The building of the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in London was too small to accommodate the large number of guests who came from various parts of the United Kingdom to celebrate our homeland’s Independence Day together.
BH UK Network, in cooperation with the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the United Kingdom and its members, BH associations in the UK, organized a festive program to celebrate the Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The program was attended by students attending BH supplementary schools in the United Kingdom (Birmingham, Coventry, Victoria London and Hertfordshire schools) and KUD Mladost Bosne from Birmingham. 
Although miles away from their home country, BiH citizens living and working in the UK gathered to celebrate this significant date for our homeland, Bosnia and Herzegovina. This occasion was special for everyone, especially the youngest, as the program was held at the premises of the BiH Embassy in London. Those present had the opportunity to meet our Ambassador, His Excellency Vanja Filipović and other staff. For many of the children, this was also their first opportunity to visit our Embassy. 
After the performance of the national anthem accompanied by the guitar by Hanna Jalisa, a former student of the BiH supplementary school Victoria, the attendees were greeted by the Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Kingdom, His Excellency Vanja Filipović. Ambassador Filipović welcomed all teachers/volunteers of the BiH supplementary schools, students, parents and organizers from the BH UK Network to the BiH Embassy. He emphasized that he is extremely pleased with the fact that new, young generations are getting acquainted with the language, culture and tradition of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and this also means marking one of the most important dates in the history of our country, Independence Day. 
Expressing his satisfaction at seeing the large number of Bosnians and Herzegovinans present in the premises of the BiH Embassy in Great Britain, the president of BH UK Network, Zaim Pašić, also addressed the audience. “Bosnia and Herzegovina has its holidays, but Independence Day is special because of the fact that Bosnia and Herzegovina continued its continuity of independence that it had from Kulin Ban. Today at the embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is a joy to see the youngest Bosnians and Herzegovinans loving their homeland. Today, they are the center of attention with their performance. Thank you to HE Vanja Filipović who supported this event and all our communities. I want to thank the parents and teachers who together through supplementary schools preserve and nurture the basis of our culture homeland,” said Mr. Pašić. 
The welcoming speeches were followed by the presentation of BiH secondary schools in Birmingham, Coventry, Victoria and Hertfordshire. The most interesting, as always, were the students who once again showed that working with teachers and volunteers greatly contributes to the preservation and promotion of our cultural identity and native language. With an extremely rich program from recitations (What do I know about the homeland, Bosna gurbori, Bosanski Trkači…), songs (Count on us, Nema svijeta ni planete, Draga moja BiH, Kad bi svi ljudi na svijete, Bosna, Bosna, Bosna…) to drama (Bosna, On meni nema Bosna..), they elicited smiles and applause from the audience. Special attention was paid to the performance of the “champions” of the BiH supplementary school Birmingham Noush. On this occasion, she sang the song “Heart of Bosnia” by Alen Islamović. In September, she enrolled in the Bosnian secondary school in Birmingham to learn the Bosnian language. Noush is a 36-year-old lawyer who is doing her doctorate on the topic of how Bosnian women who were victims of sexual violence during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina told their stories through various processes of transitional justice – the Hague Tribunal, the Women’s Court and memorial events. Azra Bašić, a teacher in BH supplementary schools, addressed the audience with a performance of her wonderful sevdalinka. KUD Mladost Bosne had another opportunity to show their skills, which under the watchful eye of Fahira Hasedžić, with a little music and dance, definitely delighted the audience. 
March 1, Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is considered one of the most important dates in the modern history of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Adult citizens of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina voted on the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina in a referendum held on February 29 and March 1, 1992. The referendum question was: Are you in favor of a sovereign and independent Bosnia and Herzegovina, a state of equal citizens, the peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina – Muslims, Serbs, Croats and members of other peoples living in it? A total of 2,073,568 voters participated in the referendum, which represented a turnout of 63.6%. Of the total number of voters, 99.7% voted for independence, and 0.3% against the decision. The results of the referendum were accepted on March 6 of the same year by the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
We congratulate all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the Independence Day of our one and only homeland.
BH UK Network
