TİKA Supports the Preservation of Common Cultural Heritage in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) renovated and equipped the working hall of the Baščaršija Cultural Artistic Association, based in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Through this support to the Baščaršija Cultural Artistic Association—which has been working for nearly 80 years to preserve traditional folk dances and provide education in various branches of art and music—the aim is to safeguard cultural heritage and pass it on to future generations.

Within the scope of the project carried out by TİKA, the study hall used by the Sarajevo Baščaršija Cultural Artistic Association was renovated and equipped to help preserve traditional folk dances and continue training in music and art. The association, which has approximately 200 members, will now be able to pursue its cultural activities in more modern facilities with 13 different training and performance groups operating within its own halls.

The Baščaršija Cultural Artistic Association, which continued its activities even during the war in the 1990s—organizing 49 programs during that period—remains committed to promoting the country’s cultural heritage both within Bosnia and Herzegovina and abroad.

An opening ceremony was held

The opening ceremony of the renovated hall was held with the participation of TİKA’s President, Serkan Kayalar; Mirela Bećirović, wife of Denis Bećirović, the Bosniak Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Mayor of Stari Grad, Irfan Čengić; TİKA’s Coordinator in Sarajevo, Erdinç Işık, and local officials.

Speaking at the ceremony, TİKA President Mr. Kayalar recalled the words of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Türkiye: “A nation deprived of art has lost one of its life veins,” and emphasized the importance of communities working in the fields of culture and the arts.

Stating that TİKA has carried out more than 1,100 projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina over the past 30 years, Kayalar said, “We are pleased to have renovated the working hall of the Baščaršija Cultural Artistic Association to help them continue their activities under better conditions and to contribute to the preservation of cultural heritage.”

Following the ceremony, President Kayalar watched a performance of Bosnian folk dances by the young members of the association.