The Creative Europe Festival, under the slogan “Moving Boundaries”, brought the spirit of European culture to Novi Pazar, presenting projects and artistic works supported through the European Union’s largest programme dedicated to cultural institutions, artists, and media professionals.
Held in Novi Pazar for the second time, the event began with an information session at the Europe House, where local artists, cultural practitioners, and representatives of public institutions received comprehensive information about calls for international cooperation under the Creative Europe programme.
For most participants, this was their first introduction to the programme. Representatives of the Creative Europe Desk noted that very few project applications have been submitted from Novi Pazar and the surrounding region.
“Novi Pazar has a vibrant cultural scene and many talented, successful artists, yet most of them are not familiar with the funding opportunities available through this programme. Following this information session, several project ideas have already emerged that we could potentially develop and submit,” said Amra Hodžić Jejna of the Novi Pazar Cultural Centre.
The festival continued with a rich literary programme hosted at the “Izudin Šušević” Technical School, the Novi Pazar Grammar School, and the “Duga” Centre for Children and Youth.
Students at the Technical School were introduced to the project “New Voices for a New Era”, through which they learned about the work of the Blum publishing house and its latest publications.
Through presentations of contemporary literary production, students discussed the importance of reading, the role of publishing in shaping the cultural landscape, and the ways in which literature responds to the challenges facing new generations.
A particularly memorable part of the programme was a meeting with award-winning Novi Pazar author Enes Halilović, who spoke about the importance of reading.
At the Grammar School, the Heliks publishing house presented its project “The European Literary Canvas: Portraits of Our Time.”
Special attention was given to the first editions published by Heliks in the Cyrillic script, highlighting the importance of preserving linguistic and cultural heritage through contemporary literary production.
At the “Duga” Centre, the youngest audience members—second-grade pupils—were introduced to the publishing house Odiseja and its books The Bogeyman and Who’s Afraid of the Wolf Anymore?
“Through interactive and creative activities, the children discussed fear and ways of overcoming it, as well as emotions that are a natural part of growing up. In the second part of the workshop, they had the opportunity to draw their imaginary monsters, creatively transforming fear into play and artistic expression. The programme successfully introduced important life values to children while encouraging imagination, emotional literacy, and creative expression,” said Fatima Durović, Director of the Duga Centre.
The festival concluded at the Ras Museum, where the Euromuse project was presented. The initiative brings together music, museums, audiences, science, innovation, and accessibility in a compelling and innovative way.
Creative Europe is the European Union’s flagship programme for supporting the cultural and creative sectors. It provides financial assistance to institutions and organisations working in culture to preserve, develop, and promote Europe’s cultural and linguistic diversity and heritage, while strengthening the competitiveness and economic potential of cultural and particularly audiovisual industries.