Serbia Today Interview Ljiljana Dugalic

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INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK
Interview Sept. 07 2009
Ljiljana Dugalic
writer & founder of “Cradle or Mother

Ljiljana Dugalić, writer, founder of “Kolevka ili majka” (“Cradle or Mother”) project

By: Miodrag Stosic

Belgrade, Sept. 07 2009, (Serbia Today) - The time we live in is marked by comprehensive crisis, which affects not only politics and economy, but also the whole system of values. In such extraordinary conditions in Serbia, a new organization emerged, that is completely devoted to helping persons with disabilities. Its name is “Kolevka ili majka” (“Cradle or Mother”), and its founder is Ljiljana Dugalić.

SERBIATODAY: Mrs. Dugalić, when was your organization founded, and where this interesting name comes from?

Ljiljana Dugalić: It was founded in the middle of last year, but a project with the same name had been worked on before the organization was officialy founded, before I knew I would become this organization's President. Being aware of what our society was going through, having in mind the generosity of our glorious ancestors, especially Nadežda Petrović, the co-founder of “Kolo Srpskih Sestara”, it was natural for me to give my contribution to life conditions improvements, for children, above all.

The Association, by the way, got its name from documentary radio series, whose author I am, which are being broadcasted on Chanel 2 of Radio Belgrade, within a famous documentary show “Govori da bih te video” (“Speak so I could see you”). That documentary in three parts, in which Miroslava Milošević, mother of a child with Down’s syndrome, confesses and openly and bravely speaks about the drama she came through since they told her that she had given birth to an ill child, is a very touching one. It is also very touching when she speaks about her struggle to resist the pressure that hospital staff put on her, to renounce her child and give it to “Kolevka”, home for children with disabilities.

SERBIATODAY: You’re an initiator of the whole project. What was the way from conception to realization of such a generous idea like?

Ljiljana Dugalić: If I were to answer your question precisely, an answer would be very long. I will make it simpler: there are moments in life when you recognize what you have to do, and when it’s more than clear to you what is worth of your efforts, to what you should devote your time, patience and persistence. Developing activities of Association “Kolevka ili Majka”, with a unique joy I discovered that working on life conditions improvements for persons with disabilities was more important than any job that can make us proud and create vanity inside of us, which I, as an artist, would like to avoid anyway.

SERBIATODAY: Were you supported by Ministry of work and social policy?

Ljiljana Dugalić: Formally, we were helped by Ministry of state administration and local self-government, where we are registered. The greatest help comes from our friends, whose names are listed at www.kolevkailimajka.org , and without whose support this project wouldn’t grow this much. In May, we received a donation of National Bank of Serbia, and at the beginning of the year we had a promotion in Stara Pazova, under patronage of local government. Nevertheless, it seems to me that the most important blessings and help come from a holy place, from Ostrog monastery and diocesan Bishop, HE Jovan.

Unfortunately, the economic crisis has got planetary dimensions, you can imagine how it is felt in Serbia, which can not even start to breathe yet.

SERBIATODAY: Besides work in your organization, you’re a writer as well. On your organization’s site, there is a message to viewers in a form of a poem “Ljubav nam je svima potrebna” (“We all need love”). In what way are those two interests of yours connected?

Ljiljana Dugalić: It’s interesting that everybody thinks of that text as a poem. That was a message that we all need love, in fact started to live as a poem, not less than our future anthem. I hope we’ll have an opportunity to arrange it musically. By the way, text “Ljubav nam je svima potrebna” has been originally published in a magazine for children, “Kosovski božur” (“Kosovo peony”) in which I am involved as the editor of the column “Druželjublje” (“Friendliness”).

It’s, of course, easy to guess which topic I discuss in that column. Moreover, our Kosovo and Metohija and our children, from all areas Serbs live in, are participants of Nikoljdan council, an event that is being held every year on St. Nicholas’ day in Belgrade, and of which I am one of organizers for years. So, connecting all the children, and my writings are a public work. These days I published a new book, titled “Crtež na dlanu” (“Drawing on a palm”). In there main characters are children, and the topic is a relation between adults and children, in other words a question of responsibility and sacrifice. What connects all mentioned above is easy to point :. It’s LOVE. Love for your own people.

SERBIATODAY: Do you think that creativity and its expression is the way to establish much more intensified contact to persons with disabilities?

Ljiljana Dugalić: My wish is to develop a publishing activity and to publish books of prominent writers, as well as amateur works of persons with disabilities and children. I'm sure that we, with God's help, at our future promotions, will have opportunities to share our joy of a newly published book with our new friends writers, and to express our attitude that we all have equal rights. Someone who is more beautiful, runs faster, or sees farther, don't have more right to live than a child who can not live without help of its relatives and care of its parents.

SERBIATODAY: Tell us something about your book “Hoću kući” (“I want to go home”).

Ljiljana Dugalić: The first edition published by “Kolevka ili Majka” organization is in fact a multimedia publication. Besides Miroslava Milošević’s lines (she’s mother of Uroš, boy with Down’s syndrome, from Inđija), the book is illustrated with works of children with Down’s syndrome from art workshop “Pohvala ruci” (“Eulogy to the hand”) from Belgrade, and association “Živeti bez razlike” (“To live without a difference”) from Inđija. The book was reviewed by Aleksandar Krstić, permanent member of Academy of medical sciences at Serbian medical society. Within the book, there is a CD with recorded shows mentioned at the beginning of this interview. That’s how RTS Radio Belgrade became our first media patron. The book has been printed in 2,000 copies, and we share it at our promotions. We came to an idea to reproduce that printing, in order to allow insight to the book to the people, so that they can find out, through written and spoken words, as well as through children of disabilities’ drawings, that everyone is equally worth, in spite of disability, (I use that word unwillingly).

SERBIATODAY: You wrote the script for a documentary movie called “Izvinite što kasnim” (“Sorry for being late”)?

Ljiljana Dugalić: Yes. It’s documentary movie of a boy who starts going to school. Preparing for that moment, he went to kindergarten for a year and a half, but, when everything seemed all right, problems appeared. However, the boy with Down’s syndrome came to his classroom on September 15^th, and he was greeted wonderfully by his teacher and schoolmates. This year, if there are no some new obstacles, he’ll start the second grade. In order to prevent such obstacles in the future, we will also try hard through our projects, public work, promotions, appearances before media, as well as through our personal examples. You know, there are 400 thousand children registered with disabilities in Serbia. It has been assessed that there are even more, but hidden from publicity. Imagine how many mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters there are. Can one nation be happy, if among 7 million of us, 1 million do not know how their family member will live and who will care about him when his biological parents get old and leave this world.

SERBIATODAY: Our poet Miroslav Antić once said: “Love is like strength. The more you waste it, the more you’ll have it”. Do you think there’ll be more love for those who need it the most in our society?

Ljiljana Dugalić: Not long ago, I watched on TV a show where the guest talked with joy about how she got happy when she heard an older woman saying “Good afternoon” to a bus driver, while entering the bus. Why would we wait for someone to make us happy with his kindness – let’s wish good day to our close people ourselves. Here, right now!