Gordana Radovanovic is gone, suddenly, unexpectedly, decisively, as she lived in this world.
Now, we, who had the chance to know her, to work with her, to dream with her, will carry her in our hearts, will remember the stories she told us, will cherish the memories of her beloved Herzegovina, will remember the taste of the food her people have preserved until present days.



We remember her here through the words of Dessislava Dimitrova of Slow Food Bulgaria, a point of reference for the network in the Balkans. Photo @Marco Del Comune & Oliver Migliore (Terra Madre 2016).

She was a giver and a real “slow” person
Slow Food has the power to bring people together and to connect them with invisible threads that only heart can recognize. Slow Food attracts givers whose only way to spend their days on Earth is to share their souls with whom they love.

Gordana was a real ‘slow’ person.

She always had the time to dive into the history of her contradictory, yet lovable country, to listen to the stories of the producers and then share them proudly with the world. She was telling the food stories with the deep conviction that all who hear them will be tempted to visit a place, to taste a cheese and finally bring back their friends. There was no person in Bosnia and Herzegovina who did not know her. All doors were open for her, she conquered hearts and never betrayed the ‘small’ people who timidly carried on with their job – to keep the tastes of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I met her more than 15 years ago… Time flies, a? She was a major activist of Slow Food in the Balkans – from the very first preparatory meeting of Terra Madre Balkans in Smilyan in 2009 until the bald attempt to bring food of West Balkans in the European Parliament. At that moment we were faster than the politicians! Food was the winner, the ambassador whom no one could stop.

These last days I was haunting the countless memories with her, I walked in the places we visited and I remembered the talks we had under the plantains in Trebinje.

It is difficult to speak about Gordana in past time, it does not suit her. She is around, she is and will be with us, who care about the food traditions of the Balkans, who tell the stories of our countries. Because we know that the Balkans are not just a pot boiling with conflicts. Balkans are a table around which all nations have their place and food overcomes borders and tensions for the sake of our future together.

Rest in peace, Gordana.

The original article was published at: Slow food International website