VEKIĆ: WE CARRY OUR NATIVE LAND WITH US, NO MATTER WHERE WE LIVE

GRAHOVO, AUGUST 2 /SRNA/ – Maja Vekić, Director of the Republika Srpska Gender Equality Centre, served today as the patron of the patron saint's day celebration at the Church of the Holy Prophet Elijah in Crni Lug near Bosansko Grahovo, where a large number of worshippers and people originally from the area gathered on St. Elijah's Day from Republika Srpska, Serbia, across Europe and other parts of the world.

Vekić said that serving as the patron of the church celebration at the church where she was baptized was a special honour, a great mark of trust, and one of the most emotional moments of her life.

"Being the patron of the church's patron saint day in my native Crni Lug is not only an honour, but also a blessing. This church is not merely a place of prayer. It preserves our memories, our faith, our identity and our sense of belonging. We always return here, no matter where we live," Vekić said.

She stressed that Crni Lug had once again demonstrated the strong bond between people and their native land, as families whose roots are in this region, but who now live throughout Republika Srpska, Serbia, Europe and around the world, gathered in the churchyard.

"Only a few of us live here permanently, but every St. Elijah's Day this churchyard comes alive again. Our people come from Banja Luka, Novi Sad, Belgrade, Europe and other parts of the world because their roots call them back. One's native land is not just a place - it is the people, our Church, our memories and the remembrance of our ancestors. We carry our native land with us, wherever we live," Vekić said.

Speaking about the importance of preserving the culture of remembrance, Vekić said that every generation has a duty to remember the suffering of the Serb people and pass that truth on to their children.

"Remembering does not mean living in the past. Remembering means knowing who you are. We must not raise our children to hate, but to be good people, to respect others, and at the same time to know the truth about their own people and their victims. There is a great difference between hatred and remembrance - hatred breeds new divisions, while remembrance preserves the truth and forms the foundation of peace," Vekić emphasized.

She added that it is the responsibility of today's generations to preserve the bond with their native land and pass it on to their children and grandchildren.

"It is important to bring our children here so they know who they are, where they come from and what our ancestors left us. A people endures only as long as its memory endures. What we preserve today will become our children's heritage tomorrow," Vekić said.