Ancient musical expression - Ojkanje

In 2010, Ojkanje singing was inscribed in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding!

“Ojkanje” is the oldest type of singing in the Republic of Croatia, which dates back to ancient pre-Slavic times (prehistory and antiquity), that the Croats adopted and preserved from oblivion through many centuries. It is a distinctive feature of the Dinaric region, where it occurs in several forms, in Lika where it is called “ojkanje”, in Dalmatia / Dalmatian Zagora where we have “rera” (known Sinjska rera), and “ganga” in the border area around Imotski in Croatia and in the western part of Herzegovina in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Today, this ancient art of singing is guarded from extinction by the Croats and also by the members of a minority ethnic population in the Republic of Croatia. Namely, almost everyone who came later to Lika embraced this therapeutic musical expression from the Croats - because the life was hard here, and it still is, so many embrace “ojkanje” simply to calm their troubled souls.

Help us save this ancient and therapeutic type of singing from dying out, your interest and support are crucial for local guardians of traditional culture!

Arrange a visit to a rehearsal or a course a few days in advance on these contacts:
CCAS Korenica, Republic of Croatia
Music and dances of the Croatian people of Plitvice Lakes and Lika region in Croatia
(rehearsals are on Tuesdays at 19:00, you can work out the details directly)
Tel: +385(0)98 168-1126
E-mail: renata.babic1@skole.hr

SKD Prosvjeta, Korenica, Republika Hrvatska
Music and dances of the Serbian people of Plitvice Lakes and Lika region in Croatia
Tel: +385(0)53 755-012
E-mail: seka.prica@gs.t-com.hr