The mural of Stana Tomašević in Bar as a symbol of women's anti-fascist struggle
Tomašević also participated in the founding of the Anti-Fascist Women's Front, a women's political organization formed during the war and responsible for the emancipation of women throughout Yugoslavia.
The mural of Stana Tomašević, by artist Emina Nimanbegović, was officially opened today thanks to the "Exceptional Women of Montenegro" project of the Center for Women's Rights (CŽP) in cooperation with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Municipality of Bar.
Through this project, as the director of the CŽP Maja Raičević said, they are developing cooperation with cities in Montenegro through the creation of murals that represent the most significant women of Montenegro in the 19th and 20th centuries. With the project, they want us to give a kind of recognition to their authenticity and unwavering spirit in the fight for the emancipation of women.
"Among them is Stana Tomašević, a partisan, politician and diplomat, the first political commissar in the People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia, as well as the first ambassador in post-war Yugoslavia," said Raičević.
The apartment was a symbol of Montenegrin and Yugoslav anti-fascism, she pointed out, but also an inspiration for resistance movements in the allied countries. From the very beginning of World War II, she joined the fight: She participated in the Thirteenth of July Uprising against the occupiers, in the Battle of Sutjeska in 1943, as a member of the Fourth Proletarian Montenegrin Brigade, and survived the German landing on Drvar a year later. Since 1941, as a member of the KPJ, she stands out as a political worker in partisan units and a manager of SKOJ and USAOJ.
She also participated in the founding of the Women's Anti-Fascist Front, a women's political organization formed during the war and responsible for the emancipation of women throughout Yugoslavia.
She graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade in 1954, where she held numerous important positions in the post-war period. She was elected as a deputy in the Federal Assembly and president of the Foreign Policy Committee of the Council of Peoples.
From 1949 to 1958, she was the head of the education department in the Agitprop Central Committee of the KPJ, and from 1958 to 1963, assistant to the Federal Secretary for Labor and Labor Relations. She participated in solving numerous issues that concerned pioneers, youth, education and work. In 1963, she took up the post of ambassador of the SFRY in Norway and Iceland, and then in Denmark.
She was awarded the Partisan Memorial in 1941, the Order of Brotherhood and Unity of the first order and other high honors from Yugoslavia, Norway, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
"Stana Tomašević is remembered by fellow soldiers as a "brave, wise, sharp and fair" person. We hope that this mural will preserve the memory of our heroine and inspire young generations to spread the values she fought for," concluded Raičević.
Corvin van Stern, representative of the embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, praised the CŽP project and the cooperation with the Municipality of Bar and said that they were honored to be a part of it. He emphasized the importance of gender equality as a human right and the importance it has in preventing violence against women and girls.
"Through this project, we want to emphasize what all women can and have achieved. With this project, we are repaying the debt. Murals of female role models, five incredible women of Montenegro, including Stana Tomašević, are a sign of respect for Montenegro and we wanted to pay tribute to your rich history," he said.
He congratulated the Barans and the local administration on Bar Day, November 24, as part of which a mural was unveiled.
The Vice-President of the Municipality of Bar, Tanja Spičanović, thanked the partners and all colleagues from the local administration who helped in the realization of this mural. The mural, she judged, is a work of art but also much more than that.
"The mural with the image of Stana Tomašević, the heroine of the Montenegrin National Liberation Struggle, the heroine of the partisan movement, is actually a testimony and a symbol of all those values for which Stana, as well as many women who belonged to that movement, gave their immeasurable contribution," she said.
Spičanović said that the mural is a reminder of courage, freedom and resistance to everything that threatens the human right to a free and dignified life. It is a symbol of history, she said, and a tribute to the women who left their mark on her.
As she said, Stana had a big role in the women's movement and women's determination to take a stronger and more important position in society, which is for the common good. Therefore, she hopes that her mural will serve as an inspiration to future generations and encourage them to inherit the values that she and other Montenegrin heroines fought for.
The author of the mural, Emina Nimanbegović, thanked everyone for coming to support this project and said that she was honored to have had the opportunity to create a mural in honor of one of the greatest women in the history of Montenegro.
( Marija Pešić )