LINTA: CROATIA HAS ALSO APPROPRIATED KRSNA SLAVA /PATRON SAINT'S DAY/; MUSEUM OF SERBS FROM THE REGION SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED

BELGRADE, MAY 19 /SRNA/ - President of the Alliance of Serbs from the Region Miodrag Linta said that the decision of Croatia to designate Krsna Slava /Patron Saint's Day/ as a Croatian cultural asset represents a "subtle plan to erase the centuries-long existence of the Serb people," and proposed that Serbia establish a Museum of Serbs from the Region.

Linta assessed that one of Zagreb's strategic goals is the "Croatisation" of everything that belongs to the Serb people. In a statement, he said that Croatia continues to appropriate Serb cultural, spiritual, and historical heritage, and that the latest example is a scandalous but expected decision by the Croatian Ministry of Culture and Media to declare Krsna Slava /Patron Saint's Day/ as one of its traditional customs and intangible cultural assets. Linta stated that it is an undisputed fact that Krsna Slava /Patron Saint's Day/ is one of the most important holidays of the Serb people and one of the foundations of their family and spiritual life. He also recalled that in 2014, Serbia inscribed Slava on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as a Serbian custom. He pointed out that Croatia is carrying out the "Croatisation" of everything Serbian, including Serbian Orthodox customs, traditions, songs, script, folklore, costumes, cemeteries, monuments, records, charters, documents, as well as Serbian scientists, artists, writers, heroes, athletes, and other well-known Serbs from the territory of present-day Croatia and parts of BiH. According to him, this means that Croatia is systematically working to rename traces of Serbian presence and declare them Croatian, to send the message that Serbs never existed in those areas. "It is clear that this is not just about the appropriation of one custom, but about a subtle plan to erase the centuries-long existence of the Serb people," Linta added. Linta noted that Serbia has an obligation to protect the cultural heritage of the Serb people in the region and to advocate for the consistent implementation of international conventions on the protection of tangible and intangible cultural heritage outside Serbia. He pointed out that it is particularly important to protect Serb cultural heritage in countries where Serbs no longer live or live in very small numbers due to ethnic cleansing or other reasons. Linta believes that Serbia should therefore establish a special state institution, a Museum of Serbs from the Region, which would be responsible for preserving and nurturing the cultural heritage, customs, and traditions of Serbs originating from the region or living in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Hungary, Romania, or Albania. Within the Museum of Serbs from the Region, there would be a number of cultural centers, including the Cultural Centre of Serbs from Krajina. Linta added that, in addition, there would be cultural centers of Serbs from the Federation of BiH, Republika Srpska, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovenia, and Albania. On April 20, the Ministry of Culture and Media of Croatia adopted a decision declaring "patron saint feast and ceremonial cake – the celebration of the family patron saint of Neretva Catholics" as a cultural asset and entering it on the protected list. Croatia thus "patron saint feast and ceremonial cake," meaning not simply a "saint's day" or a Catholic custom, but precisely terms that are deeply rooted in Serb tradition and clearly defined as such.