Visiting the Centenarians: Ajka and Aziza, the Oldest Residents of Stari Grad

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Aziza Karić from Sedrenik, who recently turned 104, is one of the oldest residents of Stari Grad, traditionally visited by the municipal mayor Ibrahim Hadžibajrić on the occasion of the Municipality Day.

Although advanced in years, Aziza is happy with every visit and welcomes each guest with a smile. Her strength is somewhat failing her, so in recent months she has been mostly bedridden, but she still has a sharp mind and good memory. Aziza remembers surviving two wars, losing four children, and living with her husband in marriage for 68 years. What keeps her going even in the toughest moments is her faith, so Aziza is fasting this Ramadan as well, made easier by her remaining children, especially her sixty-two-year-old daughter Dina Duvnjak.

„I have fasted every Ramadan since I was seven years old, and I will continue as long as I can. Old age has caught up with me, my legs and arms hurt... I had seven children, three sons died, and one was killed, and I overcame all of that... I study, pray, fast, and that is my salvation,“ said Nana Aziza.

„I grew up near Rogatica and lived there until I was twenty. Then I got married and lived in marriage for 68 years, and my husband died when he was 85. He was blind, had surgery, I took good care of him, and I guess this is my reward for living so long,“ said Aziza.

Other than feeling pain in her bones, Nana says she has no other illness and has always been healthy, but she has always worked as well.

“I did all sorts of things in my life, wove, spun, embroidered, crocheted, worked in agriculture, had livestock... I worked more than two women and raised seven children,“ she said.

Nana's daughter Dina explained that Nana's other relatives are also long-lived.

„Her brother Abid is a hundred years old and lives in Bistrik, in good health, and Nana remembers that her grandfather lived to a very old age, even 116 years. They called him Baščelija and he was from a bey's family, they lived near Rogatica,“ said Dina.

Mayor Hadžibajrić emphasized that care for the elderly is extremely important and that he is pleased with such visits.

„This is the second year in a row that we have been visiting our centenarians. Last year I visited Nana Ajka in Kovači, who is 105 years old, and today we are with Nana Aziza, who is 104. She has a good memory, so we had a nice conversation, and she remembers both what happened a hundred years ago and what happened yesterday. This is a gesture by which we pay tribute to our elderly who have reached a deep old age,“ said Mayor Hadžibajrić, who also presented Aziza with a suitable gift, flowers, and gift packages.

Nana Ajka may be the oldest Sarajevan

In Sumbuluša lives 105-year-old Nana Ajka Lokmić. On Saturday, May 4, a big celebration was held in her family home. Namely, Nana Ajka celebrated her 105th birthday surrounded by her four children and other relatives. It is an incredible fact that she has lived in Stari Grad since she was four years old, which may make her the oldest resident of the entire city of Sarajevo. Her health condition has not changed since the last visit of the municipal delegation last year, and as we were told, Nana still has a good appetite and sound sleep.

„Mom often makes us angry because she asks us to prepare fattier veal, which she loves,“ her daughters Zumreta and Zineta told us through laughter. They told us that Nana Ajka was born in 1914 in Bosanski Šamac, with the maiden name Bešlagić, and that she has distant family ties with the late Alija Izetbegović, the first president of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who was also born in Bosanski
Šamac.

Immediately after birth and the harsh circumstances of World War I, Ajka lost her parents and came to live in Sarajevo. There she met Nurija Lokmić, whom she married and had four
children, two daughters and two sons, all living in Sarajevo.

„Besides raising a family, Mom worked together with Dad in a bakery. Older residents surely remember the bakeries at Ploča and Bistrik; she was always a great fighter, and we will be forever grateful for that,“ said Zumreta and Zineta. Nana Ajka expressed great happiness about the visit from the Municipality and recited several old songs at the end.

Gifts and a present were presented to Nana Ajka today by the Chairman of the Stari Grad Municipal Council Jusuf Pušina and Vice-Chairman Sanel Dragolovčanin.