The premises of the Bosnian House in Birmingham were packed with BiH citizens and representatives of British organizations who came to see what students from the BiH supplementary school in Birmingham had prepared for the Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The event began with a keynote address by Dr. Anes Cerić, manager of the BH UK Network.
“Today we have the honor and pleasure to celebrate 30 years of independence of our homeland in Great Britain. Independence is paid for dearly, and it is our duty not to forget our homeland. This is precisely why our citizens gathered in Bosanska house, to cherish and respect our homeland. What we have today did not come suddenly, but rather the painstaking effort and work of all of us here, especially the volunteers who, with their selfless contribution, maintain the work of the BiH supplementary school Birmingham,” he emphasized Ceric.
The anthems of BiH and the UK were performed by guests from Tuzla, M.A. Dženana Šehanović Sarajlić, pianist, and Prof. Dr. Dženana Huseinagić, solo singer/soprano.
Those present were also addressed by H.E. Vanja Filipović, Ambassador of BiH to the United Kingdom, who expressed his pleasure at attending the celebration of BiH Independence Day in Birmingham: “I must say that Bosnian House is my favorite place in the United Kingdom. This is a great opportunity to celebrate 30 years of BiH independence. It took us 4 years to stop the war and to gain peace. It has been a very thorny path with ups and downs so far and we can be very proud. Despite everything that has happened, we have a country that was in the UN Security Council for a year and decided on the most important things in the world, a member of the UN and we have submitted an application for membership in the European Union, we are at an advanced stage for NATO accession and we continue to work regardless of the attempts of some to return us to difficult times. They will not succeed in this as long as there are patriots in our country and abroad, who care about their country, preserve their identities and pass on knowledge and experience to new generations. I am proud to see you, these children speaking our language with an interesting accent, but they speak and that is the most important thing. When they go to BiH they feel at home. I thank everyone for what you do, especially the volunteers, who dedicate their time, effort and energy to preserve our identity”, said HE Filipović. 
In the continuation of the manifestation, a suitable cultural program was arranged. The main actors were the students of the BiH secondary school in Birmingham who, with the help of their teachers Alma Aganović, Emir Bolić, Azra Bašić and Eldina Bolić, tried to entertain the attendees and show what they had prepared for this important day. Of course, celebrating the national holiday would not be complete without the performance of KUD “Mladost Bosne”. Dressed in folk costumes, they embellished the program with a mix of games, under the watchful eye of choreographer Fahira Hasedžić, and the large audience selflessly rewarded them with applause, because music is the one that reaches the heart the easiest and fastest.
This program was also enhanced by special guests, Dženana Huseingać and Dženana Šehović Sarajlić, who sang several appropriate songs. The musical performance “Sevdah and Classics – a combination of tradition and art” by Dženana Šehanović Sarajlić, master of piano, and prof. dr. Dženana Huseinagić, soprano, implies a rounded whole permeated with some of the most beautiful works of the Balkan musical heritage with a distinctive and rich musical lyrical repertoire. The emphasis would certainly be on sevdalinka, whose birthplace is Bosnia and Herzegovina and which have given an authentic stamp to Bosnian-Herzegovinian music, but this time they would be performed in a classical arrangement, which gives them a new dimension and artistic value.
Awards and souvenirs from Bosnia and Herzegovina were also presented to all volunteers who actively participate in marking all significant dates for Bosnian citizens in Birmingham: Ada Dedić, Eldina Bolić, Emir Bolić, Alma Aganović, Azra Bašić, Fahira Hasedžić, the Hadžović and Zlomužica families, Ferid Kevrić, Mersad Krnjić and representatives of the DRC–Birmingham organization, Michael Summers and Doreen Wiffen-Jones. We would like to thank our Abid Kahrimanović who took the time to come and prepare a traditional Bosnian specialty, ćevapi of course.
Everything ended with the gathering of those present, which is the purpose of such gatherings.
The message of all present BiH citizens from the Bosnian House is that we must build a better future for our youngest. We cannot forget the past, but we can learn from it, and go on the path of a common and more beautiful future.
BH UK Network
