ГОДИНА 6 ‑ БРОЈ 255 -5. ЈУН 2016.

Tasovčići, Opličić had the same faith – ma- Vukasin was their son who was believed PREBILOVCI – A jority have been brutally killed, and their to survive the first Great massacre. But PLACE OF SERBIAN villages deserted. They passed through the nobody ever saw him alive. Some said that same hell. he had been eaten by wild bears, another that RESURRECTION An overage person with basic common was taken somewhere and forcibly converted sense, regardless religion or nationality would to Catholicism. It is important for the Serbs to know where certainly fail to understand what happened There are still old fences standing near and what Prebilovci is. This is a short story in Prebilovci. The Orthodox were tortured, what once was Tripko Ciric household. about a village of Serbian suffering and resur- tied and in chains taken by foot through the Thorns and branches bent and grown rection. debris to the cave, as lambs to the slaughter. together, or force the visitor to bend down, as Hercegovina. Neretva Valley. Village The civilians, peasants, women and babies if some divine force says – to your knees! The were executed meadow smells like a bouquet of wild flow- in the cru- ers that formed a carpet path. Suddenly, as elest manner in a fairy tale, behind the thorns appeared a by Roman house of stone. No roof, doors and windows. Catholics There are the cows that are still grazing. And Croats, just their bell echoes. because they The Ciric home is one of a hundreds that were Or- have been eliminated, extinguished in 1941. thodox. The Tripko Ciric, his wife, nine daughters and Calvary and youngest son Slobodan were murdered in numerous August 1941. mass graves Nine sisters Ciric were martyred for are close to their Orthodox faith, the same way as nine Medjugorje, brothers JUGOVIĆ in Kosovo myth. Is it the Croatian not a historical basis for a new Serbian epic Catholic poetry cycle, myth and pledge as a part of our religious national identity? center where The villages on the Šurlamci hill, in crowds of whose pit Golubink hundreds of Serbs were tourists flock- thrown is visible from Prebilovac hills. ing annually. Under every living village there’s an entire Those tourists, underground village of the dead. So close however, do to each other and yet so far. By the order not come of Croatian Mason Tito all the pits full of running bones were concreted in 1961, with a desire endowed to to petrify all the ghosts of the past and erase pay tribute to the victims of the religious war, forbidden memories. Prebilovci, 35 km from Mostar, 20 km from but for the pilgrimage to the holly Virgin, When the Golubink pit was opened 1991, the Adriatic sea and 5 km from the town that happen to appear to descendants of the one of the few Suhić family members who of Caplina. It’s a meeting place of peoples executioners on the 40th anniversary of the survived Croatian fanatic massacre half a cen- and religions. The place of their conflict, massacre. Pits are numerous and deep, and tury later, when asked whether he had some also. If there is an earthly version of hell,War they can be found throughout Adriatic coast victims among his family members in the pit, Prebilovci and environs have passed through (what’s today Croatia) and Herzegovina, replied in the present tense: it during the Second World War. The where the Serbs used to live. – I have a mother, a sister, daughter-in- pogroms during the first months of the self In the spirit of ‘brotherhood and unity’, law, sister – in – law, children, uncles … proclaimed, Nazi Independent State of Croa- during Croat Tito dictatorship it was strictly Another inhabitant, Ekmečić, whose two tia (NDH), resulted in disappearance of the prohibited to even mention what happened daughters and four sons were slaughtered and entire Serbian villages. Croats have brutally in the area. It is scary that the Prebilovci, the thrown into pit, was secretly coming there. destroyed traces of any Serb presence in place where the man today can meet almost When Zdravko Sotra shoot a documen- these areas. monastic peace, shed so much blood and was tary about the suffering of Serbs in Herze- Mass slaughter of the population in the boiling of such strong hatred, that there was govina, he said that he heard the voice of his lower Herzegovina began on St. Vitus Day such fear, almost like on the Judgement day. martyred children whispering: 1941. About 170 men managed to break Uninformed could say that it’s all past, Dad, get us out, we cannot stand it any through and survive the massacre – those that we ought to look toward a common longer. Get us out of the pit! who remained, without distinction of age or future. However, the pogroms of the 1941. As sacks full of human bones extracted gender, were thrown under the knife. Af- forever marked the consciousness, and the from the bottom of the pit went from hand to ter the beating, torture and rape some were past and future of Serbs from Herzegovina. hand, the present through tears moaned : killed on the doorstep, one per district of the And the pits and the rivers of blood became Here’s our cousin… here, our children. village, some on the green Bregava rows. Most the unreachable boundary. Our poor children! Fifty years in the pit… of them were thrown into the pit. Many were Each house in Prebilovci has its own This sentence shaked up film director Sotra, still alive. agonizing story. One terrible novel could be so he the titled the film, “Here’s our children.” For a few days, during the hot August woven, and Serbian martyred verticals could Trifko Ekmečić’s heart literally broke in his nights, over 80 percent of the prewar popula- be drawn. The most compelling story bears chest as he waited for the bones of his wife who tion in Prebilovci has been massacred. By an uncanny resemblance to the novel “The was slaughtered when she was expecting. He 1994 full names were known for the 606 vic- Knife”. passed the same road where they lived for the tims, though the number was much higher. Village Grlic, a mile away from the center last time and died. Survivors were marrying again. Long time Prebilovci, on the hill is now deserted. And other numerous pits in Herzegovina after the war there has been no funerals, nor There are still remains of Lazar Banđur were opened, because descendants wanted to school bell sound. The Orthodox inhabit- household. Him and his wife were executed settle the bones of martyrs in peace. Kukausa ants of neighboring villages Klepac, Loznice, by Croats, Ustashe. Gornja i Donja, Bivolje brdo, Hutovo pits, Vidonje, Poplat … All the bones of thousands епископ Захумско- херцеговачки victims that left after the Croatian Ustashas високопреосвећени Владислав. were collected for the memorial whose con- struction began in Prebilovci, in order to rise a “ Над отвореним гробом, тужни mausoleum. зборе, данас не треба лагати. Не The Prebilovci memorial has been con- треба изговорити нити једну secrated by the then Serbian Patriarch Pavle. криву ријеч. Данас не треба The same year neo Ustasha rose in Croatia, the дати повода за осјећање да се са same symbols came to power again. Serbs were људском свијешћу може правити put out of the constitution, and for the second погодба. Данас треба зборити time in 20th century were outlawed. The war истину. in Yugoslavia started. Прошло је близу 50 година од оног кобног љета “Lock carefully our bones in the white 1941., када су хрватске усташе marble fortress, because dead Ustasha could покушале да граде своју државу drink from us for his health, no! don’t trust the на костима невине дјеце и жена. silence that around expands.” Иако нису једини, Пребиловци у том ђердану стратишта и The verses engraved on the monument of великих гробница, заузимају Prince Ornjen Ždrakanović, the very first једно од главних мјеста. Над victims in Prebilovci in 1941, proved to be овим одрима, тужни зборе, стаје prophetic. Under the merciless Croatian units свака памет. И нема те књиге in massacre (‘operation’) Čagalj 1992, Serbian која би одговорила на вјечно nation is expelled from the Neretva valley. The велико ЗАШТО? Зашто су људи homes in Prebilovac were exposed to looting убијали људе, зашто невину and arson, so the Serbs could never return. дјецу, зашто се није могло The memorial temple is blown with explosives, вјеровати на поштен начин? and the bones of the martyrs mostly destroyed. Не зовите ово дивљаштвом! Their orgies took place in the graveyard, where Јер тиме ћете увриједити све Croatian soldiers fired into the monument праве дивљаке у Амазонији. erected to victims of the massacre. They even Тамо се још кољу и истребљују, burnt bones in some thombs. . али није забиљежено да су There were also the descendants of the прекршили златно правило executioner in 1941. among the attackers … живота: да се не убијају жене и Prebilovci is dead. Deserted. Smoldering ruins дјеца, јер су они извор обнове и are overgrown with weeds, and the place of the опстанка. temple is desecrated and turned into a landfill. Према ономе што као историчари постале нови косовски еп српског народа. Seemed that the twice killed Prebilovci знадемо, Шурманци су били дио плана Пепео из којег се рађа нови живот. will remain forgotten. However, some Serbian који је усташки главни стан послао Дјецо моја пребиловачка, ја сам са families decided to come and organize life својим подручним командама да до 6. вама растао до своје дванаесте године, а at the place where the remains of beloved lie. септембра 1941. године униште цјелокупно онда оног кобног 6. августа 1941, само је Despite all the difficulties and hostile environ- православно становништво, па након случај одлучио да ви одете на једну, а ми ment continue to live on their heavily culti- тога у тим селима населе становнике који вас сада дочекујемо како долазите vated turf. Until now about 70 Orthodox Serbs друге вјере. Од 64 милиона људи, колико из подземља, на другу страну живота. Ми have returned in Prebilovci, mostly elderly је страдало у Другом свјетском рату, на смо овдје да вам подигнемо споменик people. They came to die there. српски народ отпада више од једног од бронзе. Кажу да је то трајно. Можда There are few Serbian homes with chil- милиона. Према његовом укупном броју, од бијелог мермера? Кажу да је то још dren. The works on restoration of the Prebilov- само су Јевреји страдали горе од нас. Ипак трајније. Можда од жеженог злата? То ci Memorial, with tens of thousands names смо од ове сурове школе у историји нешто сјаји надалеко. Да се подигне храм који of those killed by Croats in Neretva valley научили. је насаломив и вјечан. Ипак је један engraved, are slowly advancing. Изгубили смо дјецу, изгубили споменик, нерукотворни, подигнут вама Thus Prebilovci cannot fade away from подмладак, изгубили нешто што је горе оног дана када сте отишли у подземље: the collective memory of the Serbs. Prebilovci од тога: људски инстикт за умножавањем, споменик људског памћења. А памћење је and Neretva are becoming one of the anchor за обновом. Једино средство које нам је награда и казна. Памћење је каштига од points of Serbian identity. A place where, de- природа подарила да преживимо као људи које се никакав злочин не може сакрити. spite all the hardships, life of Serbs stubbornly и као народ. Ово је споменик нерукотворни вама је continues, where Serbian people persists. In Сада смо по броју мањи, тјелесно дугнут, до неба и за вјечност. Заборавити Herzegovina, in Neretva valley, life triumphs слабији, али духом јачи: постали смо не можемо, опростити не смијемо, а over death and love over hatred. And that’s несаломиви. Научили смо на овој суровој осветити се – не желимо. Освета за злочин where Serbhood symbolically resurrects. лекцији историје да не вјерујемо другима. је људски гријех колико и он сам. Ово није Већег и горег противника никад нисмо споменик освете, није споменик диоба, Author: Nemanja Devic, via mojahercegovina. имали од Адолфа Хитлера. Кад је почео овдје се диже споменик љубави и доброте. com устанак за ослобођење 1941, наредио је да На дјечијим гробовима само цвијеће се за сваког погинулог њемачког војника љубави може да расте. Ово је споменик стријеља 100 Срба. Толико нас је мало као братства, на првом мјесту, југословенског СЛОВО МИЛОРАДА народ цијенио и тако смо слаби били по братства, који српски народ поново, као вриједностима у његовим очима. Ипак пуно пута у историји и у ово мрачно доба ЕКМЕЧИЋА је на крају свога живота, пред крај рата које долази треба јасно и гласно да каже. А 1990 У ПРЕБИЛОВЦИМА 1945., одао признање српском народу и они који се данас диче на други начин, који рекао да ће он увијек бити велики и да је, су своје злочинце из Шурманаца из августа Пред пребиловачком школом гдје су били за разлику од неких других, имао и да ће 1941. прогласили својим јунацима, једном пренешени костурни остаци извађени из увијек имати своју државу. Научио је да за ће ипак у будућности морати да признају Голубинке и још неколико херцеговачких њу умире. да су Други свјетски рат изгубли. Тим јама. Слово је одржано након опијела које Јаме Голубинке, Јасеновац, постале су одлагањима само шкоде свом сопственом је служио Митрополит Дабробосански и нешто више од великих стратишта. Оне су народу.“ 49 north lake rd. richmond hill, on l4e 1a8, p.o. box: 2918 tel: 647-478-8142 www.arhangelgavrilotoronto.com.