Eighty years ago today – fascism was defeated by the military courage, strength and will of the people of these areas. Guided by the ideals of freedom, the anti-fascist struggle triumphed and left an indelible mark in history. Today, remembering those times, but also through the experience of the wars of the nineties, we do not forget the values for which lives were lost. May 9 was celebrated in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina – a day that carries strong symbolism. This day is celebrated as the Day of Victory over Fascism, the Day of Europe and the Day of Golden Lilies.
Bosnia and Herzegovina chose its side a long time ago: the side of the fight against fascism and the preservation of a democratic society. She had to pay a price for her choice. Because of those who gave their lives for the idea of a better future – we must preserve the past from oblivion in order to repay them.
“And now we are the ones who remembered it and know some things, so we say – we told you. It is important to remind ourselves, but not because of the past – but because of the present and the future”, emphasizes the president of SABNOR BiH Sead Đulić.
The whole world paid the price of the fight against fascism in the Second World War. But even when we thought that fascism was defeated in Bosnia and Herzegovina – its ideology was repeated in the 1990s.
This is how the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina and the genocide happened.
Unfortunately, one of the strongest symbols of that evil was the burning of the Sarajevo City Hall. Burned to erase the culture, history and memory of a nation. On this day, we celebrate the restoration of the Sarajevo City Hall, but also remember its symbolic importance of resistance, hope and rebirth. Because this is a day of sanctification, a day of learning what we have suppressed.
“We have renounced everything that is an anti-fascist tradition, we no longer have it through the culture of remembrance, through the calendar, through the relationship to monuments. In Sarajevo, it would be enough to go and see what our relationship is to Vraca. These are all indicators of our anti-fascist commitments. We need to show in action whether we value these values or not,” emphasized historian Husnija Kamberović.
Today, a large number of those who fought for an anti-fascist Bosnia and Herzegovina are not among us. They were members of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and defended their homeland with their lives. We preserve their memory through the Golden Lilies. May 9 is also celebrated as their day.
“We should remember this day with great respect because almost all the people of Ljiljani were killed or disabled at a very young age, to the shame of all politicians,” says Bahrija Kituša, president of the families of martyrs of the Sarajevo Canton.
“We remember the heroes, we pay them significant attention, we talk about them with reverence, while the aggressors remember war crimes. A very big difference. We were on the right side of history. And the right side was proven in 1995 when the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was invited to Paris for a parade in honor of the fight against fascism, the only one from the region,” recalls Omer Osmanović, Minister for Veterans Affairs of the Sarajevo Canton.
Although the armed struggle against fascism has ended, the more difficult struggle – against ideology – continues today, Federalna writes.
