It was held in Sarajevo, at the Catholic High School 'Sv. Josip' Catholic High School, the 'MasterChef' initiative was held as part of the activities planned within the Brat (Balkan Route - Reception in Transit) project. This project aims to foster orderly, safe and responsible migration in Bosnia and Herzegovina by strengthening and diversifying reception services for migrants, improving their health and psychological conditions, and promoting the creation of closer relations with host communities.
Funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), Brat includes among its implementing partners several Italian and local organisations such as Caritas Italiana, Ipsia Acli, Italian Red Cross, Caritas Bosnia Herzegovina, Ifs-Emmaus and the Red Cross Society of Bosnia Herzegovina.
The 'MasterChef' initiative saw the participation of several mixed groups of around twenty young school students and six unaccompanied minors crossing the Balkan route, hosted in the Safe House in Sarajevo, a facility in turn funded by the Brat project. Present at the initiative were Ambassador Marco Di Ruzza, Anxhela Zeneli of Caritas Italiana, Mersiha Behlulovic of AICS and some representatives of Ipsia Acli, as well as a teacher from the host school. The activity took place with the fundamental support of the prestigious chef Miran Karic, who, with great professionalism and generosity, guided the young people in their gastronomic achievements, encouraging them to put themselves to the test through intense and passionate teamwork.
The young participants collaborated in the preparation of various dishes, also typical of their homelands, in order to promote the culture and traditions of countries such as Morocco, Syria, Afghanistan and Pakistan and to help develop good relations between the migrant and local populations. One of the objectives of the activity is to improve the perception of the local population towards migrants, using food as a tool to foster multicultural dialogue and welcome. All contestants received certificates of participation and prizes, but, as Anxhela Zeneli stated, 'the spirit of the competition was not competition or rivalry, rather that of mutual knowledge and respect for diversity, inclusion and sharing of individual cultural identities'.
For his part, Ambassador Di Ruzza underlined the importance of the Brat project for a better management of migration flows in Bosnia and Herzegovina and reception policies: this initiative thus contributes to supporting the Balkan country in its path towards European accession - which is strongly supported by Italy - in an important and delicate sector. "This event," Di Ruzza added, "also demonstrates that cuisine and good food are a powerful tool for inclusion and cultural integration, capable of promoting mutual understanding and acting as a true manifestation of art, genius, and creativity: this is precisely the spirit with which we propose the Italian Cuisine Week in the main cities of Bosnia Herzegovina every year.
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