5,000 VISITORS AT THE LARGEST SERB DIASPORA FOLKLORE FESTIVAL

BANJA LUKA, JUNE 24 /SRNA/ - The largest Serbian diaspora folklore festival in Europe was held in Italy, gathering around 5,000 visitors and 1,300 performers from 22 associations over two days, Đorđe Milanović, the head of the Union of the Serb Diaspora, cited in SRNA statement.

Milanović expressed gratitude to the President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik, who supported the Brojanica/Rosary Festival with a donation of BAM 10,000.

The festival, held in the Italian region of Trentino–Alto Adige, was attended by a delegation from Srpska that conveyed greetings from President Dodik," said Milanović, who also announced a visit to Banja Luka in September.

He thanked all attendees from Republika Srpska, who made up about 70% of the festival's total visitors.

As the founder of the Serbian Alliance in Italy, Milanović said he has visited folklore associations across Europe and assisted them in resolving various issues.

According to him, excellent cooperation was established with both local and national representatives in Italy, who supported and attended the Brojanica festival and recognised it as the region’s most significant cultural event.

Milanović also thanked the members of the Union from Štivor near Prnjavor, of Italian nationality, who, as he said, selflessly support Brojanica and contribute to sustaining the festival.

Trentino Provincial Councilor Walter Kaswalder noted that he has long cooperated with Milanović, who organises Brojanica, and emphasized the importance of the festival for the Trentino–Alto Adige region.

"This region enjoys special autonomy, and we greatly value the identity you Serbs have, which consists of history, tradition, and culture. I sincerely envy you, because you are a young people, while Italians have increasingly aging generations," said Kaswalder.

He emphasized that young Serbs exhibit a strong sense of identity rooted in Serb culture.

"In that way, they can teach all of Europe a lesson," Kaswalder said.

The Brojanica festival, which has been held for over five years, celebrates Serb culture and tradition with the goal of strengthening ties between diaspora folklore groups and their homeland.

Over the course of the two festival evenings, the audience had the opportunity to see more than 35 different performances by youth from the diaspora, as well as traditional folk dances from Serbia, Montenegro, Republika Srpska, and the Krajina region.

The festival showcased traditional costumes and music from these areas, local cuisine, and hosted other cultural events as well.

The event is non-competitive in nature and is partly dedicated to folklore legend Desanka Desa Đorđević, who left a lasting mark in the world of the arts.

The festival is sponsored by the Italian region of Trentino–Alto Adige and the President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik.

This year's Brojanica was organised by the Union of the Serb Diaspora and the Vidovdan Serb Cultural and Artistic Society.