Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) marked Statehood Day yesterday, commemorating November 25th, 1943, the day the founding session of the State Anti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of BiH (ZAVNOBiH) was held in Mrkonjic Grad.
Among the key figures of the first ZAVNOBiH session is Rada Vranjesevic, the woman featured in the photograph that symbolizes this crucial event in the country’s history.
Origins and childhood
Rada Vranjesevic was born on May 25th, 1918, in the village of Rekavice near Banja Luka, in what was then Austria-Hungary. Her family was both intellectually and politically active.
Education and early clashes with the system
Rada completed elementary school in a village near Prnjavor and attended high school in Derventa and Banja Luka. During her school years, she exhibited a rebellious spirit, which led to her expulsion from high school in 1932 for her involvement with the then-banned Communist Party of Yugoslavia.
Between 1936 and 1937, Rada continued her education in Skopje, where she developed a deep affection for Macedonia and its people. She took an active interest in the Macedonian Question, advocating for equality and the rights of the Macedonian people within Yugoslavia. Although she did not speak Macedonian, her “charming Bosnian accent” won the sympathy of her peers.
War and resistance
The outbreak of World War II brought significant changes. Following the capitulation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1941, Rada returned to Banja Luka and joined the partisans. To protect herself while operating clandestinely, she wore a niqab to conceal her identity. Early in the war, she displayed exceptional courage and ingenuity, recruiting women in Banja Luka to join the partisan movement.
In 1942, Rada was transferred to the liberated territories near Mount Grmec, where she continued her political work. She was among the founders of the Women’s Antifascist Front of BiH and a member of its central committee. As one of only four women among approximately 170 delegates, she participated in the first ZAVNOBiH session in Mrkonjic Grad on November 25th, 1943.
A tragic end
Rada’s life came to a tragic end during the German raid on Drvar in 1944. On her 26th birthday, May 25th, she was captured and executed the following day while attempting to escape.
After Yugoslavia’s liberation, her remains were moved to the partisan cemetery in Banja Luka. In 1951, she was posthumously named a National Hero of Yugoslavia.
On Statehood Day, we remember not only the political decisions made at ZAVNOBiH but also individuals like Rada, who sacrificed their lives to ensure the future of a free and equal BiH, Klix.ba writes.
