PICARD 2019

North Macedonian Customs opted for an image of a benevolent mother figure to depict this year's PICARD Conference; Customs, protecting borders and citizens from potentially dangerous goods, perform a role similar to that of The Great Mother. 

The Great Mother (Magna Mater) is artfully realized and presented as a classically composed image of the female figure rising above a rectangular pedestal –the house– watching over the house’s hearth and tranquility. With wide open arms, she holds the roof and at the same time appears as if she is rising from it. The terracotta figurine –The Great Mother– was found in a house discovered in the Neolithic settlement Tumba Madzari, in 1981 in Skopje, and is thought to date from 6,500 to 3,500 BC.

The basic philosophical concept is to endorse the mother as the source of life, fertility and protector of the family and the house. The mother is the first character that a man, and every living being, sees after birth; the role and place of the mother through life is remarkable, noble and irreplaceable. Therefore, during human evolution, it is the central cult figure. In art and culture it is often presented as a central figure, pillar of the family and society, most significantly during the prehistorical period, but also during later stages.

North Macedonia Customs views its role as akin to that of a Mother –protector of society and of states, the organization that protects the life and well-being of citizens, through facilitating the development of the country and opening its doors to international trade.