Battle for Vukovar shown in Washington

The educational music/drama program, Battle for Vukovar – How We Defended the City and Croatia,” by authors Damir Plavšić and Damir Markuš, both Vukovar veterans, was presented in Washington. This is the beginning of its American tour. The story of the heroic city will be shown in eight cities.

Following Europe, Canada, New Zealand and Australia Damir Plavšić and Damir Markuš told their story about Vukovar to a Washington audience. They defended the city along with 1800 of their colleagues until November 1991. They poured pictures and emotions from the war into books and film, with one main message.

“The message is that our children and youth must gain knowledge of their Croatian history and that it must never be forgotten. With the project we present Croatia around the world along with Croatian culture and heritage,” noted Plavšić.

Damir Markuš-Kutina is one of 58 HOS members who defended Vukovar. He spent five years working on a book that reconstructs events from the war for volunteers who arrived in the city at critical times.

“I take this opportunity to call on all Croatian veterans to write their memories down, to put them on paper, to write books, to do performances, to work in this light because the Croatian Homeland War must not be forgotten. That is our message,” emphasized Markuš.

Honor to Vukovar in Washington was also paid by a man who had a significant role in closing the final chapter of the war, the former temporary Transitional Administrator for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srijem, retired General Jacques Klein.

“It is important not to forget the past, but also to not be its prisoner and turn toward the future. I want to congratulate the Croatian people on how far they have come on this path,” he said.

So far the battle for Vukovar has been shown 136 times and has been seen by more than 80 000 people.

“We are a small Croatian community, but every time we gather a hundred Croats who have come to express their respect and celebrate the Republic of Croatia, it’s a good night for us,” said Steve Rukavina from the National Federation of Croatian Americans.

The program dedicated to Vukovar will be shown in New York, Cleveland, Detroit, St. Louis, Chicago, Milwaukee and L.A.

Source: HRT