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The training is organized as part of the project ‘Strengthening Cooperation and Capacity for a Better City of Konjic,’ which is implemented by the SARA Association. This project is part of the ‘Cohesion of Local Initiatives for Community Progress – KLIN’ initiative, carried out by the Agency for Local Democracy in Mostar, in cooperation with the Peace Building Network and supported by USAID through the ‘Power of the Local/Support to Local Resource Organizations’ project.

The three-day workshop will be held from Tuesday, December 17th to Thursday, December 19th, 2024, and will provide participants with both theoretical and practical knowledge about EU programs. The workshop will begin with an overview of available EU programs and will then cover all stages of project proposal development. Participants will learn how to analyze stakeholders, develop a problem and goal tree, create a high-quality logical framework, and properly complete project application forms. They will also gain insights into budget creation and receive valuable practical advice. The workshop will be interactive, with participants working in groups on their own examples to receive feedback from the instructor during the session.

Following the training, individual mentoring will be provided to each group, ensuring that the final result is a prepared project proposal for specific programs.

The workshop is intended for civil society organizations, public administration, public institutions, schools, and other interested parties from the Konjic area

Interested individuals can apply through the provided link and will receive feedback via email. Lunch and refreshments will be provided during the planned breaks, but the organizers do not cover transportation and accommodation costs for participants traveling from nearby towns. The number of spots is limited to ensure interactive and practical participation.

By learning and mastering the basic skills of adventure activities on the water, one contributes to the quality, safety, and legal regulation of rafting activities, for which the town of Konjic is recognizable and has entered the ranks of the most tempting destinations for adrenaline lovers.

On the occasion of marking the anniversary of Zuko’s death, the National University Konjic Institution and the Heritage Museum of the City of Konjic organized an Open Day of Zuko’s birthplace today, and an exhibition of photographs of Srđan Džumhur, Zuko’s close relative, was opened at the Wood Carving Museum in Konjic tonight.

At the opening of the exhibition, the director of National University Konjic Benjamin Mušinović pointed out that Zulfikar Zuko Džumhur “exuded” with sevdah and spoke about us most beautifully with his specific narrative and spread all the good things about our country all over the world, but also on small screens, bringing us beauty, but also spirituality.

Director and founder of the Konjic Wood Carving Museum, Orhan Nikšić, recalled in his address that he was still a boy when he saw Zuko for the first time because the famous artist was hanging out with his family.

“I knew he was someone important, but I couldn’t know at the time why he was important. I got to know his work and Zuka as an artist later by reading his works. Even today we admire his creativity, I often read his works that have not only artistic value but also what he said about life, which can make us better people. I am glad that tonight we are hosting an exhibition that reminds us of Zuko Džumhur”, Nikšić said.

“I knew he was someone important, but I couldn’t know then why he was important. The exhibition was opened on behalf of the mayor of Konjic by Orhan Tucović, congratulating the organizer on its opening.

“Aware of the importance and rich history of the city of Konjic and its inhabitants, it is our task to celebrate our famous fellow citizens with appropriate events, whose character and works make Konjic recognizable as a city of art and a city of artists, and art is what brought us to this space tonight” Tucovic said. I got to know his work and Zuka as an artist later by reading his works. Even today we admire his creativity, I often read his works that have not only artistic value but also what he said about life, which can make us better people. I am glad that tonight we are hosting an exhibition that reminds us of Zuko Džumhur”, said Nikšić.

Srđan Džumhur who is living in Celje and couldn’t attend the exhibition, is a close relative of Zuko Dzumhur and the author of the exhibition.

Srđan’s love for photography has been present since elementary school and continues to this day. In the beginning, it was black and white photos, and in the last 20 years, he has been photographing a lot of events in his family, in his company, and mostly of trips, which have accumulated a lot in the last 30 years. He has traveled almost all over the world, and making photo books is his focus.

“My goal is to record significant events in pictures and words, and to convey this succinctly in a photo book, from which one can notice the development of photo equipment, the development of photo software, and certainly my development,” explained Srđan Džumhur.

Text source: Radio Konjic, https://radiokonjic.ba/35-godina-od-zukine-smrti-u-konjicu-otvorena-izlozba-fotografija-srdjana-dzumhura/?fbclid=IwY2xjawG2SkxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHX0sI6iTFNwOfjihuP-8OHtPsUvvSCc-r7wntQtD9KeV50pMiVv6eCVx7g_aem_PldYrSFoYGpupY0YYr-nZQ

Source of photos: Radio Konjic and Vehid Šišić – U Objektivu

“Small businesses are not just companies – they are the heart of our community and employ 70% of the labor force in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which significantly contributes to the gross domestic product. Unfortunately, their contribution is often neglected,” said Senajid Dzozo, director of the Impakt Investment Foundation. He also emphasizes that small businesses represent the basis on which many entrepreneurs build the future, educate children and improve life in their communities.

Impakt’s campaign encourages citizens to make a significant contribution through everyday decisions such as buying domestic products or using the services of local entrepreneurs. This socially responsible initiative also aims to provide support to small businesses that still cannot invest in strong marketing campaigns.

You’re probably wondering how to support small businesses in your area.

You can do so in one of the following ways:

• By purchasing the products of domestic entrepreneurs 
• Sharing a post about a small local business you shop at
• Recommend the services of local hairdressers, masseuses or artisans
  
• Invite friends to support local business
• By applying for internships with local entrepreneurs to gain experience

The trip was organized for representatives of the tourist cluster that provide rafting services, representatives of the City Administration and the Agency “PRVI KORAK” Ltd. to gain insight into the functioning of the rafting management model on the Soča River.

The project aims to contribute to a better understanding of the principles of sustainable development, strengthening the coordination mechanism, creating conditions for improving services in the tourism sector and promoting Konjic as a desirable tourist destination, which is in line with Strategic Goal 2: A competitive tourist destination with recognizable tourist content, defined by the integral development strategy of the municipality of Konjic for the period 2018 – 2027.

The Chestnut Festival, which is held as part of the “Days of Neretvica” event, had a humanitarian character and all the money from the sale of raw and roasted chestnuts, chestnut sweets, as well as art works of students as part of the SIN Neretvica competition, will be directed to help the population from flooded areas in Neretvica.

The event was opened by Orhan Tucović, the chief of the Mayor’s office – Osman Ćatić, who expressed condolences to the families, relatives, and friends of those who died in the natural disaster.

“Last year, we enjoyed great organization, the beautiful scent of chestnuts, and shared many wonderful stories in our beautiful Seonica. Unfortunately, that is not the case today. We in the City Administration are dedicated 24 hours a day to the Neretvica Valley. We must keep moving forward and try to restore life to the valley, at least somewhat, as it once was,” said Tucović, expressing his hope that the next Chestnut Festival will be held in Seonica

The president of the Association SIN “Neretvica” Salih Mustafić thanked the City of Konjic and the mayor, who met them and made it possible for the Chestnut Festival to take place in Konjic.

”SIN Neretvica Association has been working on the promotion of our region, preservation of natural resources and cultural heritage since its foundation. This year we are continuing that mission, but with an additional focus on humanitarian aid, and your contribution, either through buying chestnuts or attending, is of great importance for our efforts”, Mustafić told the audience, who was the most successful primary and secondary school students in the art competition on the topic ” Tame Chestnut” presented the awards.

Today, the citizens of Konjic, as well as Sarajevo, Visoko and other cities, supported this humane action in Konjic.

Elizabeta from Sarajevo came with her company from Sarajevo with the clear goal of helping the residents of the flooded area, but also to enjoy eating chestnuts.

“I’m on Kestenijada for the first time, I love chestnuts, one of our company came to buy chestnuts and help the residents in the flooded areas,” Elizabeta said

Salem Delić from Konjic today also enjoyed the Chestnut Festival.

“I’m glad that this was organized, I enjoy chestnuts, which are native to us, autochthonous. These chestnuts are from the regions where our people died and we need to help,” said Delić, who was at Chestnut Festival with his sister.

Osman Ćatić, the Mayor of the Konjic, attended the Chestnut Festival and said it’s full of emotions and it evoked memories of the recent unfortunate events in the Neretvica Valley as well as how it used to be celebrated.

“I express my gratitude to everyone present here, who set aside their time and money to help the people of Neretvica, and I congratulate the association SIN Neretvica for continuing to organize the Chestnut Festival under these conditions,” Mayor Ćatić stated.

Refik Boloban, the coordinator of this event, said that a ton of chestnuts were provided for this year’s Chestnut Festival.

“We provided 700 kilos for baking and 300 kilos in fresh condition for sale exclusively from agricultural producers from the Neretvica Valley who experienced a natural disaster. The association SIN Neretvica bought the chestnut from them, we are selling it and donating all the proceeds to humanitarian purposes,” Boloban said.

Great interest was also caused by Husein Ičanović from Bužim, who invented a machine that roasts and peels chestnuts.

“I have been building an automatic chestnut roaster for ten years. People are delighted, there are chestnuts, they are of good quality, the hosts are wonderful and we are here in these difficult times to show them our solidarity, to recover from the disaster as soon as possible”, said Ičanović, stating that the roaster can roast up to 60 kg of chestnuts in an hour.

The organizer decided that instead of today’s announced auction of artworks of students from the competition, on Monday, 04.11. In 2024, on the Facebook page of the SIN Neretvica Association, it is organizing an auction where five student works will be exhibited.

Source of photos and text: Radio Konjic, https://radiokonjic.ba/konjic-odrzana-7-kestenijada-s-ciljem-pomoci-stanovnicima-potopljenih-podrucja/?fbclid=IwY2xjawGVVlBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHTiR-TzrKdfQkdRHcvVuGtVvh_RPgcS8qP3KeN6NgSoyiJK38tyMCYSA9g_aem_exeuZKh0T5z36NC8KiggAQ

Among the exhibitors today was also Himzo Herić.

„Everything on stand is homemade, completely without pesticides. I have chokeberry, takisha pear, onions, potatoes, oats, which no one in Konjic has”

Sabaheta Boloban was also satisfied with today’s festival.

„I’m very satisfied. Last year, we won the award for the biggest product and two years ago an award for the best decorated stand. We offer peppers, tomatoes, chestnuts, pickled peppers, various jams, juices etc.” – Boloban stated

At the Sultanić Refika’s stand, in addition to agricultural products, there were also flower seedlings. “We have hybrid cabbage, and this year the cauliflower has thrived. In addition, we offer bougainvillea flowers, rare white lilac, a decorative fence-laurel cherry, and an African plant,” Sultanić said.

Women’s associations also showcased domestic products at the festival. Each year, the Women’s Association “Most” from Jablanica regularly attends the event in Konjic. Association member Ćamila Imamović expressed her pleasure in being able to present her homemade juices, jams, and handicrafts.

“We are regulars at “Food Fest” and this year we have an expanded composition, we have three tables in front of the association for our members. In Konjic, we have the best socializing and atmosphere. As an association, we exhibit dried figs, jam, figs, pomegranates, sage…everything related to our Herzegovina. In addition, we also have the trade “Medina natural”, which offers everything from medicinal herbs: immortelle, lavender, sage, rosemary, essential oils, creams, and salves… We also have knitted handbags, sweaters etc” – said Gosto.

Amresa Pirija from Konjic traditionally presents her sweets at this festival. This year, especially for the festival, she made a cake in the shape of Mount Prenj and another in the shape of a slice of watermelon as a symbol of solidarity with the Palestinians, Amresa revealed.

“”I’m presenting at the Food Fest this year as well. After all, this is my passion, and appearing at the food festival is something special for me. This year, I made a cake in the shape of Prenj, and support for Palestine is definitely essential. After the festival, the cakes will be auctioned, and the proceeds will go to humanitarian purposes,” Amresa added

Izvor teksta: Radio Konjic, https://radiokonjic.ba/festival-hrane-konjic-food-fest-2024-okupio-veliki-broj-izlagaca/

“Receiving an award at a festival like this is very significant for me. The audience is perhaps the most important segment of our creative work for an actor. All festivals have something quite significant for an actor, but this festival is precious because it is unique in the whole country. We actors like to win acting awards,” said Diklić.

Zlatan Školjić from the Bosnian National Theater Zenica was declared the best actor of this year’s Festival of BiH Actors in Konjic, for the role of Liam in the play “Orphans”. As he said, the award was a surprise for him.

“”I am very happy to receive this award. Performances are made for the audience and the one who can best evaluate the performance is the audience. This is certainly significant for me as an actor. This will make me come to Konjic in the future with some new creations. I don’t necessarily need to win an award, but I’m always glad to play here,” said Školjić.

“It is an exceptional honor and pleasure, first of all, to be a part of this important theater festival in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is developing every year and is getting better and bigger. That is the first value that I want to highlight, and of course, the audience’s reward is something that is most important to us who deal with this business when it comes to theater. This is an honest, direct recognition because we, in fact, do performances for the audience and there is no “foiling” – said Bakrač.

“This year there was a diversity both in terms of genre and theme, although this year we did not have theaters outside Bosnia and Herzegovina. We had theaters from Banja Luka, Tuzla, Mostar, Zenica and Sarajevo, but those performances were so lavish that we couldn’t be dissatisfied under any circumstances. The general assessment of this festival is excellent” – said Begtašević.

This year, the BiH Actors’ Festival in Konjic hosted eight theaters from BiH, and several off-programs were also held. Benjamin Mušinović, director of the BiH Actor’s Festival, said that they tried to offer quality performances to the audience this year as well.

“We have created such a repertoire that we have a cross-section of the most recent Bosnian production. We didn’t have a regional program like before, but we decided exclusively on local theaters and somehow in the context of the diversity of poetics and genre diversity, but also some kind of aesthetic range that was achieved in terms of scenography and in terms of certain themes that permeate through the repertoire itself, which are strongly and qualitatively detected all Bosnian and Herzegovinian, as well as wider, European and world reality because we know what is happening today in the world framework, and it is our reality. Here I am thinking about topics such as migrants, peer violence, but also some blessings that we have and for which we feel grateful” – said Mušinović.

After the award ceremony, Laka&bend held a concert.

Source of text and photos: Radio Konjic, https://radiokonjic.ba/spustena-zavjesa-na-11-festival-glumca-bih-u-konjicu-za-najbolju-glumicu-i-glumca-proglaseni-jasna-diklic-i-zlatan-skoljic/

Five years later, at the invitation of Christian Gripenkerl, he participated in the International Art Exhibition in Rome, and after Rome, young Lazar went to the lights of Paris.

Biographers state that he came to Konjic in 1931 with a two-wheeler, which he made himself, and settled in Borci, in a shepherd’s hut, far from people and the world. He rarely exhibited and sold his paintings – only “yes, sometimes so he has something to live on”, so from 1930 to 1962, only the people of Mostar, Cetinje, Sarajevo, Kotor and Herzegovina saw them.

When he came to Konjic, he decided to live there, and until then he traveled extensively while his works of art attracted great attention and admiration. He loved to paint and transfer his emotions to the canvas, and his numerous works bear witness to this. He even stated on one occasion that he paints because he loves, and exhibits only to survive. He was a great lover of nature and to make paintings, he made paints from natural materials that he found on the Prenj Mountain.

During the Second World War, passing armies tore up and destroyed his numerous paintings, which was a great sadness for this important artist. The works he painted during his most fruitful painting period have disappeared. He had two larger canvases left on the easel, from which he scraped the paint and material and used it to make himself a suit. After that, the authorities of Konjic municipality gave him the Šantić villa to live in, where he lived for the rest of his life.

Some of his most famous works are: “Portrait of Bertha” (Potrtet od Berte), “Copernicus”(Kopernik), “Capinera”, “From
Bosnian hamlets”(Iz bosanske mahale), “The Three Horsemen” (Tri konjanika), “On the way from Florence to Viterbo”, “Colorist bum”,
“Portrait of an old man” and others.

As far back as 1932, Lazar Drljača said about himself: “You see, after Rome and Paris, where I worked and exhibited, I became a real, hard Bosnian peasant. I am, in fact, Bogumil.” His only and greatest wish was to be buried as Bogumil. He was buried next to the Šantić Villa, where he lived for many years. The stećak on his grave was discovered in August 2010. On the stećak it is written: “Let it be known that since they placed a stećak on me, neither travelers on earth nor stars in the sky can lead me astray, dead and living, I have been a signpost”.

With the aim of preserving the memory of two great men, Lazar Drljača and Zulfikar Zuko Džumhur, the art school “Zuko i Lazo” has been operating in Konjic for many years as part of the Association for the Protection of Cultural and Historical Heritage. 

Photo sources: Welcome to Konjic and Radio Konjic