Just passing by
In a world full of evil it is easy to be good. You want to be good? Just be. You want to do good? Just do. Do not look how someone treats you, but rather how you treat someone else.
These words, which I recently heard on a lecture, got me thinking about the political and economic situation of my hometown, Velika Kladuša, which has been dealing with the challenges of the migrant crisis for more than a year now. Migration, by itself, does not represent a negative process nor is there anything wrong with people traveling. After own, our town has always known of migration, but in a different way. The local population, and especially young people, has been leaving for European countries in the past years, abandoning more and more homes of Velika Kladuša, leaving them empty and locked until the next holidays.
The influx of migrants from the Asian and African continents also brought a new experience to Velika Kladuša. Along with the experience of emigrations, we now also have experience with immigrations. Although the immigrants are just passing by, on the same way towards the European countries as the local population, they stay a bit longer in Velika Kladuša than in other places on their journey, mostly because they have been returned here several times from Croatia.
For over a year our town has been a refuge for people who are on a journey of hope for a better life. First they have found shelter in improvised tent settlements, then in camps under the supervision of international organizations, which still offer bad living conditions, and to a certain extent they have found shelter in the homes of local residents, who helped them with food, accommodation, clothes and hygiene supplies. The only thing missing is any kind of support from the local government.
The second winter has already passed and the situation remains unchanged. Open arms of people from Velika Kladuša are slowly starting to shy away, while the government fails to do enough to ease the suffering of the people on the road and make everyday life easier for their own citizens.
At this moment, there are more than a thousand migrants in Velika Kladuša, the majority being young men from the countries of Maghreb. This is all old news, but it what be wrong to withhold that there are more and more criminal activities, fights, thefts and tensions between the migrants. At the same time, intolerance of the local population towards the „guests“ is growing.
To condemn one or the other side of this story would be wrong, just as it would be wrong to think there are only two sides of the story. However, it is important to show a part of the general atmosphere, in order to get a better picture of the current situation in Velika Kladuša.
People still go to work and children to school. Although, one senior gentleman whom we met in town’s centre told us that nowadays only few people go out for walks. He complained that many people feel unsafe on the streets of their own town.
I did not pay much attention to the stories of incidents „happening at every turn“, but in just a couple of hours I myself witnessed unpleasant situations. While working on the new refugee story, I was going through the city, and on the sidewalk in the middle of the day, a young man passed me by and simply took my phone from my backpack. Through some strange speed I sensed this and snatched my phone back from his hand. When I asked him why he did something like this and criticized him that this „is not OK“, he simply strolled away without saying a word.
The same day I found myself between „conflicted“ sides of a quarrel, an incident, happening in front of a local restaurant where refugees have free food available every day. It was then I decided that maybe I don’t need to find someone to talk to for this particular refugee story.
With mixed emotions and under a bit of stress, not so much because of previous situations, but because I failed to find material for my story, I sat down on a small wall in front of a bakery, trying to catch my breath. In a moment I heard laughter and a familiar sound of the good old Arabic language. On my right side a young man appeared, with a hair bun on his head which made me smile. I spent the next half an hour celebrating Rafiq’s 30th birthday. I celebrated human joy and understanding.
That’s life for you. In the morning, one refugee grabbed my phone out of my bag, and now I was sitting with another one to celebrate his thirties. It’s not all black and white. So, do not let anyone steal your faith in people and humanity. Without it life is bitter.
Rafiq is aware of the delinquent behavior of certain individuals and tries to influence some of them to refrain from such doings. „I know they are exhausted, nervous, sick, and without money, but we won’t achieve anything through a violent approach“, says Rafiq.
He also introduced me to Bandar and Hakim. Bandar comes from, at this moment, most unfortunate country in the world — Yemen — and says that he actually wants to stay in Velika Kladuša and find a job. Currently, he is helping out in a local pastry shop, goes to the town’s mosque for his daily prayers, and walks the streets of Velika Kladuša. He thinks it is a town for a peaceful and decent life.
I also wanted to find out what the locals think, so I approached them on the street and asked whether they were personally involved in any issues with the migrants, as well as who in their opinion should be responsible for resolving this entire situation. As usual, their opinions were divided.
Most of them point out that they were aware of all the troubles refugees encounter and that they were willing to help. Many of them have provided accommodation, distributed food, and showed solidarity with the new residents of Velika Kladuša. However, they add that it is time for things to change, because they are exhausted by this unpredictable situation. They also point that that the local authorities cannot do anything by themselves. The country needs to initiate concrete actions, instead of putting this obligation onto the international organizations and volunteers from Spain.
„Do your job!“ demands Jasmin, one of the people I spoke with, who also called upon his fellow citizens to show more understanding. „A crime committed by a white local resident and the one committed by a dark-colored migrant are not seen the same way. We should not blame the migrants for the negative things that existed in our town even before their arrival“, Jasmin points out.
It seems to me that having understanding is more important than showing kindness. As I wrote before, it is not difficult to do a good deed. Feeding someone who is hungry, smiling to someone feeling down, having a conversation over a cup of coffee… However, in a world where in the same day you almost get robbed and then get invited to share a conversation accompanied by a birthday celebration, it is a true wisdom to avoid making generalizations.
We can hate everyone because of the acts of one individual, but hatred will not solve the problems we face. Hate can only make things worse. Understanding the situation will lead to a solution, and the solution might not be just around the corner or simple, but it does exists. It always exists. In order to fix something you first need to understand how it works. It’s the same with people. And if we know anything about people it’s that all of us in this world are — just passing by.
Author: Edina Čović
Video: Edis Kadrić