Šerbedžija’s answer to nationalists: “I am a Serb from Lika, born by Velebit and these forests”

“I am a Serb from Croatia, a Serb from Lika. To those nationalists I say: I was not born only by my mother and father and grandparents. I was born by Velebit, by the Krbava plain, by these forests, by my Lika,” Rade Šerbedžija said.

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I am a Serb from Croatia, a Serb from Lika. To those nationalists I say: I was not born only by my mother and father and grandparents. I was born by Velebit, by the Krbava plain, by these forests, by my Lika.

The actor is among more than 200 public figures and organizations backing the “Gospić Is Our Home” initiative. In an interview on the program “Briefing,” he spoke about his origins, childhood and lasting connection to Lika. He was born in Bunić, but his family moved away when he was one. His father first went to Slunj for work and later to Vinkovci, while Šerbedžija returned to Lika every summer.

He recalled seeing the sea for the first time at 14 and remembered Lika through its sense of freedom, clean mountain air, horses and summer nights when people needed blankets. He also described going into the mountains with his grandfather to look after sheep and cattle, and walking with his mother over the hills to Korenica.

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When I think of Lika, the first things that come to mind are freedom, clean mountain air, having to cover yourself with a blanket on summer evenings, the horses I grew up with, and the horses I led to the watering place at seven while my uncles drank beer.

That personal connection shaped his criticism of the region’s current condition. Šerbedžija said Lika had been unfairly neglected and pointed to the consequences of war, emigration and the insufficient return of people to areas where Serbs had once lived. “The area where Serbs lived, who left their homes en masse during Operation Storm, has been devastated. There was no real policy for the people who wanted to return. It is a tragic story. Few people came back, and not enough was done to revive that area socially, economically and culturally,” he said.

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The area where Serbs lived, who left their homes en masse during Operation Storm, has been devastated. There was no real policy for the people who wanted to return. It is a tragic story. Few people came back, and not enough was done to revive that area socially, economically and culturally.

The “Gospić Is Our Home” initiative has organized the “Walk for Lika, Walk for Croatia” protest after months of warnings about illegally dumped waste and a planned lithium factory in Smiljansko Polje. Organizers say the protest concerns public health, environmental protection and residents’ right to take part in decisions affecting their lives. A first five-kilometer walk in Gospić ran from the illegal dump site to the planned factory area. Organizers demanded the release of all analyses, independent testing of soil, waste and groundwater, a cleanup plan with clear deadlines, and a public debate on the lithium plant.

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This waste issue is a tragedy.