Hundreds of Mostar students mark Bosnia and Herzegovina's Independence Day with a walk through the city

MOSTAR, (Patria) - About 600 students, according to organizers' estimates, gathered on Wednesday morning on the square in front of the Gymnasium in central Mostar, as part of a multi-day program marking the Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The student column set off from the Old Bridge at 10 a.m., as part of a ceremonial promenade, and shortly before 11:30 a.m. it arrived at the square in front of the Gymnasium, where a gathering was organized by the Association of Principals of Elementary Schools of the City of Mostar.

There, the attending students, teachers, and citizens were addressed by the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, Rašid Hadžović.

- Today we mark March 1, the 26th anniversary of the day when the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina clearly and loudly said 'yes' to the question of whether we want an independent, sovereign, united, democratic Bosnia and Herzegovina. Today is a day we must remember, as well as all those who gave their lives. We must all together build the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina - said Minister Hadžović.

He reminded that the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina "was not achieved easily," and that "many victims fell for it," and that everything done in the previous period, during the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina, should be appreciated.

- I wish for us to build together a Bosnia and Herzegovina that will be prosperous, a state of all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina - Hadžović urged.

At 1 p.m. at the National Theatre Mostar, organized by the IC Printing House and the Pedagogical Institute Mostar, a ceremony titled "I have a homeland, I carry it in my heart" will be held.

All this is part of multi-day events on the occasion of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Independence Day, coordinated by the Center for Culture Mostar, the National Theatre Mostar, and the Museum of Herzegovina Mostar. The ceremonies, sponsored by the Chairman of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Edin Mušić, and the Chairman of the Assembly of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, Šerif Špago, are being held in six cities across the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton.

Thus, tonight at the Culture Center of Herzog Stjepan Kosača in Mostar, starting at 6 p.m., organized by the Association of Principals of Elementary Schools, a forum and ceremonial program will be held on the occasion of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Independence Day.

On Thursday, March 1, 2018, at 12:15 p.m., the ceremonial opening of the recreational-adventure park "Fortica" is scheduled. At 12:45 p.m., at the Šehitluci in Mostar, a recitation of the Fatiha and laying of flowers will be held.

The central program will be held at 1 p.m. at the National Theatre Mostar - a ceremonial academy on the occasion of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Independence Day. In the foyer of the National Theatre Mostar, the Center for Peace Mostar will organize an exhibition titled "Urbicide."