THE UNVEILING THE BUST OF THE SUPREME LEADER KARADJORDJE IN ZAGORICA VILLAGE

 Belgrade, 5 September 2005 – HRH Crown Prince Alexander II, accompanied by academician Matija Beckovic, member of the Crown Council, representatives of the Endowment “King Peter I” and of the Association of Liberation Wars 1912-1918 Tradition Keepers, visited today Zagorica village where the Supreme Leader Karadjordje resided before he moved to Topola, and where, in the organization of the Association “The First Serbian Uprising” from Zagorica and the local community center, the memorial bust of the Supreme Leader Karadjordje was erected. The memorial bust of Karadjordje was consecrated by the priests of the Oplenac archdiocese and the clergy from the Church of Saints Cosmos and Damian. Mr. Cedomir Stevanovic, President of the Association “The First Serbian Uprising” addressed the guests bidding them all a wаrm welcome after which he thanked the local residents for erecting a monument to their Supreme Leader with the help of donations. The Crown Prince addressed the gathered residents and guests with the following words:

“More than two centuries have passed since the first Serbian Uprising. Let us remember our predecessors. They dreamt of a modern, democratic and European Serbia. Our mission is to make an effort for this dream come true. That is our debt to our predecessors, but to our descendants as well. I am very grateful to the Association “The First Serbian Uprising” and the people from Zagorica village for remembering my great predecessor, their Supreme Leader, and for proving that time does not cancel the memory of great people and of great deeds. It has been a long time since we stopped talking of Karadjordje only as a man of his time; we also speak of him as somebody who lives through us and who is a man for all times. Unveiling his bust today, we encounter our debt to him, and he is watching through us whether we are worthy of his deed.”

Mr. Cedomir Stevanovic, in the name of the Association “The First Serbian Uprising”, reminded the gathered that the monument of Karadjordje is here to remind us that we have to teach our children that we have a history that should not be forgotten, and named rebels from Zagorica who accompanied Karadjordje in the first Serbian Uprising more than two hundred years ago. Mr. Mile Nedeljkovic, an ethnologist originally from this region, proudly stressed that Zagorica is the place where Karadjordje matured and gained humanity, and that there is no bravery without humanity. Academician Matija Beckovic, then, inspiringly spoke about the father of Serbia reminding all of the well-known verses of the Bishop Njegos dedicated to the Supreme Leader:

“But the hero of Topola, the great, immortal Karadjordje,
saw many hurdles in his way, yet he reached his grandiose goal.
He roused people, christened the land, and broke the barbarous fetters,
summoned the Serbs back from the dead, and breathed life into their souls.
Here is the Immortal's secret: he gave the Serbs the chests of steel
and awakened the lion's heart in those who had lost their courage.”