The Foundation Cultural Heritage without Borders (CHwB) in cooperation with the Museum of Literature and Performing Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina implemented several activities within the project „Literature for all children“, funded by the Ministry for Labour, Social policy, Displaced persons and Refugees of Canton Sarajevo.
This project was held within Kids Week – a week dedicated to promoting children’s rights, education, and inclusion in the beginning of October 2015.
„Although access to culture is a basic human right, awareness about this issue in our society almost does not exist. This project was our opportunity to learn from children with and without disabilities about their needs, so we can improve our work. They are our future! We had an opportunity to educate museum’s audience, and they had an opportunity to participate in creating a museum as they want“, said Šejla Šehabović, director of the Museum of Literature and Performing Arts BiH.
In order to make all of the week’s activities accessible to children with disabilities, a sign language interpreter was present at several workshops, while all materials were presented in audio and video form, and in Braille.
Children from eight elementary schools in Sarajevo were introduced to the museum, its history and the literature of the famous Bosnian children literature authors, Branko Ćopić and Ahmet Hromadžić, and attended a workshop on traditional embroidery techniques and materials.
„Time spent in the Museum and with its employees was wonderful and educational. We learned many new things and improved our knowledge in literature and about our famous authors,“ stated Almedina Halilović, student from the elementary school „Dobroševići“.
A group of children prepared a theater play based on Hromadžić’s story which they performed on the last day of Kids Week, when many other activities for children were organized.
At the museum, the children also learned about other important Bosnian authors and their work. Among many, they were introduced to the work of Ivo Andrić, the Yugoslav author who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1961, whose entire archive is housed in the Museum.
As part of this project, a round table on inclusion was organized for professors, deafologists and museum experts. Attendees of this round table talked about the importance of inclusion of children with disabilities in cultural and educational institutions, and society in general.
Along with the CHwB and the Museum of Literature and Performing Arts, many other organizations in Sarajevo and across Bosnia and Herzegovina participated in this event.