Last night (17 November 2022), the organizers of the International Children’s Folklore Festival Licider Heart presented certificates of appreciation and plaques to those who had supported and enabled successful holding of this event. The recipients included the Representative Office of the Republic of Srpska, which had been a co-organizer for many years.

The Vice President of the Organizing Committee of the Licider Heart festival, Ivana Cvetković, said that the strong support of co-organizers and institutions had given them wind at the back to improve the quality of the event.

Cvetković reminded that this year’s festival was organized in August and that the citizens of Užice, Zlatibor and Višegrad could see folklore ensembles from 11 countries.

The Head of the Republic of Srpska Representation in Serbia, Mlađen Cicović, said that the Licider Heart International Children’s Festival occupied a special place in the program activities of this office.

‘When your work is aimed at preserving the national identity and involves young people aged from 8 to 14, it is a guarantee that we are doing the right thing and giving a full impulse and contribution in the long term to protecting our national identity, our culture, tradition, customs, and affirming and promoting the Republic of Srpska and Serbia and strengthening our ties’, said Cicović.

He emphasized that every year, in addition to Užice and Zlatibor in Serbia, the event was partly held in the Republic of Srpska, and that so far the citizens of Višegrad as well as Skelani and Srebrenica had had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of folklore from all the meridians, as well as from Serbia and Republic of Srpska.

‘Tonight we wrapped up this year’s event and immediately started organizational preparations for next year when we will gather again in Užice, Zlatibor, Višegrad and present the culture, tradition, customs and tourism offer of the Republic of Srpska and Serbia, exchange and learn about the tradition, customs and culture of other participating countries’, said Cicović.

The awards for supporting the Licider Heart festival were presented last night also to representatives of the Ministry of Justice of Serbia, the Ministry of Culture of Serbia, sponsors, donors and friends of the event.

The festival, organized for the last 14 years by the Citizens’ Association Era from Užice, was held from 15 to 19 August this year in Užice, Zlatibor and Višegrad, with the participation of 1,000 children from 11 countries.

Source and photo: Republic of Srpska Representative Office in Serbia