On the occasion of World Children’s Day, the first international festival of children songs and dances “Joy of Europe”, supported by the authorities of the City of Belgrade, President Tito, UNICEF and the General Assembly of the United Nations, was held in 1969 in Belgrade. More than half a century passed and over 20,000 children have visited Belgrade. From the beginning, the hosts have been the main pillar of the manifestation – parents who receive boys and girls of Europe in their homes, showing our traditional hospitality.
The basic idea of the manifestation was and still is getting to know each other and making friends, while the children’s play is in the centre of all the events.
The International Fine Art Competition “Joy of Europe” is the youngest programme entity of the Manifestation, and, since its founding, it has been gathering for the twenty-fourth time children and young art creators (4 to 18 years) from around the world, through their rich fine art creativity. Traditionally, the works selected by a jury of experts are presented on a commemorative postal stamp “Joy of Europe”. The best sign of authenticity of children’s creativity is the fine-art play and enjoyment in the very act of creativity.
This year’s selection of works for the postal stamp, vignette and envelope represents the miraculous power of imagination, powerful enough to paint out the dark side of reality and open innumerable opportunities which are offered to children and the young in their creative leisure time. A postal stamp like this gives the most beautiful support to the natural and creative way of living because the children’s fine art creativity bears in itself unrepeatable authenticity, power and freshness!
Motif on the stamp: drawing by Nebojša Jovčić (11 years, Serbia). The authors of drawings on vignettes are: Ema Hricová (8 years, Slovakia), Ivana Španović (6 years, Serbia), Tijana Dobrašinović (11 years, Serbia), Kira Chochieva (9 years, Russsia), Júlia Stajnová (9 years, Serbia), Stefan Krstevski (13 years, North Macedonia), Laura Grulová (8 years, Slovakia) Motif on the envelope: drawing by Foo Yee Ching Stephanie (7 years, China)
