This year, the Ministry of Culture of Serbia has provided one and a half million BAM for cultural projects in the Republic of Srpska through the new Srpska in Focus competition line, said the presentation of this program held yesterday in Pale.

State Secretary at the Serbian Ministry of Culture Dejan Antić stated that the support was aimed at various areas, from contemporary cultural creation to the preservation of cultural identity and tangible and intangible cultural heritage. – We are in the capital of the Republic of Srpska today because, after talking with colleagues from Banja Luka, where we presented the competition, we realized, based on the analysis, that a small number of local government units from the eastern part of the Republic of Srpska had applied. We believe that this story should be promoted, that everyone, from Trebinje to Bijeljina, should hear about this new competition line, so that the Culture Ministry can support the implementation of their projects – said Antić.

According to him, the goal is to encourage the presentation of contemporary cultural creativity among Serbs in the Republic of Srpska, the preservation of cultural identity, and tangible and intangible cultural heritage.

The idea, says Antić, is to support primarily infrastructure projects, something that will remain permanently with the citizens of the Republic of Srpska, but also to support the publication of some major works, the organization of large conferences, and events relevant for the preservation of the national identity of the Serbian people in the Republic of Srpska. Antić noted that local self-government units, institutions founded by local authorities, and citizens’ associations were eligible to participate, and the best projects that meet the competition requirements as deemed by a commission, would receive support from the Serbian Culture Ministry.

He recalled that the Srpska in Focus competition was introduced for the first time this year, and that it was a new competition line that began on 25 February. The Srpska in Focus competition is open until 15 October.

Source: RTRS – SRNA

Photo: ZIPAPHOTO/Borislav Zdrinja