Preporod should once again become a gathering center for the intellectual elite of Bosniaks

On the occasion of the regular Electoral Assembly of the Bosniak Cultural Community "Preporod" which will be held on December 20 in Sarajevo, we talked with one of the candidates for the president of this very important institution, Prof. Dr. Selma Rizvić.

She is a socially engaged person, involved in many projects, and presented her candidacy in this interview in quite some detail.                              

PATRIA: Dear Dr. Rizvić, what motivated you to run for president of BZK Preporod?

RIZVIĆ: In addition to my professional engagement at the Radio Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHRT), where for many years I have held the position of Head of the Department for Electronic Graphic Design, and my professional engagement as an associate professor of computer graphics at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Sarajevo, I have recently been involved in activities related to the virtual presentation of Bosniak history and the preservation of our collective memory.

These activities have brought me into contact with our compatriots from the country and the diaspora who are willing to become more actively involved in promoting our culture and tradition, both in Bosnia and Herzegovina and around the world. I felt the need to contribute to this within my capabilities, and the most natural way to do so seemed to be engagement within BZK Preporod.

Furthermore, I have strong emotional ties to Preporod, as my late father, Prof. Dr. Muhsin Rizvić, was the restorer of Preporod in 1990. From the beginning of the siege of Sarajevo until mid-1993, when I started working at the then TV BiH, I served as the General Secretary at Preporod, replacing Muharem ef. Hasanbegović, who was seriously wounded at the time. Those were difficult but also beautiful times, which I remember with pride, because Preporod was then a center of positive energy and spiritual resistance to the aggression.

ASSEMBLY PREPARATION 

PATRIA: How was the Assembly prepared, are you satisfied with that process?

RIZVIĆ: This Assembly is interesting in that it is the first time that two candidates are running for the position of president, the previous president, Prof. Dr. Senadin Lavić, and myself. As I have been a member of the Main Board of BZK Preporod for many years, I was also involved in the preparations for the Assembly. My proposal was for the Assembly to vote on two lists for members of the Executive Board, which the candidates for president would propose as members of their closest team for the implementation of the work program they plan to realize in the next four years.

However, the members of the Main Board did not support that proposal; instead, it was decided that out of 19 candidates for the Executive Board, 7 would be elected directly at the Assembly, and an additional 4 would be appointed by the newly elected president. I am glad that Prof. Lavić and I will have the opportunity at the Assembly to present our visions for Preporod's work in the next four years, based on which the Assembly members can decide which of the candidates they wish to elect as president.

PATRIA: Do you have a program and a team with which you could achieve what you have envisioned?

RIZVIĆ: Of course. The program, which I intend to offer to the members of the BZK Preporod Assembly with my associates, consists of introducing some organizational changes in the work of the Association, such as:

- Opening BZK Preporod to people with different opinions and views on social life and encouraging them to gather around Bosniak culture

- Establishing a Club of Friends of BZK Preporod, which would include distinguished individuals of various nationalities, from the country and the world

- More active involvement of BZK Preporod members in the Association's activities, with a special emphasis on members of the Main and Executive Boards

- Introduction of information technologies in communication and correspondence between members and bodies of the Association, and networking of branches of the Association in other cities

- Linking BH diaspora organizations and institutions into the work of the Association

- Transforming the BZK Preporod website into a portal that supports interaction with internet visitors

In addition, we have proposals for future activities, which, if supported by the Assembly, we would submit for consideration by the members of the Main Board of BZK Preporod. These include, among others, the following proposals:

- E-learning study of Bosniak history and culture

Given the impossibility of studying certain aspects of Bosniak history, culture, and tradition within the existing plans and programs, offer seminars on specific topics from the Bosniak heritage and history, as well as online studies for higher levels of education. Target group: RS, diaspora:

- Digitization of books and publications on Bosniak literature, history, and culture

Digital libraries enable the spread of the culture of reading books via the Internet and make significant works available to the widest audience.

Internet presentation of key figures for Bosniaks:

- Creation of websites with biographies, bibliographies, photographs, audio and video recordings related to the most significant figures of Bosniak culture and tradition

- Reintroduction of Preporod's "Thursday Forum"

After the restoration of Preporod in 1991, a forum was organized every Thursday where the most prominent intellectuals gave lectures on current topics from history, art, culture, and politics, with discussions in which the audience participated. Recreate that forum.

Symposium "Culture of Memory"

Exchange of experiences in the culture of memory with people who have survived the Holocaust and other forms of genocide, apartheid, and discrimination

Project Museum of Genocide against Bosniaks

Link initiatives to create a virtual and physical museum with institutions for the research of war crimes and genocide, and start work on the project within the defined timeline

Create an annual plan of scientific and professional gatherings, with an emphasis on anniversaries of birth or death of prominent Bosniaks, as well as historical events

In addition to Preporod's Yearbook, design periodic publications in the fields of art, culture, and science, i.e., social and political realities, the realization of which would be simplified by digital books.
Establish the Multimedia Center "Preporod" with the aim of collecting and archiving video and TV recordings that preserve lectures and appearances of prominent Bosniak intellectuals, which also means establishing the practice of recording important events from "Preporod's" activities, storing them, and disseminating them to the public through "Preporod's" YouTube channel, which should be opened and maintained.

It is quite clear that such an ambitious program cannot be realized without a team of motivated and quality people. I am extremely happy that top Bosniak intellectuals such as doc. dr. Rasim Muratović, assoc. prof. dr. Senada Dizdar, M.Sc. Amina Đuvić Rizvanbegović, Dr. Amina Šiljak Jesenković, M.Sc. Alvid Hubijar, director Ahmed Imamović, doc. dr. Amira Sadiković, journalist Aida Krehić, publicists Muhamed Mahmutović and Sead Zubanović, actress Selma Alispahić, radio editor Enisa Hajdarević Šojko, and others, whose names are not on the official lists of candidates for the new convocation of BZK Preporod bodies, but are willing to help in their fields of activity, have offered me their support in the potential realization of these activities.

VOLUNTEER WORK 

PATRIA: In your opinion, how has Preporod operated so far, and what do you think could be improved, as it is natural to strive for better?

RIZVIĆ: The work of BZK Preporod, since its re-establishment in 1991, has been subject to public scrutiny. We have witnessed the more or less successful work of Preporod during this long period, which tells us that Preporod's work is a reflection of the work and commitment of its leaders, who, through their ideas and projects, motivate the members of the Association to engage more or less.

It is known that work in this association is voluntary, and there are fewer and fewer people willing to do something for the common good without direct material benefit. Therefore, Preporod has been and will remain a group of enthusiasts who share common ideas and goals and achieve them with more or less success. I think it is good that there is positive competition and that everyone who thinks they can do better should be given an opportunity.

It is interesting that from 1991 to the present, all Presidents of BZK Preporod have been from the humanities. Perhaps now is the time for professionals from technical sciences to take the helm and modernize the Association's work by introducing new technologies and modern ways of communication, presentation, and reflection on our tradition and culture. Of course, Preporod should remain open to all professions, as our richness lies in this diversity.

PATRIA: Given the general state of society, the economic crisis, apathy, the imported trash that Bosniaks are sold as culture..., how do you assess Preporod's possibilities to positively influence these processes?

RIZVIĆ: Preporod has exceptional potential in defining Bosniak and Bosnian-Herzegovinian culture. If people are offered quality cultural content and programs, many of them will choose to participate in them. In my opinion, Preporod could contribute to filling the void created by the transformation of media into arenas of bad taste, trash, and imported products that are poor copies of Western and Eastern "consumer" culture content.

Why shouldn't we offer our children educational and entertainment programs based on the thousand-year history of our country, but in a modern way adapted to them? Why shouldn't we motivate them to be proud of their identity instead of eagerly waiting to move abroad, thinking that sustenance awaits them there which they cannot achieve here? Why shouldn't we promote our values instead of offering poor copies of others'? Preporod can make a significant contribution to all these processes.

PATRIA: What do you consider important for Preporod?

RIZVIĆ: I would like Preporod to once again become a center for gathering the intellectual elite of Bosniaks, regardless of their political affiliation, religious beliefs, whether they are from mixed marriages or in them, whether they are young or mature, whether they are engaged in humanities or technical sciences, or are valuable craftsmen, artists, traders, students, or perhaps just ordinary people who love and respect our culture and tradition. I would like Preporod to be open to all residents of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to be a link for Bosniaks outside their homeland, for all friends of Bosnia and Herzegovina regardless of their race, religion, or nationality. I would like Preporod to contribute to us once again being proud that we are Bosniaks. If we know how to value ourselves, the world we live in will also value and respect us more.