Branka Savčić, who appeared on the latest episode of Where Has (Non-)Culture Gone?, shared an anecdote with Standard Classic Radio about an experience she had in Han Pijesak during the Defensive-Patriotic War. One day, she discovered a mountain of books beneath the window of the office where she worked!

“At the beginning of the war, I volunteered for the First Romanija Brigade, holding the rank of lieutenant at the time. It was my choice to stay and defend my country and my people. I was stationed at the headquarters in Han Pijesak, and the first thing I did whenever I had free time was find the library. I browsed the books and managed to read a few, but one day I had no idea what kind of surprise awaited me beneath the window of my office. There was literally a mountain of books waiting for me!” Savčić recalled.

She explained that several trucks carrying books had arrived in Han Pijesak from the Marshal Tito Barracks in Sarajevo, but instead of being placed in a library, the books had ended up outside.

“They simply kept following me. I asked around to find out what was going on, and when I learned that the books would either be left to deteriorate or burned, I went to the pile every day and selected titles that interested me. What encyclopedias I discovered, and what wonderful books on art! I used those books to build my first personal library during the war. In this way, I remained true to myself and to my inner being. Even today, I have a large library in Bijeljina, and through it I nourish my soul,” Savčić emphasized.

Asked where culture, courtesy, and kind words had disappeared to in contemporary society, Branka Savčić replied that culture was suffering because vulgarity was aggressive and unashamed.

“Culture retreats in the face of such blows. Everything has become instant—now and immediately—but in an arrogant and brazen way. Everything is full of cheap words and profanity. And when such things are omnipresent in the media, films, and on television, they begin to be presented as normal. Yet, despite everything, I believe that Dostoevsky and Tolstoy will prevail. I see it in the young people who come to the Semberija Cultural and Artistic Society (SKUD ‘Semberija’), because they learn different things with us—about culture, tradition, and good manners. Culture will ultimately triumph over vulgarity,” Savčić concluded.

Branka Savčić, the longtime director of SKUD “Semberija,” spoke on the program Where Has (Non-)Culture Gone? about her thirteen years at the helm of the organization, as well as culture, tradition, and the importance of awakening younger generations’ desire to discover their roots.

The program offers further insight into our guest’s life journey and her reflections on life, work, the sociopolitical climate of the 1970s and 1980s, her education, and her student years.

A special part of the program is devoted to Branka Savčić’s role in the Defensive-Patriotic War, a period during which she chose to remain in her war-torn country alongside her people. Did she manage to think about art and literature during those days? And what became of the little girl who dreamed of writing poetry by the sea? You can find out by listening to the interview at the following link:

https://standardclassic.ba/gdje-se-fura-nekultura

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