A quiz for children of Slovenian origin titled "From White to Black – Nature Through Colors" was held on September 19, 2026, in Banja Luka at the premises of the Union of National Minorities of Republika Srpska.
A total of eight teams, each consisting of two members, participated. There was one team each from Subotica, Sarajevo, and Prijedor, and five teams from Slatina and Banja Luka. The quiz was prepared by teacher Metoda, while Oksana and Ivan assisted by serving as judges.
At the start, all participants received T-shirts, with each team wearing a different color. Ivan and Metoda welcomed the students and wished them great success in the competition. Metoda explained the quiz rules to everyone, after which team representatives drew slips of paper to determine the competing pairs. The atmosphere was excellent and full of excitement; the competitive spirit kicked in, and the audience cheered. The judges were fair, and everything ran flawlessly. The only issue the judges had to address was the repeated pressing of buzzers; the contestants were impatient and would press the button before teacher Metoda had finished reading the question. The agreed-upon procedure was for the teacher to read the question in full before contestants pressed the buzzer; once it was determined who had pressed it first, that person would answer the question. The contestants demonstrated a good knowledge of plants and animals, and it was evident that they enjoyed the competition. The outcome remained uncertain until the very end. The final round featured the teams "Slatina" (Srećko Stanivuković and Slavko Cvijić) and "Necvijet" (Iskra Aničić and Eva Balta). The buzzers were working overtime, and the judges frequently had to call for answer attempts. The "Slatina" team won by a narrow margin. The competition for third place was just as exciting, featuring the Sarajevo team (Noah and Ian Huskić Marinić) and "Češnje" (Nastja Lunić and Marija Mihajlović). The Sarajevo team won by a small margin. Gifts were distributed to all participants, and trophies were awarded to the winners.
After the quiz, we went for lunch. Following lunch, we visited the Vrbas River, the site where Bosnia and Herzegovina’s first Olympic-standard slalom kayak course is being built. Darko, the most successful member of the "Vrbas" Kayak and Canoe Club from Banja Luka, told us about the project. The children asked questions out of curiosity, but Darko had questions for them, too. He asked if they knew of any kayak courses in Slovenia, what the difference is between a kayak and a canoe, what a *dajak*/ traditional, narrow wooden boat/ is, and so on. We thanked Darko for the interesting conversation, and he promised that the next time we met, we would go for a kayak ride. We then spent some time at the riverbank, enjoying the sunshine by the green waters of the Vrbas. Consul Elizabeta joined us with her charming dog, Izi, who happily took a dip in the river. Afterward, we went to the park next to the "Delta" shopping center, where the children saw the newly opened pump track. Some played soccer or exercised on the outdoor fitness equipment.
Satisfied and tired, we all returned to the premises of the Union of National Minorities of the Republic of Srpska and refreshed ourselves with pizza and doughnuts. The day passed quickly and the parents came to pick up the children and the guests went to the hotel. All tired but satisfied. It was a truly interesting day, filled with various events, socializing and new friendships.
Ljiljana Memon
