Berane in two frames: Monument to Pavle Đurišić and letter of support to Dodik

By: Amina Čorbo-Zećo

In one day, two pieces of news arrive from Montenegro, specifically from the town of Berane, which at first glance have nothing in common: 'Arrest of Vujadin Dobrašinović for illegal erection of a memorial to the Chetnik commander Pavle Đurišić' and 'Letter of “support” to Milorad Dodik from the Association of Serbs from Berane and Andrijevica, in which the verdict of the BiH Court and the decision of the BiH Central Election Commission to strip him of his mandate are interpreted as an “attack on Republika Srpska and the Serbian people”.

At second glance, the common thread becomes clear: both events touch upon the space where historical symbolism is used as political ammunition.

The erection of a monument to Pavle Đurišić – a wartime commander whose name is associated with collaboration with the occupiers and mass crimes – is not just a “local cultural initiative” as someone would like to present it. It is a political act, a conscious provocation of a reaction, and in the current political climate, a conscious mobilization of support.

And the support for Dodik from the same community arrives on the same day when processes against him are presented as an attempt to “erase Republika Srpska” and “endanger the rights of Serbs”. The message is clear: historical figures and symbols are used to strengthen current political positions, and judicial decisions are automatically translated into a narrative of national endangerment.

This is not a new strategy; it is an old recipe from the political kitchen of the Balkans: revive a controversial hero from the past, connect him with the “defense of the people” today.

Present every legal or institutional decision against political leaders as an attack on the entire ethnic community. And so, while inspectors in Berane are investigating the illegally erected monument, and the competent inspector for cultural heritage is preparing measures, at the same time, a political message comes from the same city, showing that the fight for symbols and the fight for mandates go hand in hand.

In the Balkans, coincidences of this kind are almost never accidental.