In order to honor and recognize the heroes of Cetinje, who shaped the rich social, cultural and political history of the capital, one of the most special cities in Montenegrin and Balkan history, with their lives, struggles and multiple contributions, the exhibition "49 national heroes of the city of Cetinje" was designed ".
On the occasion of Capital City Day, the exhibition was officially opened today, November 13 at 10 a.m. in the gallery of the Cultural Center of the Capital City of Cetinje, and a historian will speak at the ceremony. Jovan Muhadinović and the mayor Nikola Đurašković.
"The exhibition is the result of an initiative to preserve the memory of exceptional personalities and events that shaped Cetinje's past, which may not have been sufficiently recognized or recorded in a wider historical context," explained the announcement.
Project manager at the Cultural Center of the Capital of Cetinje and one of the organizers of the exhibition Gorana Kusovac, "Vijesti" brought the setting and concept closer, emphasizing that the entire team of the Culture Center was actively dedicated to the organization of the event, and that everyone contributed significantly to the topic they were dealing with.
"We present 49 heroes who have been awarded the Order of National Heroes. Some of them received that order during the Second World War, some after its end and later. It is also very important that in the 70s the city itself was awarded the same order as the Hero City. In a way, it is a tribute to all the citizens of Cetinje who contributed to the People's Liberation Struggle back then. We wanted some attention to be drawn to them, to remind ourselves of what it all looked like back then in the fight for liberation, additionally because this year the Capital is celebrating 80 years since its liberation from the occupiers in the Second World War. All 49 heroes, together with other national heroes, are presented in the National Museum of Montenegro, and the author of the texts we worked on is the historian Jovan Muhadinović, who provided us with the material that we will present at the exhibition," explains Kusovac.
The exhibition will give visitors the opportunity to see a collection of photographs and materials that show the basic characteristics of Cetinje heroes, both in the military, cultural and social sense.
"The focus is on the heroes themselves. There are photos of each of them, as well as photos of the order. We tried to adapt the text to today's manner, so that it would be in the spirit of the texts that are read today, that is, we reformulated it into some shorter theses and, with the help of the historian Muhadinović, extracted the most important biographical data, historical data about the battles in which the heroes distinguished themselves, as well as some other interesting things related to their lives", says Kusovac.
In addition to being educational, it is obvious that the exhibition also has a deep emotional dimension, because it reminds us of the importance of struggle, honor and loyalty that the heroes of Cetinje showed throughout history, and of their willingness to lay down their lives for freedom...
"For today's generations, it can be especially emotional to depict some very tragic moments from the lives of people who gave or lost their lives during the war, who were exposed to torture, and endured that torture heroically, thanks to which other actions were successfully carried out... Also , there are also details from some, at that time, very significant battles, which must awaken feelings in everyone... The exhibition evokes strong emotions, additionally because there are accompanying texts that talk about each hero individually. Those records reveal some details, touching stories and bring to life a picture of how everything that the exhibition talks about actually looked like, but also how far we may be today from some of the values that they fought for and that were cherished then, and behind which there are heroes and numerous other citizens, not only from Cetinje, but also from the rest of the country and the region, all participants of the National Liberation Struggle", states Kusovac.
Muhadinović confirmed for "Vijesti" that this exhibition "is an opportunity to remember the people who made immeasurable sacrifices for freedom in one of the most difficult historical moments".
"The exhibition comes at the right time, at the same time as a reminder of a time in which outbursts of chauvinism and nationalism are increasingly common. The national heroes to whom we pay our respect are a symbol of the fight against exactly this kind of decadent ideologies. Our duty is to guide future generations and show them the efforts and sacrifices made by the sons and daughters of our people for a better and fairer society... A society that strived for equality among peoples, regardless of origin, race or religion," said Muhadinović. .
He also pointed out that Cetinje, together with its heroes, was crowned with the Order of the City of Heroes, making it one of the few cities in the former Yugoslavia that can boast of that title, all thanks to the people who came from the so-called Valley of the Gods.
"The national heroes of the city of Cetinje, their courage and struggle should serve as a source of pride for the capital and Montenegro, but also as a reminder that similar victims should never be repeated," Muhadinović points out.
When asked how important it is today to look back on the heritage and values that people like the 49 national heroes from Cetinje stood for, Kusovac confirms in an interview with "Vijesti" that awareness of this is slipping away today...
"That is another reason why we organized all this. The aim of both the exhibition and the accompanying text is to remind us of the struggle and revive memories, both of the heroes and of the struggle that took place in the Second World War", says Kusovac.
With reference to today's society, individuals and community, and Cetinje itself, Kusovac adds that there are many organizations that turn to the legacy of past generations, first of all those who contributed to liberation, and then to victory in the Second World War. Kusovac invites everyone to visit the exhibition available in the gallery of the Center for Culture of the Capital of Cetinje and learn more about the "49 national heroes of the city of Cetinje".
A brighter future is coming
In addition to its heroic history, authentic architectural beauty, lifestyle, sporting spirit, wise cynicism, unique humor, Cetinje has always been recognized as a city, the capital of culture. According to Kusovac, Cetinje exudes that culture even today...
"As far as the city itself is concerned, I can say that the Center for Culture has contributed a lot since it was founded and officially started operating last year... Since then, we have been actively working on the promotion of culture, not only on promotion, but also on valorization, and in addition and contributes to a richer content in the field of culture and art in the territory of the Capital at present. Based on all that, I think we can boast that the situation has significantly improved compared to previous years. As a cultural center, we also have a large number of visitors from other municipalities, a rich and varied program that receives nice comments and various praises from all sides. So, I think that a brighter future is coming", said Gorana Kusovac.
November in the sign of the Capital and Njegoš
It is interesting, and at the same time symbolic, that Cetinje Liberation Day coincides with Njegoš's Day - the Montenegrin cultural holiday. Kusovac says that in accordance with that, they have designed a program for the whole of November at the Culture Center of Prijestonica.
"The capital city dedicated the entire month of November to celebrating the Day of the Capital City, and this includes events and programs dedicated to Njegoš Day. I think the concept is done very nicely. Certainly, there is a lot of overlap in the programs, especially in terms of content, but that doesn't bother me... On the contrary, I think that the concept was done extremely well this year," commented Kusovac.
When asked about the number of visitors, cultural tourism and visits by citizens from other Montenegrin municipalities, Kusovac says that he primarily has information on the basis of which the Center can boast of visitors from abroad, especially when it comes to the art program, but also numerous manifestations, which are increasing to Cetinje.
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