As part of the 20th European Day of Languages an event was held on Friday evening, September 24, 2021, on the premises of the Association of Slovenians Triglav Banja Luka.
Several organizations participated in the preparation and implementation of the event: the Association of Slovenians Triglav, the Association for the Development of Voluntary Work Novo Mesto, Grammar School Novo mesto and the Monitoring and Liaison Group operating within the European Union operation EUFOR ALTHEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The first part of the event was a round table entitled "Two mother tongues". Suzana Krvavica, a teacher at the Novo Mesto grammar School, moderated a conversation with three students from the Novo Mesto Grammar School, whose families speak two languages - Angelina Petrovič, Lexi Cundrič and Viktoria Krusharova. There was also our member Marko Budiša, a student at the Electrical Engineering School in Banja Luka. They talked about bilingualism in the family, learning another mother tongue or a new/foreign language, experiences when visiting the homeland of their ancestors or coming to a new homeland, similarities and differences between languages and much more. They all emphasized the importance of preserving language and culture as part of their own identity and the role of parents and family in it. Singer Tjaša Zirkelbach, a DRPD volunteer and former student of the Novo Mesto Grammar School made the event even more pleasant with her performance.
Students Angelina, Lexi and Viktoria summed up their impressions of participating in the event: "We are glad to have been able to participate in the round table. We are also impressed by the exhibition of paintings, as well as Banja Luka by day and by night. We look forward to another similar opportunity for cooperation."
The second part of the evening was dedicated to the exhibition of paintings "Love and Care" by painters Damir Jadrič, lieutenant colonel of the Slovenian Army working in the EUFOR ALTHEA command in Sarajevo, and Rahela Grajčevci, a nineteen-year-old from Banja Luka who is paving her career at the Academy of Arts in Banja Luka. Damir Jadrič's oil paintings are dominated by animal motifs, especially horses, which are painted realistically, almost photographically precisely, and the paintings, with their colour, plasticity and light, symbolically speak of strength, freedom, love, loyalty and connection. The organization of the exhibition is credited to Major Viljem Kovačič, a member of the Slovenian Army who works in Banja Luka within the EUFOR ALTHEA operation. The exhibition was opened by Damijan Sedar, Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The event was attended by many members of the Triglav Association and representatives of all these institutions, who were involved in the preparation and implementation of the event.
Suzana Krvavica
Translation Ana Marjanović
