through the streets of Sarajevo last week as the 6th annual Kids' Festival kicked off with a parade led by the Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Armed Forces Military Band. Majorettes from Kiseljak and Mostar, magicians from Spain and Germany, an orchestra from France and other performers took part in the event, which ran from June 12th to the 17th.
"The parade was a surprise we introduced this year. It had around 500 registered participants … and reflects the slogan of this year's festival: All different, all equal," said festival spokesperson Haris Bilalovic.
The festival was sponsored by a slew of organisations -- the EU, NATO, EUPM, EUFOR, UNICEF and the OSCE. Private sponsors included Raiffeisen Bank, the Red Cross, the Goethe Institute, Save the Children, Austrian Airlines and Nestle among others. Over a space of five days, children from around the BiH flocked to Zetra Olympic Hall to enjoy the activities on offer.
A range of different entertainment, educational events and activities were offered at Zetra, including a showcase of animated films -- "Alvin and Chipmunks", "Horton Hears a Who!", "Madagascar 2", "Hotel for Dogs" and "Monsters vs. Aliens".
Various workshops were held on pantomime, magic, mask making, drum playing, acrobatic gymnastics, dance, origami, shirt making, cake making, puppet making, street painting, dancing, combat skills, kickboxing, modeling, news reporting, and other subjects.
Children could also take part in activities dealing with police work, land mine risks, healthy nutrition, AIDS awareness, human rights awareness and the environment.
"We believe that bringing children together is most important," European Commission delegation to BiH Democracy and Social Development head Constantino Longares Barrio said.
"We hope that such initiatives will help establish links which may not exist today, or reinforce small links that have already been established."
Former High Representative to BiH Christian Schwarz-Schilling attended the festival.
"The children who [are attending] this festival are ready to become citizens of the EU," said Schwarz-Schilling.
A similar event -- the Children's Programme of the Sarajevo Film Festival -- will take place in August.
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