BRUSSELS · 30 AUGUST 2006—KORČULA · 30 AUGUST 2026

Today, exactly twenty years to the day since its founding in Brussels, I am bringing Gratiartis to a close.

I founded Gratiartis on this day, 30 August 2006, in Brussels, following my meeting with the late Professor Osman Arnautović, a professor of Latin and French. From our conversation came the name, the idea and the foundations of Gratiartis.

From 2006 to 2026, through Gratiartis I published more than thirty books, worked in music production and released recordings, produced concerts and cultural encounters, and built lasting bridges between artists and audiences across Europe.

I conceived and personally led the Gratiartis Sevdalinka Project for more than a decade. On 4 December 2024, Sevdalinka was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity — securing its place in the cultural heritage of humankind for generations to come.

Esma Sarajlić, born Somun — **In proud and loving memory ofEsma Sarajlić (born Somun)**
A woman whose strength, dignity and quiet courage shaped the spirit from which Gratiartis was born. I dedicated the long-running Sevdalinka–UNESCO Project, as well as many other Gratiartis projects, to her. Her name and memory remain an inseparable part of this legacy.
She sang Sevdalinka more beautifully than many of today's interpreters. It was in her voice that my love for Sevdalinka was born — a love from which, many years later, the Sevdalinka–UNESCO Project grew.

My sincere thanks to every artist, author, partner, friend and member of the public who was part of this journey.

Thank you.