The twenty-seventh traditional meeting of Bosnian supplementary schools in the United Kingdom was held in Coventry, bringing together children, teachers and members of the diaspora with the aim of preserving the language, culture and identity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the message that stronger institutional support from Bosnia and Herzegovina is necessary for the survival of these schools.
It is one of the largest annual gatherings of the BiH diaspora in the United Kingdom. The host of the event was the Coventry Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while the sponsor of the event was the Bosnia & Herzegovina UK Network.
After singing the national anthems of BiH and the United Kingdom, the audience was addressed by the president of the Coventry Bosnia and Herzegovina Association Denis Hatić, the president of the Bosnia & Herzegovina UK Network Zaim Pašić, the deputy leader of the Coventry City Council Lynnette Kelly, the honorary consul of BiH for the Midlands Anes Cerić and the first secretary of the BiH Embassy in London Samira Koričić-Mujkić.
Additional schools from Coventry, Birmingham, Derby and Hertfordshire participated in the program, presenting themselves with rich cultural and educational content.
“Their performances showed how young generations, even though they were born or grew up far from BiH, are strongly connected to their roots and proud of their heritage”, it was pointed out in the press release of the Bosnia and Herzegovina UK Network.
As part of the program, awards were also given to the most successful students. Hana Bahtagić, Ella Hanić and Aldin Medić were awarded in the literary competition, while Hana Dergić, Elma Makić and Mejrema Hatić were the most successful in the art competition. Armina Fazlić from Hertfordshire, Eldar Vukalić from Coventry, Asja Isović from Derby and Ajla Pezerović from Birmingham received praise for their effort, dedication and success.
“In Coventry, the best that our community has on the Island is presented – our children, their knowledge, talent, love for Bosnia and Herzegovina and people who work hard to pass that love and belonging on to future generations,” the statement said.
The organization Bosnia and Herzegovina UK Network says that the BiH diaspora in the United Kingdom can rightly be proud of the fact that such activities have been held for almost three decades, mainly thanks to the dedicated volunteer work of teachers, parents, activists and community members. However, they note that it is evident that the number of supplementary schools and students is gradually decreasing, which represents a serious challenge for their long-term survival.
They point out that it is therefore necessary for the state institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina to become more actively involved and provide concrete support to the work of supplementary schools in the diaspora.
The Bosnia and Herzegovina UK Network also says that this challenge affects not only the community in the United Kingdom, but also numerous Bosnian communities around the world, stressing that the preservation of language, identity and connections with the diaspora must become a real priority, and not remain at the level of occasional addresses.
