PROJECT THAT AIMS TO PRESERVE SERB HERITAGE IN FBiH LAUNCHED

BELGRADE, October 19 /SRNA/ – The "Steps in Stone, Following the Footsteps of Our Ancestors" project and its accompanying website, tragovimapredaka.com, were presented today at Princess Ljubica's Residence in Belgrade. The initiative aims to preserve traces of the Serbian presence in parts of the Federation of BiH /FBiH/ where Serbs lived for centuries but where few remain today or none at all.

The project is jointly implemented by the Dekom organization from Banja Luka and the Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Serbs in FBiH, with support from the Directorate for Diaspora and Serbs in the Region of Serbia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Committee President Đorđe Radanović stressed the importance of encouraging people to contribute to the project by mapping old Serbian Orthodox cemeteries and sacred sites, many of which are endangered and rarely visited. This would ensure that people a century or two from now could learn that Serbs once lived in these areas.

"It is important to know that Serbs once lived in Livno, Ljubuški, Gornji Vakuf, Vitez and Novi Travnik", Radanović said.

He said the current focus was on small cemeteries in areas where Serbs were a minority according to the 1991 census. He warned that some of these cemeteries might become impossible to locate in five or 10 years and called on everyone visiting their ancestors' graves to submit photographs and information.

Of around 1,100 cemeteries identified in total, 175 have been located so far. Of the 700 Serbian Orthodox sacred sites, 42 have been located, photographed and assigned geographical coordinates.

"We have uploaded them to the platform so that anyone can find them," Radanović said.

Dragan Ješić of Dekom said the digital platform, "Tracing Our Ancestors," offered a modern way to preserve Serbian heritage. He noted in particular that the platform was protected against hacker attacks.

"In the past, organized activities by Bosniaks from FBiH regularly resulted in photographs of our cemeteries and Serbian Orthodox sacred sites being removed from Google. That is why we established this platform, which is completely independent and under our control, and we decide what appears on it", Ješić said.

He explained that the initiative sought to help Serbian and international audiences understand the challenges faced by Serbs in FBiH, adding that the aim was to establish a digital database.

"Some 510,000 Serbs once lived in that area, and some estimates indicate that as many as 400,000 Serbs remain displaced from their ancestral homes. Through this initiative, we wanted to preserve their homes and heritage forever, so they would not be forgotten", Ješić said.

Vladimir Kokanović, director of the Directorate for Diaspora and Serbs in the Region, said that failing to preserve traces of their ancestors risked leaving future generations without part of the story of who they were, where they came from and where they belonged.

"That is why this project is not just about documenting old cemeteries and monuments, but about preserving our roots and passing them on to those who come after us," Kokanović said.

He stressed that the project's presentation at Princess Ljubica's Residence was no coincidence, as the venue is currently hosting the exhibition "Stone and Flower from Prebilovci," dedicated to preserving the memory of the Holy Martyrs of Prebilovci, who were killed during World War II.