Mostar: Book 'Mujaga Komadina' by writer Ibrahim Kajan promoted

MOSTAR, (Patria) - As part of "Mostar Summer 2018", the second program of the Museum of Herzegovina was presented on Friday. It is about the promotion of the book "Mujaga Komadina" by author Ibrahim Kajan, which was held in the large hall of the Center for Culture Mostar. The book is monographic in nature, dedicated to the life and work of Mujaga Komadina. As the author said, he is impressed by the length of time it took to create this book. Considering that he expected, as he says, to finish it in less than a year, it still dragged on for a full 4 years.

"As for the most important written source I used, it is the State Archives of BiH in Sarajevo. All others are mentioned in the book, in the acknowledgments section, and these are the Museum of Herzegovina, the Archives, Primary School "Mujaga Komadina" which has a very nice, small collection, and individuals. I mention all institutions and individuals who were very important for this book to be created. The work itself was very complex. I did not want this book to be a 100% scientific work, but to combine a stylistic journalistic characteristic that opens up to the public. Therefore, the book does not have every element that a scientific work must necessarily have, but the fundamental principles of a scientific work are preserved here. This is primarily written material, then we have statements from important people, Mujaga's legacy, and then memories related to family members from whom I received a number of new data. In fact, I am surprised myself by how much new data there is. Since the fundamental study of the late Hasandedić was published, we have all been copying data from it, because data cannot be invented, we must cite it. Of course, I have made a small step forward compared to that first study, and what is also completely new in this book compared to public life is the profiling of Mujaga as a political figure," said the author of the book, Ibrahim Kajan.

When asked how he discovered and where the desire and idea to create such a book came from, the author explained:

"It almost started anecdotally, as it usually happens in life. When I came to Mostar after many years, I suddenly noticed that we were caricaturing things and people. So I came across a text on the Internet as part of some anecdotes about Mujaga, something like 'Mostar's treha' or something similar, where I read about Mujaga's origin, about his arrival from Podveležje to Mostar, and it describes how he was all in rags and that they called him 'Komadina' because of those rags and that he was, of course, illiterate. Since I knew that a person couldn't be completely illiterate and have some intelligence, I knew that wasn't true and I started tracing such corrections. So, I wanted to present a historical text. That was my initial idea, and I think I have accomplished it, as an author, I can say, solidly."

Dr. Faruk Taslidža, one of the promoters, spoke about the significance and importance of both the figure of Mujaga Komadina and the promoted work.

"The book is a valuable contribution to the cultural and political history of the city of Mostar, but of course, the author, in a way, suggests and draws attention to a forgotten Mostar resident who made a significant contribution to the Europeanization and modernization of Mostar during the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. The fact is that Mujaga Komadina is responsible for the construction of new facilities to a greater or lesser extent in the city of Mostar, and that he was very active regarding major projects, etc. The author follows his activities as the first member of the City Council, and then later as the mayor of Mostar from 1910 to 1918. Finally, Kajan offers some of his own reflections regarding the so-called strategy of forgetting, by which Komadina was, in a way, suppressed and marginalized during the monarchist and socialist Yugoslavia," stated Taslidža.

In addition to Dr. Faruk Taslidža, the book was also promoted by Mr. Jasmin Branković, while the moderator was Nedžad Maksumić.