Elmir Prevljak, speaking on behalf of the organizer Hercegovina Lodges, said that on the first day of this year’s festival, the audience will have the opportunity to enjoy the promotion of the novel Sandro by Elvedin Nezirović, one of the most widely read authors in the region.

“On Saturday, July 5th at 8 PM, at the hearth of Hercegovina Lodges at Boračko Lake, we will host Elvedin Nezirović, with Adnan Repeša, also a writer from Mostar, as the moderator,” said Prevljak.

“We don’t have a fixed budget—this is truly 100% volunteer-based,” said Prevljak. “I completely understand the artists and writers who make a living from their intellectual work, and of course it makes sense that they would go where there are honorariums and better conditions. What we offer is a great audience, a beautiful atmosphere at Boračko Lake, and some basic essentials. Believe me, out of all the artists we’ve contacted so far, only a few have declined for that reason. Most are happy to take part, which shows that the atmosphere during the Habitat Culture Fest is genuinely positive,” Prevljak said, speaking about how finances don’t always have to play the key role in organizing events.

“We’re opening the festival with Elvedin Nezirović, and we’ve arranged a presentation of the book Deliver Us from Evil by Dr. Marko Romić, which addresses the issue of gambling in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Prevljak added, announcing the upcoming events during the festival. “On the same day, there will be a screening of a film on a similar topic, directed by Bosnian-Dutch filmmaker Sergej Kreso, followed by a discussion. We’ve also scheduled a promotion of The Book About Almir, an excellent work by our own Adisa Bašić, a guest appearance by poet Šaban Šarenkapić from Novi Pazar, and a photo exhibition by Hadis Medenčević from Prague.”

The Habitat Culture Fest has become a meeting place for people who wish to nurture the diversity of Bosnia and Herzegovina as an equal part of the European cultural scene. The program of other events within the festival, which will run throughout the summer until the end of August, will be announced periodically through social media.