2019/09/30 - 2:06
Gračanica Municipality Day – the Nativity of Blessed Virgin Mary,
September 21, was marked with the Solemn Academy, at which
the results from the previous year were presented.
The academy, held at the Cultural Center in Gračanica, was
attended by numerous citizens and guests, representatives of the
church, delegations from Subotica, Novi Sad, Stara Pazova,
Berane, Kosovska Mitrovica … The Assistant Director of the
Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petković, was present on
behalf of the Serbian Government.
Mayor of Gračanica municipality, Srđan Popović told citizens the
main priority of the local self-government was "founding of our
families", that Gračanica was their future, and urged them not to
sell or leave their properties and homes. We convey Mayor
Popović's speech in its entirety:
The period between two holidays, the work of all of us, and your
presence clearly show where we are now, what our results are
and what we can hope for in the future.
In the first place, the Municipality of Gračanica and its residents
have shown the strength and perseverance to survive and remain
on their estates and in their homes despite numerous problems.
Our people have proven themselves to be worthy heirs to their
ancestors, who in no time questioned the loyalty, love and
dedication to their country, their saints and their families.
We started this festive day at church, and we are bringing it to an
end by summarizing the results here before you, it could be said
by passing the exam before all of you. We take this exam, dear
gentlemen, every day in relation to others, in the help we have
given them, in the perspective and hope we have given to an
individual.
When we started building a house for the family of our young
tragically perished fellow citizen Nemanja Stević few days ago,
one of the key sentences of our life and survival was heard and
said: "The priority is the founding of our families!"
It is our basic program, to preserve the family, to give it hope and
meaning, strengthen its foundation where its roots of our people
are deepest, most spiritual and most beautiful.
Many will now say that it is easy, but it is not, for many reasons
and because of many pressures that are hard to bear and
withstand. For example, we laid the foundation stone for 36 new
apartments, awarded 52 apartments, built more than 30 houses.
Our message on this holiday and at this gathering is: do not sell
or leave, because you will not be founded anywhere like here.
Ask our guests how much richer they go away from here and how
much they want to come back. Why is this happening? Because
Kosovo is our foundation and our base, and when you have that,
it is much easier to deal with every trouble that comes before us.
On behalf of these foundations, we also have an obligation and
full responsibility to build the future and open, only seemingly,
small roads here in Gračanica, to improve our health and
education system every day, to fight for every workplace, to
support and empower every small company employing our
children.
A big high-school center, a hospital, a library are being built, we
have a Cultural Center that is working very successfully, but we
still need to do something important and essential! We need to
teach children to become successful people using their hands and
mind, not waiting for help and thinking that they cannot change
anything, not thinking that nothing depends on them. We know
that if we are grounded and start any work with that thought, we
will make Gračanica a town.
There will also be a bypass that will move traffic from the center of
the village. Only in this way traffic will not endanger the monastery
which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and only in this way
pollution will less endanger our health.
We have the strength to do it all and it is shown by this day and
the holiday, it is shown by friends who come and help us. But
there is one more important thing that I want to say in the end: we
will do everything and achieve everything if we are united and if
we invest that building force of unity into our future.
Long live our Gračanica, the place of our solid foundation and the
place of our future!
Srđan Popović
Father Ilarion, Goran Rakić and Petar Petković also
addressed the gathering
The Solemn Academy was attended by numerous citizens and
guests, representatives of the Government of Serbia, Subotica,
Novi Sad, Stara Pazova, Berane, Kosovska Mitrovica, Leposavić
and many other districts.
The greeting card by the Director of the Office for Kosovo and
Metohija, Marko Đurić, which was sent on the occasion of
Gračanica Municipality Day to Mayor Srđan Popović, as well as
the citizens of the local self-government, were read at the
academy.
On behalf of the Diocese of Raška and Prizren, the attendees
were addressed by the hegumen of the Draganac Monastery,
Archimandrite Ilarion, who, first of all, thanked the numerous
guests for the support they provided to Gračanica and the people
of Kosovo.
“We saw today that Gračanica is a gathering place and it is a
great impetus when we hear that representatives of different cities
and places are here. Your attention to us is very significant and I
think it has profound positive consequences. It is important for the
Serbian people to be interested in Kosovo and Metohija and
support the survival in this region in very difficult circumstances,
and that is why we are most grateful to you", said Father Ilarion.
Assistant Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar
Petković, said Gračanica municipality had become a center of
Serbian strength, concord and unity "with the aim of building a
brighter future, which is a living hope for the Serb people in
central Kosovo and throughout Kosovo that better days will
come".
"That we are on the right track is attested by the development of
Serbian Gračanica, which is becoming more and more attractive
and better place to live and work in from day to day, a place
where new kindergartens are opened, apartments built,
infrastructure restored and every person taken care of", Petković
said.
Gračanica Municipality Day was also congratulated by the Mayor
of North Mitrovica, Goran Rakić.
"Not a day, not an hour and a minute will come back into your
lives. So do not be angry at each other, do not quarrel, do not be
divided, be united and unique, because that is the only way to
achieve success”, Rakić said.
Academy with cultural and artistic program and a
promotional film
The Solemn Academy on the occasion of marking Gračanica
Municipality Day passed with a rich cultural and artistic program,
and a promotional film about the achievements of the local self-
government in the past year was shown.
The academy started with the performance of Simonida choir
"Lord, Lord", a young accordionist Sava Zdravković performed
"French Waltz", and Nevena Nedeljković recited the song "Road
to Gračanica".
Folk dances from Gračanica were performed by the Venac
Ensemble, followed by the students of the Music School "Stevan
Mokranjac", who performed songs: Votives of Peć and Jovano,
Jovanke.
A promotional film of the Information Service of the Municipality of
Gračanica on the results of the local self-government in the past
year, which presented achievements in infrastructure, education,
health care and many other projects, was presented at the
Academy.
An exhibition of Bajram Mehmeti preceded the Academy
As part of marking "Gračanica Municipality Day", an exhibition of
paintings by Bajram Mehmeti from Lepina called "Oddly Beautiful"
was presented in the crowded House of Culture.
On behalf of the city of Subotica, the exhibition of paintings was
solemnly opened by Jasmina Stevanović, who emphasized on
that occasion that the encounter with Mehmeti's paintings was "an
encounter with one nation and the best part of its culture".
"The paintings of Bajram Mehmeti show that the Roma are a
people of a special culture and identity, a people in need of
encouragement, integration and final acceptance".
Performance of the Tamboura Orchestra of RTV Vojvodina
After numerous cultural and entertainment events organized as
part of marking Gračanica Municipality Day and after the solemn
academy, which framed the entire three-day event, the Tamboura
Orchestra of Radio Television of Vojvodina held its concert on the
plateau in front of the building of the Municipality of Gračanica
tonight.
Performing the old Serbian ethno songs, they reminded us of the
importance of preserving the tradition. Songs that speak of
customs, rituals and rites, all accompanied by tambouras, brought
us back to a time when song was the main way of preserving and
transmitting historical facts and customs.
As in the previous two concerts, transportation from all villages in
Gračanica municipality was provided for all tamboura lovers
tonight.
