Centre for Civic Education (CCE) and the Antifascists of Cetinje welcome the decision of the Council for Proposing Names of Settlements, Streets and Squares of the Municipality of Nikšić to erect a memorial to the seventeen-year-old partisan Joka Baletić in that town.
The initiative, which came from the European Alliance in Nikšić, will be forwarded to the municipal assembly procedure, and it is expected to be decided upon at the next session of the local parliament, planned for 21 and 22 April. This news is encouraging as it follows the same Council’s decision of 19 March to reject the same initiative.
We believe that the Council’s new decision marks the beginning of correcting the injustice towards Joka Baletić, as well as towards all other women who gave their lives for the freedom of Montenegro, and whose role has often been marginalised. In the year marking the 20th anniversary of the restoration of Montenegrin independence, it is important to treat responsibly the heroes and symbols of Montenegro from all periods of its history.
Ljubo Čupić and Joka Baletić are symbols of Nikšić and the struggle against fascism in that area. They were arrested together and killed on the same day. He was shot, and she was hanged by Nikšić Chetniks. A monument to Ljubo Čupić stands in Nikšić, and we believe it is time for Joka Baletić to receive one as well.
We remind that memorials dedicated to women in Montenegro are still rare, even when it comes to streets. In Nikšić, only four streets bear the names of women – Milica Vučinić, Joka Baletić, Jela Andrijašević and Dragica Pravica. All four were killed in the fight against fascism.
It is precisely on the foundations of that struggle that modern Montenegro was built, which today stands on the threshold of European Union membership. The EU accession process is not merely technical; it requires the adoption and nurturing of European values, which include gender equality and the visibility of women in public and historical spaces, as well as a responsible attitude towards heritage and the past.
It is particularly important that Nikšić, as the newly selected European Capital of Culture for 2030, recognises its responsibility in fostering a culture of remembrance of women in the antifascist struggle. We also recall that Venice, one of the most beautiful and touristically significant cities in Europe, has a monument dedicated to female partisans, depicting a woman as an active participant in the struggle. In Warsaw, the capital of Poland, a monument to female partisans was unveiled in 2021, so by erecting this monument, Nikšić would join European cities that honour their women freedom fighters.
We express regret that the Council’s decision was not unanimous, given that representatives of the authorities in Nikšić have in the past frequently attended various memorial services and events dedicated to glorifying the Chetnik movement and actively participate in unscientific historical revisionism.
The CCE and the Antifascists of Cetinje expect the Municipal Assembly of Nikšić to adopt the decision to erect a memorial to Joka Baletić. This monument is an opportunity to enhance the city’s cultural offering, which should be one of the priorities of Nikšić as the new European Capital of Culture, but also to finally properly commemorate and preserve from oblivion the struggle of Joka Baletić, as well as all women fighters for freedom from the Nikšić area.
Centre for Civic Education (CCE)
Antifascists of Cetinje