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BROTHERS ĐOKANOVIĆ CREATING A FUTURE ON THE DRINA

Tomislav Đokanović from Bratunac left 4-5 years ago, but he intends to return and is investing his savings earned in Germany into his native village of Bjelovac.

BROTHERS ĐOKANOVIĆ CREATING A FUTURE ON THE DRINA
PHOTO: N1

His five-year-older brother Branislav, a theology student, stayed with their parents on the family estate, where he is involved in agriculture among other things. As he says, some of it is for their own use, some for sale. Branislav is currently unemployed, as is his wife, an English teacher who is currently working at a school "on a temporary basis" until April next year. Both are married with children—Branislav has two, and Tomislav has one with another "on the way," as they say.

- A few years ago, when my brother went to Germany to work, we started clearing this, then completely overgrown area, full of trash left by people and brought by the river. My brother financed most of it, and I was the one on the ground, realizing our ideas, Branislav begins the story.

After they cleaned up the beach, they built two large stone terraces as a space that now serves for sunbathing, sitting, and barbecuing, which in the future could have other purposes. They also laid the foundation for a small suspension bridge on both sides of the Drina channel, which will connect the shore with an island in the river. They plan to build and equip accommodation facilities on their estate for guests.

- We bought two wooden cottages that returnees used until they built their houses, moved them here, and reassembled them as weekend cottages. We've already equipped one with everything necessary for a comfortable stay—bathroom, kitchen, air conditioning, internet, etc.—and recently started renting it out.

The Đokanović brothers have ambitious plans, but they need a lot of money for everything.

- We plan to build something like an ethno-restaurant or something similar on this river island across from us, where we could offer some of our products, local food, and specialties from this area. That restaurant requires significant investments, so we decided to start by setting up a small open-air café, targeting middle-aged and older visitors.

This way, the Đokanovićs say they would maintain the peace and quiet they have here now, which is what they and their visitors want and seek.

- The youth have plenty of places and spaces for entertainment at Rajska Plaža, Branislav says with a laugh.

Rajska Plaža is a beautifully arranged large bathing complex with numerous cafes and sports fields, located a few kilometers downstream from Bratunac on the Drina River, built after the war.

The Đokanovićs are working in phases and investing as much as they can spare at the moment.

- This year, we plan to finish the fence on this terrace, and then we'll start finishing the barbecue area behind the cottages… we also plan to build a children's play area to have something for everyone's enjoyment here, says Branislav.

Bjelovac is one of the few villages that has a complete sewer system, so they have done everything to preserve nature, says Branislav, noting that the Bratunac water intake is right next to their estate, so they have brought city water to the estate and the buildings they are constructing.

During these hot days, many visitors come to the Đokanović estate daily to relax, sunbathe, and swim, completely free of charge.

- We don't restrict or charge anyone; the only request we have is for people to clean up after themselves when they leave, says Branislav.

Most visitors pick up and take their trash to the containers or leave it in plastic bags on the beach, while some individuals leave everything in a mess. Every morning, Branislav collects and removes the trash.

- Not everyone is the same; I don't want to generalize, but upbringing and habits are 'brought' from home, from the family, as one learns. Most people really take care not to leave a mess behind, but some individuals, even those who live and work abroad, leave trash here, and I doubt they do the same where they live… but that's their culture, says Branislav.

He points out that the tourism organization in his area is quite inactive.

- In general, I don't know how to express it, but our Tourism Organization in Bratunac is very inactive except for the 'Drina Regatta,' which, in my opinion, is poorly organized once a year. We haven't received any help, except for the first year when we started building this terrace, the municipal bulldozer laid the first row of stones in the foundation. I hope that the Municipality will in the future not only focus on us but generally pay more attention and direct more funds towards tourism development because we really have a lot of potential, says Branislav.

As he mentioned at the beginning of our conversation that he is a theology student, we asked him how he plans to engage in tourism once he becomes a priest, an Orthodox clergyman.

- Even if I become a priest, my brother will focus more on tourism, and we have the next generation, our children, and in any case, I won't leave or forget the Drina, says Branislav Đokanović.

Tourism used to be, and certainly could be today, a significant development sector for the municipalities of Srebrenica and Bratunac. In addition to the vast cultural and historical wealth, as evidenced by archaeological sites dating back to Roman times, numerous necropolises of stećak tombstones, medieval towers and towns, there are also great natural resources such as the healing Guber water, forests full of game, mines from ancient to modern times, the National Park "Drina," the Drina River, and the Perućac Lake. Preserved nature and tradition are also significant potentials for the development of rural tourism, which Branislav and many others see as an opportunity for development and a good source of income, following the example from the other side of the Drina in Serbia, where much more has been done to ensure that the local population primarily has conditions and opportunities for rest and recreation in nature but also a good source of income from accommodation and services provided to numerous tourists, both domestic and foreign.