Academician Filipović left a lasting legacy for Bosnia and Herzegovina, he understood its true spirit

SARAJEVO, (Patria) – A commemoration was held at the Rectorate of the University of Sarajevo following the death of academician Muhamed Filipović. The hall was too small to accommodate all those who wished to bid farewell to academician Filipović in this way. The commemoration was attended by family members, university professors, and other individuals from the academic community, as well as the public and social life of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

UNSA Rector Rifat Škrijelj said in his address that after the death of academician Filipović, works remain that will live on at UNSA as long as the institution exists.

„The departure of such a scientific giant is a heavy blow even for much larger academic communities than ours, but what is indisputable is that the character and work of academician Muhamed Filipović will long defy the oblivion of time, because he belongs to a pleiad of Bosnian giants who left an indelible mark on the scientific and cultural creativity of this country,“ said Škrijelj.

He emphasized that academician Filipović was a leader of a generation of philosophical thought in the former Yugoslavia, which often critically perceived the reality of that time and opposed the rigid part of the policies of the then system, pointing out the illogicalities that arose from them.

Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo, Salih Fočo, said that academician Filipović left a lasting legacy for Bosnia and Herzegovina and that it would be difficult for the country to repay him.

„A man who marked the 20th and 21st centuries, there is hardly a child or an elderly person who does not know who Professor Filipović is. In a professional and scientific sense, he is a man who left behind over 2,000 bibliographic units, and it remains for science and the profession to delve more thoroughly into the ideas and thoughts that Professor Filipović had. He is certainly an unusual intellectual figure, and in the thousand-year history of Bosnia, no one understood its spirit as he did. That is why he wrote 'Bosnian Spirit' and understood the essence and being of Bosnia, and that is why today in the former Yugoslavia and European spaces, Bosnia is something specific that he managed to reveal what that specificity is about, and that is togetherness, culture, the right of peoples to their territory and their country,“ said Fočo.

Fočo pointed out that Filipović, as a participant in the SDA and later the MBO, significantly affirmed the multi-party system and democracy.

„He brought knowledge and ideas into politics that were motivated by new values and democratic rights of peoples. Among the most significant ideas he produced and fought for is the right of peoples to their historical name and their country. According to him, democratic government should serve the people and their interests, but the most important interest for him was the right to one's own state in which all its peoples and citizens are equal and have equal rights. Filipović played a significant role during the war as a diplomat and participant in peace negotiations in Geneva. Like few others, he understood Bosnia, its official relations, different interests, multiculturalism, but also the togetherness that makes it so special,“ said Fočo.

Muamer Zukorlić, on behalf of BANU, said that Filipović swam against the current and that such people are difficult to recognize during their lifetime.

„So much energy of knowledge, courage, and dignity was a greater challenge for the environment to slide into envy rather than respect. The time of recognition for such people begins the moment they leave this world. This is indeed a great loss for the nation, but on the other hand, it is a pride that we had him just as he was,“ said Zukorlić.

Ahmed Halilović from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Filipović's contribution to science in Bosnia and Herzegovina is invaluable.

„He had a rich career and left a strong mark in every segment. His work provided a strong diplomatic engagement,“ said Halilović.