Mostar Puppet Theatre on the world puppet scene – recognition for the region and a call for stronger involvement
These days, the 24th UNIMA Congress is being held in South Korea, the largest and most important world puppetry event, as part of the largest puppetry festival in Asia, the Chuncheon Puppet Festival.
The Congress also includes elections for the Executive Board of UNIMA. This major global event highlights the importance of the world's oldest and largest puppetry organization - UNIMA (Union Internationale de la Marionnette), based in Charleville-Mézières, France. UNIMA, with a rich tradition spanning 96 years, has gathered some of the biggest names in world theater throughout its history, including Edward Gordon Craig, Bernard Shaw, Jim Henson, and numerous other artists who shaped world theater and puppetry history with their creativity.
These days, the 24th UNIMA Congress is being held in South Korea, the largest and most important world puppetry event, as part of the largest puppetry festival in Asia, the Chuncheon Puppet Festival.
The Congress also includes elections for the Executive Board of UNIMA. This major global event highlights the importance of the world's oldest and largest puppetry organization - UNIMA (Union Internationale de la Marionnette), based in Charleville-Mézières, France. UNIMA, with a rich tradition spanning 96 years, has gathered some of the biggest names in world theater throughout its history, including Edward Gordon Craig, Bernard Shaw, Jim Henson, and numerous other artists who shaped world theater and puppetry history with their creativity.
In this context, the Mostar Puppet Theatre has stood out as a strong representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina with its dedicated work, clear artistic vision and international engagement. Through the FLUM Festival – a festival of puppetry in Mostar that brings joy to children, but also opens spaces for dialogue and international cooperation – Mostar has become an important place of cultural encounter. Despite very limited funds, but with a lot of enthusiasm and dedication, the Theatre’s team managed to open the doors to the world stage, obtain the patronage of the UNESCO NGO Liaison Committee for its UNIMA Puppetry Collaboratorium project, and position Bosnia and Herzegovina on the map of international puppetry. Thanks to this dedicated work, the director Edin Kmetaš from the Mostar Puppet Theatre actively participated in numerous panels and events within the framework of the UNIMA World Congress in Chuncheon – the largest puppet festival in Asia.
Representatives from 58 countries participated in the congress, and special recognition came with the election of Edin Kmetaš as one of the 10 independent chancellors of UNIMA (term 2025-2029), with the right to vote in the International Council of UNIMA. With this appointment, Bosnia and Herzegovina received the first chancellor in the history of the existence of the World Puppet Association UNIMA International.
The appointment comes at an extremely important moment, as UNIMA is preparing to celebrate its 100th anniversary, which will be held in 2029 in Prague – the city where UNIMA was founded back in 1929, and which has the longest tradition of puppetry.
The appointment comes at an extremely important moment, as UNIMA is preparing to celebrate its 100th anniversary, which will be held in 2029 in Prague – the city where UNIMA was founded back in 1929, and which has the longest tradition of puppetry.
This selection represents a significant recognition not only for Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also for the entire regional context.
At the same time, it is a strong call to the competent ministries of culture for greater investment in culture and more active involvement in international cultural flows, in order to recognize the importance of Bosnia and Herzegovina and additionally highlight the contribution that our work makes to the world scene of puppetry.
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