"ECHO THROUGH KRAJINA" GATHERED AROUND 150 PARTICIPANTS

MRKONJIĆ GRAD, MAY 17 /SRNA/ - The first edition of the event “Echo Through Krajina” was held on Sunday evening in Mrkonjić Grad, where 150 participants competed in “a cappella” traditional singing, represented by 21 vocal groups from Republika Srpska, Serbia, Slovenia, and Croatia.

The organizer of the event, held under the slogan “Let’s sing old songs, let’s preserve traditions,” is the Cultural and Artistic Society /KUD/ Petar I Karađorđević Mrkonjić. Artistic director of the Mrkonjić Grad KUD, Mirjana Brešo, said the competition included both male and female vocal groups and that the event helps preserve Serbian tradition and roots. The event was opened by the Mayor of Mrkonjić Grad, Dragan Vođević, who said that it is extremely important for Mrkonjić Grad and expressed hope that it will become a tradition. “By understanding our roots and history, we also get to know our younger generations who are growing up in this region,” Vođević told reporters. The president of the Association for the Preservation of Folk Song and Dance “Savo Vladislavić” from Gacko, Lazar Okiljević, said that the audience was presented with authentic traditional singing - ganga. A representative of the male vocal group of the Workers’ Cultural and Artistic Society “RKUD Pelagić” from Banja Luka, Branislav Zorić, said that they performed songs from the area around Glamoč, while the women performed songs from Lika. The president of the ethno-group “Carza” from Drvar, Neda Todorović, said that they presented traditional songs from the Una region. The municipality of Mrkonjić Grad is the patron of the event.