The Day of the Bokel Navy, which is commemorated on June 26, 1463, when the first preserved statute of the Bokel Navy was adopted, i.e. the Statute of the Brotherhood of Saint Nicholas the Sailor (Liber Fraternitatis divi Nicolai marinariorum de Catharo), which is kept in the Kotor diocese, was celebrated last night in Kotor.
This year's celebration of the Bokel Navy Day was made more special by the fact that after 2021, when the UNESCO committee decided that the Bokel Navy Kotor should be included in the list of world intangible cultural heritage, the UNESCO charter for world intangible heritage was officially handed over to the Bokel Navy Kotor yesterday, Media Bureau reports.
"We had a set of circumstances that lasted a little while until the UNESCO charter was finally handed over to the Bokelje Navy of Kotor. At the same time, this is the third UNESCO entry for the ancient city of Kotor. A significant success was achieved by the fact that the Bokel navy was included in the list of intangible world cultural heritage, and it was the first in Montenegro to be included in that section. We hope that there will be future entries in the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage from Montenegro, and we believe that we have shown the way that our other values should go that should be promoted in UNESCO," said the president of the Kotor Bokel Navy, Denis Vukašinović.
The charter was ceremoniously handed over by the Minister of Culture and Media, Tamara Vujović, who emphasized the great historical and cultural importance of the Bokel Navy.
"This recognition is the result of dedicated work and dedication of all who were involved and are involved in preserving and promoting this exceptional tradition whose roots go back more than 1.200 years. The Bokel navy, founded in 809, is the oldest naval organization in the world and a symbol of the rich maritime and military cultural heritage of our country. Its inclusion on the UNESCO representative list confirms the importance of its historical and cultural heritage. Through all these centuries, the Navy has remained the guardian of the cultural identity, multiculturalism and cultural values of Boka, thanks to the family and similar traditions of Kotor and Boke families who have preserved all these values throughout the centuries," said Vujović during the presentation.
In order for the preservation and further valorization of the Bokel Navy to remain one of the priorities of cultural policy in Montenegro, the Minister was handed the Draft Law on the Bokel Navy in Kotor, which, among other things, "corrects the problem that the tradition of the Bokel Navy is sublimated within the framework of the real achievements that concern of the Law on Non-Governmental Associations," Media Bureau reports.
"That draft law was carefully prepared, we had a lot of working meetings, and the Municipality of Kotor and their legal team gave us legal assistance, as well as the Municipality of Tivat. We have reached a, we believe, very high-quality starting point of the Draft Law on the Bokel Navy, which will define many things. First of all, it will clearly specify the obligations of the state of Montenegro towards the Bokel Navy, as well as the obligations of the Bokel municipalities of Kotor, Tivat, Herceg Novi towards the Bokel Navy. It will also ensure the future of the Navy's work, because, if it is adopted in this form, it will enable the partial professionalization of the Bokel Navy and through a certain number of jobs we will have permanent employees. We at the Bokel Navy do all our activities out of love, we volunteer, because this is a non-profit organization. However, knowing that when we have employees, that effect and impulse in the quality of work will be added, we expect that future results will be better after the adoption of the Draft Law on the Bokel Navy," Vukašinović pointed out.
After the ceremonial presentation of the two documents, the traditional celebration of the Day of the Bokel Navy followed. The main squad first lined up at the Cinema Square, then passed through the Old Town and took over the national flag in front of the Municipality of Kotor. This was followed by the formation of the Main Squad in front of the main city gates, a report to the Admiral, an honorary platoon and the handing over of the keys to the city of Kotor by the Vice President of the Municipality of Kotor, Siniša Kovačević. The central part of the celebration was certainly the dancing of the traditional round of St. Tripuna on the Square of Weapons.
"Currently, we have about 80 issued traditional uniforms in Kotor, about 40 in Tivat and about 20 in Herceg Novi. So we arrive at a figure of about 140 members. There is great interest in membership in the Kotor Bokel Navy. We currently have 25 newly admitted members who have not yet been assigned uniforms, because we are not able to provide them financially. We hope that with the help of the Ministry of Culture and Media and the municipalities of Kotor, Tivat, Herceg Novi, we will soon dress all our members in traditional uniform, as well as provide the missing traditional replica rifles, said Vukašinović.
At the end of the celebration of the Bokel Navy Day, a party was organized on the Pjaca od cinema with gastronomic delights and the performance of VIS "Škuribanda".
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