The following text is not a historical study. It is a retelling of the witness’s life story based on the memories recorded in the interview. The story was processed by external collaborators of the Memory of Nations. In some cases, the short biography draws on documents made available by the Security Forces Archives, State District Archives, National Archives, or other institutions. These are used merely to complement the witness’s testimony. The referenced pages of such files are saved in the Documents section.

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Katica Smojver (* 1953)

• Katica Smojver, born Petković

• born on July 12, 1953, in Blato na Korčuli, in a family of landowners

• by profession an accountant and auditor

• her uncle and father participated in World War II (uncle died, father returned as an invalid)

• part of the family also survived the El Shatt evacuation

• in 1967, she moved to Zagreb where she enrolled in a high school for chemistry

• received a scholarship under the patronage of Josip Broz Tito and completed a higher school of statistics

• was employed in the Social Accounting Department of Yugoslavia

• since the 1990s, she has faced injustices due to her family’s participation in the People’s Liberation War

• mother of one daughter, grandmother of two grandchildren

• today, she collaborates with non-profit organizations and associations that promote the acceptance of diversity.

Katica Smojver, formerly Petković, was born on July 12, 1953 in Blato on the island of Korčula. She is a trained accountant and auditor who worked in accounting for many years. For the past ten years, she has actively collaborated with nonprofit organizations that promote the preservation of memory and culture.

Her large family is originally from Korčula and were successful farmers on large estates, producing wine, oil, wheat, and other crops. Katica mentions her great-grandfather, who had two sons, one of whom was her grandfather, Antun. Antun was not as interested in farming, so he studied in Vienna, read and learned a lot, especially languages, and later worked as a teacher on the island. However, he did not finish his studies because he had to return to the island and continue the family farming business after his brother’s death. Her grandfather had three daughters and two sons, one of whom was Katica’s father. They continued to farm until the occupation of the island by the Italians in World War II. Katica’s uncle and father went to war, and her uncle was killed, while her father returned as a disabled veteran. Her mother was first married to her uncle, who died in the war, and then married Katica’s father, who had returned from the war with tuberculosis that he treated in Ljubljana. However, he survived, and the family continued to live and farm after the war.

Katica’s father frequently traveled due to his duties, and he tried to teach his children by using examples from the war. He never hit them, but they noticed his withdrawal and trauma from the war during moments when they had angered him. As Katica says, both her father and mother were traumatized, but they never talked about it as expected. Her father had a hard time accepting that he was disabled and could no longer work as before, but he always tried to be involved in sports and gave it his all. Mornings were the worst, and the children were afraid something would happen to their father because he would cough heavily every morning after waking up. Therefore, while they were on the island, they had to have an annual check-up and X-ray to ensure that they did not have tuberculosis.

There are also two aunts in the family. One got married before the war and went to America, while the other was deaf, and Katica helped her as a child, among others. As Katica says, islanders do not talk much about the time before the war and during the war, but she shared what she knows in her testimony. Islanders are often closed off, there are no hugs or kisses (only couples do that), but they are surrounded by great love, and the parents’ care for their children after the war was visible. Her father read a lot and encouraged his children to read and learn. They used to talk more about the time before the war. Blato was a place with many inhabitants back then, and various folk customs and dances, such as “mundi” and “kumpanija,” were present. “Munde” were held throughout the winter, and people gathered and danced. On the other hand, “kumpanija” was a dance performed by a group of people and consisted of several different games, including the “dance of colors.” Both her uncle and father participated in these dances and performances, which were held on occasions and holidays. In Blato, there was a cinema and a cultural and artistic society, and folk music was present at various occasions, including funerals and other events. Brass bands were particularly popular, playing serious music that people highly appreciated. In addition, there was the “Sokol hall”, where various activities were held, including gymnastics. People often spoke about that life before the war and before this time, although it was many years earlier. But those were times when people were happy and had a good life by their standards. Customs, dances, and music were an integral part of their lives, and people happily and fondly spoke of those times.

A few years ago, the brass band held a concert that reminded people of the repertoire from earlier times. It was one of the rare events that reminded people of life in Blato before the war and before this time. They had a well-ordered life. They were satisfied. For example, even though she was deaf, Aunt was a male tailor. Goods were bought and clothing was sewn there. There was some life, some fashion. Everything was good until the terrible years came. One year, downy mildew destroyed everything, and then came the plague and the “Spanish flu”. However, when there were no such years, a lot of good wine and oil were produced. In Prigradica, a small port on the north side, there was a trading port. Ships came from Senj, and merchants brought furniture, salt, supplies, flour, sugar, and other things that were not available on the island, and they bought wine and oil.

People, including families, did not actively talk about the war, but they felt that it was approaching. Events such as the sale and surrender of territory to Pavelić indicated that something bad was happening. People hoped to become part of the Kingdom, but they were also aware that something was wrong. Names also had significance during that time, and some Serbian names were an indication of hostility towards Croats. People prepared for the arrival of Italians and made arrangements to deal with potential problems. One example of preparation was connecting rainwater cisterns between houses just before the Italians arrived. These cisterns became hidden passage systems that people used to avoid Italian patrols. The passages were well-hidden, so Italian troops never managed to discover them. Katica describes how the Italians would come into people’s homes and take over rooms for themselves, which was a terrible situation. She also talks about the curfew that the Italians imposed, which people had to strictly adhere to. Katica tells the story of how the Italians pressured her mother and tortured her to find out where her father was, and even shot at the water cistern in front of their house. She also speaks of how her grandfather was imprisoned and tortured because he refused to speak Italian, and eventually died in prison. Katica talks about her grandmother, who married an older man and became the owner of the farm after he left for college. Grandma did not know how to read or write until her husband returned from college and taught her. Grandma managed the entire farm on her own, organized the workforce, and gave birth to seven children. Unfortunately, two boys died of illnesses. Grandma was a devout Catholic and was part of the sisterhood of nuns in Blato, who helped the less fortunate. After her death, the sisterhood awarded her an order for her contributions and participation.

When they had to leave for the refugee camp in El Shatt, they talked about it, each in their own way, and we had three different stories. One story says that my mother went to El Shatt with her little child, my brother who was less than a year old. My grandmother went with her, that was agreed upon, but her daughter, who was deaf and had two sons, also went. At that time, it was already known that her husband had been injured in the war and had his leg amputated. Her husband was politically stronger than my father. My father was younger, and the other man was already an established figure, with more experience and a more prominent name.

When they arrived there, they actually arrived at something that was quite organized. They had already been there for three or four days. Later, Katica found out that at that time all the islands were full of refugees because there were battles in cities like Split and on the mainland, and people were fleeing. About 40,000 of them were transported to Bari and the entire area of Bari in four, five, ten days. People were so hungry that they overate, which caused problems. It is believed that those who were weakest and could not endure the journey were recruited to stay on the mainland. People were accommodated on military or merchant ships without cabins, where they constantly received the same food, which again caused problems. Many had to be treated immediately in hospitals for illness, and some of them even died. After people adjusted to their new life, they began to help with various activities because they were well-organized.

After the war, the first years were difficult, but the family recovered as best they could and continued with their lives. Aunt from America helped by sending aid, and as a military officer, her father began to receive additional income. Katica does not know much about the fates of those who remained on the island, but she talks about controversial events and decisions that occurred after the end of World War II in Croatia. She mentions how some people were sentenced to punishments such as hunger, and some even died. She notes that some people who fought for the freedom of Croatia were questioned after the war and their value was diminished. She also talks about how some women who married Italians after the war were afraid of being criticized or accused if they returned to Croatia. Additionally, she speaks about the situation in the cemetery in Blato, where after the start of the war in Croatia, markers for all those considered to be partisans were removed. This was difficult for her mother, but for her, it was harder to see what her father’s life had been like. Now, they hope that one day everyone will be able to remember their loved ones freely in the way they want.

Katica continued her education after primary school in Zagreb, where she completed a secondary chemical school. Thanks to a scholarship sponsored by Tito, she finished higher statistics school and, with an anecdote from her first job interview, was soon employed as a trainee (and later permanently) in the Social Bookkeeping Service of Yugoslavia. Due to her family’s participation in the national liberation struggle, origin, and thinking, she encountered rejection from friends in the late 1980s and still fights against labeling individuals associated with the former regime. Katica is the mother of one daughter who lives with her two children in Luxembourg and has no ambitions to return due to the situation in Croatia where people are too focused on who is who and where they come from instead of living in a community. Her daughter is in a mixed marriage, and it is better for the children to grow up abroad.

 

Finally, Katica talks about her desire for a better society and mentions her children and grandchildren. She expressed hope that young people will be smarter and that there will be a turnaround in the political situation in the country. She recommends that people learn, build themselves, and respect other people and beings on the planet. She emphasizes the importance of caring for the environment and helping others. As a message to young people, she emphasizes the importance of learning, checking information, and thinking about it so that they can independently recognize what they need to follow and do for themselves, society, and the planet.