Welcome to Bosnia and Hercegovina, the most beautiful country in Europe, where we can still enjoy on very beatiful Montains, Waters and clean air.
Tucked among the picturesque stone houses of the famous Old Town of Mostar, a city in the south of Bosnia and Herzegovina, sits young artisan Denis Drljevic’s tiny workshop. As you enter, you see the images of his country’s history – from photos to reliefs – that adorn the walls of the square room, while the reddish jewelry decorating the wooden counters invites you to take a closer look at his handiwork.
Denis spends most of his time in his AbrakaBakra Copper Art Studio, doing what his fellow Mostar residents have been doing for hundreds of years: making beautiful things from copper and selling them to customers. Ever since he began practicing this craft, Denis has drawn inspiration from the symbols and designs found on stecaks (Bosnian medieval tombstones) in his work: “They are very inspirational and have a special place on the entire world cultural heritage map,” he says.
Mostar’s Old Town, a top tourist destination in the country, is a historical hub of traditional craftsmanship rooted in the centuries when Bosnia belonged to the Ottoman Empire, when crafts such as coppersmithing, blacksmithing, and silversmithing became part of the local culture. These techniques have been passed down through the generations, and they now reflect a fusion of Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, and local culture. Crafts such as Konjic woodcarving and Zmijanje embroidery are inscribed on UNESCO’s world list of intangible cultural heritage.
To preserve the legacy of his predecessors, Denis uses ancient copper-working techniques to portray different aspects of Bosnian-Herzegovinian culture: “Inheriting such a culture instills a certain sense of pride. So, I want to preserve our heritage by turning it into copper,” he says.
Tourists love what he does, but “they fail to understand why local governments don’t help artisans,” Denis adds.
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s governance system – comprising two entities, one district, and 10 cantons – presents a complex landscape that often hampers decision-making processes. Coordination among various governmental bodies is often scanty, leading to a deficiency in strategic planning at many levels, not least the protection of cultural heritage. As a consequence, cultural heritage institutions lack funding for preservation efforts, including restoring and revitalizing sites.
Some heritage experts are calling for more investment into both field research and promotion of both material and intangible cultural heritage, arguing that official neglect of the country’s cultural heritage puts traditional crafts, like Denis’s copper artistry, at risk of extinction.
Tourism’s potential is far from being fully tapped, though, according to expert assessments. Recent studies by the World Bank and Germany’s GIZ international cooperation agency indicate that Bosnia and Herzegovina has a limited record of foreign direct investment in tourism and a relatively unfavorable business environment because of the country’s complex political and administrative structure.
Lidija Pisker is a journalist and researcher from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Her work has appeared in The Guardian, openDemocracy, Euronews, Equal Times, the BBC, and elsewhere.
Source:https://tol.org/client/article/bosnian-youth-embrace-heritage-welcome-tourism.html