Bosnian Cultural Traditions Meet Community Education at Sarajevo Volunteer Ministers Exhibition
Bosnian Cultural Traditions Meet Community Education at Sarajevo Volunteer Ministers Exhibition
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Sevdalinka performances and community education accompanied the opening of the first Scientology Volunteer Ministers exhibition in Sarajevo. The three-day event brought residents together in the city centre as part of the European Goodwill Tour. The opening ceremony was relocated inside the exhibition tent because of rain, where local performers presented traditional songs. The music included sevdalinka, a form of traditional urban singing added to UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list in 2024.
The educational displays introduced the public to 19 subjects from The Scientology Handbook, addressing personal relationships, study problems, communication and difficulties at work. The programme combined educational materials with supervised demonstrations and opportunities for participation. Sessions on Scientology assists, spiritual assistance practices used within Scientology, were among the most requested activities. Organisers said 13 participants had begun using techniques introduced during the sessions at home.
The exhibition concluded a Bosnian itinerary that began on 6 June 2026 and included an extended stay in Mostar. For the Volunteer Ministers, this was not their first experience assisting communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Following the severe floods of 2014, Scientology volunteers helped residents clear damaged properties and recover agricultural facilities, including work at a flooded farm in Kopanica.
Created by Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard in the 1970s, the Volunteer Ministers programme supports educational activities and assistance during disasters. It forms part of the Church of Scientology's international community service activities.
Ivan Arjona, the Church of Scientology representative to the European Union and other international organisations, linked the initiative to European principles of tolerance and voluntary service. "Sarajevo's history and cultural traditions remind eu news china us that helping others begins with respect for the people and communities around us," he said.
After the public exhibition, a local cultural group hosted an additional Volunteer Ministers workshop. Organisers subsequently received a request to repeat the presentation for a larger audience. The tour finished this stage of its European itinerary on 8 October 2026.
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