On December 4, 2024, lovers and admirers of sevdalinka were delighted by the news that this traditional song had been inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The process of including sevdalinka on UNESCO’s Representative List lasted several years, and on December 4, 2024, it was announced that sevdalinka had become part of the world’s cultural mosaic—a worthy representative of the culture of our peoples and the richness of our country’s intangible heritage.

“Mostar Adorned with Sevdah” is the name of the event marking the first anniversary of the inscription of sevdalinka, the Bosnian-Herzegovinian urban and folk song, on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

On the day when it was officially recognized last year as a global symbol of cultural heritage, a rich program will be held at the National Theater Mostar, organized by the Tourist Association Sjever, the Cultural and Artistic Society “Bijelo Polje,” the Center for Culture Mostar, the National Theater Mostar, and the Museum of Herzegovina.

The Museum of Herzegovina will present an exhibition titled “Sevdalinka – A Singing Heritage” in the foyer of the National Theater Mostar from 19:00 to 19:15.

Afterwards, in the main hall, writers and researchers of sevdalinka—Professor Nusret Omerika and Professor Esma Džiho (program moderator and introducer)—will speak about sevdalinka.

The anniversary of this major event for Bosnia and Herzegovina and sevdalinka will also be marked by the SEVDAH Foundation, the umbrella organization of sevdalinka custodians, in a typical sevdah setting—at the Adil Zulfikarpašić Foundation, the Bosniak Institute—with a concert of selected sevdalinkas.

Through storytelling, playing, and singing, the audience will be taken back to the time when some of the most beautiful traditional songs were created, passed down orally and in writing by our ancestors, all the way to today’s generation.