Closed memorial manifestations in Donja Gradina

Memorial manifestations dedicated to 60th anniversary of the break of Jasenovac camp inmates, holocaust and victory over fascism, which were opened in mid-April, were closed today by the manifestation of gathering of primary and high school students at the Memorial Zone Donja Gradina and award of prizes to the best participants of competition of painting and literary pieces dedicated to Jasenovac.

Awards to laureates were delivered by Barry Lituchi, Professor of the Barkley University and national coordinator of the New York’s Institute for investigation of events in Jasenovac, which have launched this competition implemented throughout schools of the Republic of Srpska by the RS Institute for Pedagogy.

Addressing attendees, Lituchi stressed that through the messages of students of the Republic of Srpska, victims of Jasenovac “death factory” are warning and urging us to never forget the crime.

“That is important for the future and for the whole world, and not only for Serbs, Jews and Romas perished in Jasenovac”, said Lituchi and warned that nobody can expect and hope to reach human and social justice without knowing the historical facts.

He stressed that BiH cannot look forward to democracy, without respecting historical messages, in which were violated not only human, but also the right to live.

Lituchi sent the message of complaint to the High Representative in BiH Paddy Ashdown and other international representatives in BiH for not attending the memorial manifestations in Donja Gradina dedicated to 60th anniversary of the break of Jasenovac camp inmates, holocaust and victory over fascism, because he believe they could learn a lot from it.

National coordinator of the New York Institute for investigation of events in Jasenovac have delivered the prizes, valuable history books and Serbian literature books, to laureates for the painting pieces dedicated to sufferings of Jasenovac camp inmates.

According to the decision of team of experts, first three prizes to the best painting pieces were awarded to the student of the primary school in Bratunac Jelena Vasić, student of the primary school in Gradiška Dajana Džilić and the student of the primary school in Banja Luka Mirjana Mudrinić.

Authors of the most successful literary pieces about Jasenovac were student of the High Music School in Prijedor Dejan Arnaut, student of the High Technical School in Banja Luka Željko Slijepčević and student of the primary school in Banja Luka Ana Rakita.

The laureates were reading their pieces during the program organized at the Memorial Zone Donja Gradina, with support of the String Quartet of the Academy of Music Banja Luka.

In the exhibition hall of the Memorial Zone in Donja Gradina was organized the exhibition of painting pieces dedicated to Jasenovac, and in the Banja Luka Gallery, for over one month by now, is open the exhibition of 180 most successful painting pieces of students from the Republic of Srpska, that have participated in the competition dedicated to Jasenovac.

800 painting and 258 literary pieces of students from schools throughout Republic of Srpska have participated in this competition.

In words of organizer, they wish this competition to become traditional incentive for creative work of students of the Republic of Srpska dedicated to Jasenovac and history of Serbs, as well as the mandatory class of history in the Memorial Zone Donja Gradina for all schools and students in the Republic of Srpska. This was planned at the example given by Israel, where students cannot pass the maturity exam without visiting the Museum of Holocaust in Jerusalem.