“Where is the horse and the rider? / Where is the horn that was blowing? / They have passed like rain on the mountains, / like wind in the meadow. / The days have gone down in the West, / behind the hills… into Shadow“. Thus spoke Theoden King of Rohan, one of the characters in the conservative masterpiece The Lord of Rings. It is a world renowned book, considered the best of the last century, written by a conservative giant, Master John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. In my country of Albania this jewel of world literature is little known and yet it should be, because we have much to learn from it. It is a story of the resistance of the free peoples of Middle Earth against a tyrant who wants to destroy all the art, culture, cities and places of worship as he subjugates the world and reshapes it into his image.

Lessons from Literature

So, in this novel, brave people who wanted to preserve their kingdoms, nature, history, traditions, culture, art, objects of thousands of decades of life and even those with but a few hundred years, rose even when the odds of winning seemed distant. As his stronghold was being overrun by the countless of hordes of the enemy in the middle of the night King Theodon only wandered despair for a fleeting moment. Then he thought about the riders of old, those that so valiantly made history atop their horses. They are those that now are lost in the shadows of history, but thanks to whom future generations are currently alive in their own countries.

The Attack and Destruction of Albania’s National Theater

I was thinking about this, amid a few tears I have to admit, last Sunday morning, May 17, 2020, a day that will go down in infamy in the history of my country. At 4.30 am, countless police troops, many unidentified, attacked and destroyed the National Theater of Albania, a building deemed to have great historic and artistic value by many Albanian and European institutions. They knowingly risked killing the group of artists and art-loving people that had been protecting the theater for two years, day and night. What ensued as the sun rose on a bloody Sunday, was a day of violence, protests, tears and arrests.

It was a similar description to the one found in the Avanti Ragazzi di Buda song about the Soviets crushing the anti-communist Hungarian rebellion. They did so just as they had crushed the bones of the protesters, while the world stood still and watched. It is a shame that in our modern societies we allow a communist song like Bella Ciao to brainwash millions of people, and yet a song about the valiant quest for freedom is abandoned and forgotten. Nevertheless, Europe can do what it always does: stay still and watch. Watch the suffering of one of its older nations — a suffering it has enabled.

A Symbol of Resistance to Tyranny

Sunday was a day of mourning, no doubt. I had never imagined I and many others would weep for the destruction of a building, as if it were a human being. Yet, as the initial shock wore off, I realized the tears were not for the bricks and columns of the theater itself. They were for the symbol that had been obliterated. A history of actors, drama, tragedy, comedy, directors, producers and so on was buried that morning. However, together with them a symbol of resistance, a yearning for the rule of law, democracy and proper institutions was demolished. Soon, no one will be able to utter a word of protest in a country that has suffered decades of communism and has yet to taste true democracy and republicanism.

Albanian ‘Democracy’?

I want to be honest with my readers. It is first and foremost our own fault as Albanians. Yet, we are such a small country that it appears even fate has been against us and we must surrender before the fatality of life. We were betrayed in 1990, when the world was defeating and condemning the remnants of communism. We forgave those who left us behind and let them rule us under a peculiar system we like to call democracy. It is not. There has never been a real democracy in Albania during the last 30 years.

We have lied to ourselves and the EU has lied to us. It is very difficult to explain to foreigners that have not experienced it themselves exactly what communism does to people. It does not only impoverish, imprison, and destroy a country. It attacks the soul and spirit of individuals. It strips them of their humanity, dignity, individualism and critical thinking. The individual does not exist anymore. He is a part of the communist society and its inhuman collective. He or she becomes simply one more human unit, ordered to perform as the party requests. This happened in Albania and was a process that lasted decades. Finally, the new man was created, who resembled more a robot than a human being. People were ordered to spy on each other, distrust one another and love only the tyrant. The past was erased or deformed in Albania to suit the needs of the Party. There was no culture, no art, no religion apart from what communism allowed.

The Crimes of the Past Still Linger

These crimes against humanity were never punished. If you teach a whole generation that wrongdoing of the greatest monstrosity can go unpunished, then you incentivize more crime. Those that performed the abuses of power are currently holding some of the highest posts in our nation. The EU and the USA have allowed it and protected them. It is fundamental that we restore the notion of criminal punishment first, so that the country can heal.

Curing a population without identity and humanity was impossible to achieve in just 30 years, because the very soul of humans was transformed under communism, creating a Frankenstein’s monster. Divisions and mistrust between the members of our nation run deep. Patriotism and the notion that we have to love our families and our lands were stripped forcibly from many. Naturally, there were those that resisted. However, these people who managed to keep their identities, their personalities and intellectualism were not allowed to be anywhere near the levers of power — even after communism supposedly fell.

Albania Gets a Raw Deal from Europe

Albania is maybe the oldest civilization in Europe, with certainly the oldest language. It has given Europe four Popes, several Emperors and leaders. It has contributed to the European civilization for millennia and has received nothing in return. It currently gives the world famous and valuable artists, doctors, engineers, lawyers, inventors and so on, proving that when left free, the potential for greatness is huge for every Albanian.

However, it is not an exaggeration to say that Europe does not want Albania. It never has. It divided a once big country that ran from the Danube river in the North, until Ioannina in the south. In 1945, Europe abandoned Albania, leaving it in the hands of the Red terror. Now, Europe has deserted it once again. Albania today exists because of the United States of America. Nevertheless, Barack Obama outsourced us in the hands of a foreign self-proclaimed philanthropist.

Albania — and the Balkans in general — are not the focus of the current American administration, as much as it pains me to say. Due to the abandonment by Obama, Albania which was once the most pro-American country on Earth, is losing faith on the world’s biggest democracy. Diplomats who care nothing about us are corrupted by politicians as soon as they get off the planes. Just as politicians collude with themselves against their sovereign. A small group of people is holding hostage an entire country. The world allows it because it has decided stability in the region is enough, while democracy is overrated. Yet, with their shortsightedness, they do not see that there will never be stability without the rule of law and strong institutions. A strong and democratic Albania, leads to a strong and peaceful Balkans, and as a result, a strong Europe.

Poverty as a Tool of Political Oppression

Inside the country, most Albanians are still traumatized by fifty years of torture and de-humanization. The victims of communism never saw their killers face justice. People have been impoverished on purpose, because the poorer a person is, the less likely he is to rise against his abusers. They have been indoctrinated, divided into political camps and currently stand without civil society, with a corrupt media, an allegedly bought and paid for opposition which does not inspire faith and at the very least is incompetent, and an authoritarian regime. Every night many TV programs serve only the goal of furthering the brainwash of the citizens.

Albanians have been unable to educate themselves properly, because no one has allowed them to. In fact, governments have encouraged Albanians to simply stay in a vegetative state in their cafes and bars and discuss anything but the fate of their lives, leading slowly to the creation of an apathetic society. Meritocracy was never allowed to take roots from 1945 to today. Moreover, there have never been strong and true institutions that would outlive politicians. It truly is the most peculiar and hurt country on Earth. So much potential, so many plunderers and so little luck for its citizens.

There is Still Hope

No help from the outside and no prospective of sustainable inside protest make the future seem bleak and hopeless. Yet, there is hope. It is not the strength of the body, as Tolkien would say, but the strength of the spirit and we must remember that even the smallest person can change the course of history. The signal comes from the United States. Each and everyone of us can make a difference by going through a national reawakening. We must restore our personal identities. We must learn to think in a critical way. Reason and logic are powerful weapons.

We must resuscitate our national identities and the sense of patriotism. Most importantly, we must remember our history, traditions and culture, in the face of those who seek to destroy them, so that we can live, study and work in our own country just like the rest of the world. We need to move forward so that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past; so that our youth is not ruined and forever damaged by terror, fear and tears; so that our future generations live with the same standards as their peers of the West; and so that the sacrifices our grandparents and parents, their sufferings and pain are not in vain.

Better Politics — Not Less Politics

Politics is not a dirty word. It has been soiled by those who want to privatize it. We need more fair politics. And that is achieved by everyone becoming more involved. Being indifferent is a trait we should erase. As in every market, competition leads to the top product. That is what has been missing in Albania — competition of ideas and political groups which compete honestly and fairly. In truth, Albania lacks a conservative force to contrast the existing forces and to defend national identity and freedom.

Conservatism is important because it is connected to human nature. It shows us that we have to love and conserve the land we are born into, because we simply have no other. By building a connection with the land, we manage to learn and understand its history and traditions. It is in the human nature to attach oneself to things. It is a longing that everyone has. This attachment is the strongest motivation to defend the land, as one defends his home or neighborhood. It becomes part of ourselves. That is what people in Albania have forgotten. And to succeed in getting their freedom of expression, of thinking, of working, of investing, of building, of preserving, that is what they must remember.

We also do not know how to vote. Because we do not know yet, how to value candidates during a campaign. Often, oppositive stances are chosen instead of proactive values and principles. This has harmed us.

Albania Needs Justice

We must built a society based on the punishment of crime through fair laws and the reward of hard work, meritocracy instead of nepotism. We must know the value of earning. Earning a job, earning a degree and earning democracy. A country whose achievements are not earned but given, will never know the value of keeping those achievements and will not fight to protect them.

The destruction of a nation is not simply done through the invasion of armies. In many cases it happens little by little, with the demolition of art, of theaters, of history and traditions. That is why the destruction of even a small building can cause so much pain. By eliminating the history of a country or an individual, you obliterate their future. Any talks and discussions we make about the economy are futile, if we lose our identities. Someone who knows who he is, where he comes from, what he stands for and what he loves, also discovers where he wants to go and how to save the things he loves. By remembering to love our families, communities, history, and by being proud of who we are, we can finally built a country.

Heeding the American Example

The United States proved that it is possible to reclaim a former glory through individual responsibility, patriotism, history, tradition and meritocracy, which in turn enable the members of a society to be invested highly enough that they have an incentive to revive the economy. Why would someone protect a country so disfigured that he cannot related to it? Why get up and protest for the well-being of a country that you do not recognize because it has been robbed of its past? Why would someone whose hope and dreams have been stripped away and substituted with famine get up to defend the national resources that are being stolen? We must understand that these are the major questions of our time. It is a discussion of global proportion. The US serves as a model proving that the future lies on this path.

For us this is not a mere option. This is the only path forward. Albania stands at a crossroads. Either it will awaken its identity, perform a total restart of its society, give power back to the sovereign and have a chance of success or risk becoming a ghost in Europe. It will be a modern lost city of Atlantis that nobody will remember. Even Atlantis, as the legend says, had its marvelous technology. We will have nothing. What fate is there worse than being sent into oblivion, forgotten for the rest of time?

Albanians Must Preserve Their Identity

The fault will have been our own, by allowing our identity to be stripped away. I understand that someone who is poor is more interested in the food they will be able to get for the day. These thirty years they have learned that as long as they obey, they will get that daily piece of bread. But, oh, what sense of liberation must be to imagine having a free will! Once someone gets that in their head, it is difficult to take it out. Reawakening our identities and sense of individual responsibilities is the first step. Building strong institutions that will be able to protect this identity and the rule of law must follow. Afterwards, economic strength will ensue through small governments, fair and free markets, saving, investing, low taxes and so on. Yet, it is impossible to reach that without learning to conserve and restore what makes us and where we come from.

It is a dangerous business to step out of the door, for sure. You step into the road and if you do not know your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to. Yet, it is fundamental that we step out of the door and show that our country and our citizens are still alive and will go and meet the European citizens one day as peers and not as vassals.

The EU has lost its way. We need to find ours, and perhaps one day we shall meet as equals with a fair Europe of Nations.

In the end, it may be a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. How soon and in what shape the fair country of Albania will be in days to come depends upon its own citizens.

L'articolo The Lost Nation of Albania – There is a Path Forward proviene da InsideOver.

In a somber tone, Boris Johnson warned the British people of the tragedy to come. Many more would lose their loved ones, he said. Many more would die. The date was March 12, 2020. It was a whole two months after the UK registered its first case. On that same day, Slovakia went into lockdown six days after its first registered case. The Czech Republic, Poland, Croatia, and Slovenia – all having recently registered their first cases – followed Slovakia’s lead. While Western European countries dragged their feet, Central Europe acted. Quarantines, border closures, curfews – nationwide lockdown.

Not All Lockdowns Were Created Equal

Since then nearly every other European country has done the same. But not all lockdowns have been equal. As of April 23, the UK has over 270 Coronavirus deaths per million people. France 320, Italy 415, and Spain 464. Between these four countries, thousands still die every day. Meanwhile in Slovakia, less than 3 people have died per million citizens. Of the remaining Central European countries mentioned, Slovenia has the highest death rate with 38. Why have deaths for Western European countries been a whole order of magnitude higher than they have been for their less developed Central and Eastern European neighbors?

Explaining Western Europe’s Crisis

Plenty of explanations have been provided by astute Western commentators. The BCG vaccine, lack of tourism, under-reporting. Even Communism has been offered as an explanation. These dubious proposals miss a glaringly obvious observation. Far from being some wildly successful Central European experiment in need of explanation, these countries simply followed the lead of those who knew best – Asian countries.

Asia experienced SARS in the early 2000s, and then the novel coronavirus before the rest of the world in 2020. They were better prepared, and implemented quicker and more effective responses than anyone else. There was no need to experiment. Asia’s experience was there for all to follow. Small Central European states looked to China’s example and went into “Wuhan-style” lockdown as quickly as they could. Relative to the spread of the virus, Central Europe acted far, far quicker than Western Europe.

It Can’t Happen Here? Wrong

The true experiments, meanwhile, have been in Western European countries. Most notably Britain, the Netherlands, and Sweden whose strategies are based on untested theoretical models which rely on unproven behavioral theories and have led them to either delay proven measures or not implement them at all. But even those Western countries not experimenting were crippled by thoughts of “it can’t happen here”, and failed to acknowledge the spread of the virus even long after it had begun. For weeks they patted themselves on the back for preserving democratic liberties as COVID-19 spread undetected. When it became clear how much they had misjudged the situation and they finally locked down, it was too late.

Complacency is Deadly

There is no excuse that can make up for the complacency that poisoned Europe. The strongest explanation for the prolonged inaction and denial is the deeply engrained sense of superiority that pervades in Western Europe to this day. The generation that leads Europe grew up in a wealthy and modern continent looking down on a China they saw as a poor and dirty country far away on the other side of the world. Now China is more modern than Europe and sits firmly at the heart of the most globalized world in history. Yet it seems like those two old perceptions of China blinded Europe not just to the threats posed by the virus, but to its proven responses too.

Besides lockdowns and contact tracing, the most symbolic of these responses is the face mask. Common in East Asia since SARS, many countries in the region have insisted the mass wearing of face masks is essential to stopping the spread of coronavirus. The WHO disagrees, but Central Europe has followed the lead of Asia, not the WHO. In late March, the Czech Republic and Slovakia made use of face masks in public mandatory. And, in what may become one of the era’s most iconic images, Slovakia’s President wore an elegant matching face mask as she swore in the new government. It was an early symbol of the new world to come.

What About Germany’s Relative Success in Battling COVID-19?

Central Europe’s largest and richest country – conspicuously omitted until now – has perhaps been the biggest coronavirus success story of all. Germany is the EU’s most populous country but boasts a surprisingly low death rate at 64 per million, despite having the fourth most recorded cases in the world. This is thanks to a South Korean inspired model – mass testing and tracing of infected people’s contacts. So-called ‘test and trace’.

Though Germany’s decentralized government means individual states implement measures at different points and to varying degrees, the overall strategy from the beginning has been one inspired by the East Asian experience. Now Germany is even relaxing its lockdown, but not without a further measure – face masks. Like its Czech and Austrian neighbors, and against the advice of the WHO, German states are demanding citizens wear face masks in public. And joining Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria are loosening up restrictions too. Central Europe — late to the pandemic — is slowly becoming the first to overcome it.

Post-Lockdown Means Social Distancing, Face Masks and Closed Borders

While the UK, Spain, and others in Western Europe still debate what emerging from lockdown will look like, Central Europe is already there. Social distancing, face masks, and closed borders. With idealism stripped back and replaced by pandemic realities, a new normal is developing in the heart of Europe. One that is built to last.

History books will not be writing about a great Central European experiment because there was none. With no other model to follow, Central Europe quickly looked to implement what had succeeded in East Asia. For the smaller, less well-off states it meant lockdowns and homemade face masks. For the larger and wealthier, mass testing and contact tracing. Either way, the result is the same. Thousands of deaths avoided, and probably a more stable long-term equilibrium.

History may not be so kind to Western European leaders. With greater means they achieved far less and with the consequences of the virus clear they waited too long to act. Some eventually realized their mistakes and belatedly began to implement necessary measures, while others have turned their countries into nationwide social experiments. And again, the result is the same. Tens of thousands of entirely avoidable deaths. Central Europe listened to Asia. Western Europe did not — and it is suffering the consequences.

L'articolo Central Europe Listened to Asia, Western Europe Didn’t proviene da InsideOver.

This Orthodox Easter inds most of the Greeks celebrating at home, as a lockdown is still imposed across the country. The Greek Government acted promptly and taken all the necessary countermeasures shortly after the first COVID-19 case was reported in the country.

Greece’s Fight with COVID-19

So far, the numbers of cases and COVID-19 related fatalities in Greece are rather encouraging; but this fact has been rather over-emphasized on purpose by numerous – local and international – media. There is a tendency to compare the Greek facts and figures to some of the Western European countries, mostly affected by the virus.

After examining data from other European countries, it will be explained why the aforementioned approach is probably biased and in which context a comparison would be accurate. In our analysis, we will use information from the Johns Hopkins University database, utilizing the numbers of deaths per 100k of population in a country. In that way, we will ascertain there is proportionality in our findings, as opposed to comparing the absolute number of confirmed deaths, which some reports have used. Also, we will avoid the fallacy of comparing the number of confirmed cases, as there are countries where COVID-19 incidents are substantially under-reported due to the remarkably low number of the tests conducted; Greece is one of these countries.

Greece compared to the Western EU Countries

The main narrative adopted in the reports talking about the “Greek success story” has been fundamentally based upon the fact that the Greek state, a perceived “pariah” among Eurozone until recently, due to the decade-long economic crisis of the country, has managed to handle the Covid-19 outbreak much more proactively and efficiently than other EU member states. This inappropriate analogy could be interpreted only as politically biased. Charts of the following logic have been used in several cases, and the results seem surprisingly good for Greece.

According to the above dataset, Athens has undoubtedly achieved the impossible. The timely governmental measures mitigated the crisis, proving that Greece outpaced all the hyperdeveloped and prosperous EU counterparts. We should note here that the data utilized, presents the Covid-19 related deaths in absolute numbers.

Greece compared to the Balkans and Central-Eastern European Countries

Now taking our comparison to the wider area, where Greece belongs geographically, we can see a remarkable differentiation. This time we have used the confirmed death cases as an one death per 100 k of population ratio, which provides a much more accurate estimation of the real figures as opposed to the absolute number of deaths per country. Utilizing the following graph we can see that the impression is diametrically changed, with Greece in this case, moving between average levels. Athens has reported almost 1 death per 100k people, with most countries ranging from 0.5 to 2 deaths per 100 thousand of population.

The Eastern-Western Europe Context and the case of Italy

From the previous graph, we can understand that the most appropriate comparison should be made among countries with similar characteristics in terms of geographical location – and some additional factors that will be examined later. Any given impartial and precise assessment should fit in an Eastern-Western Europe context instead of comparing a specific country in Balkans, like Greece to a country in North-Western Europe, like the Netherlands.

Taking the assumption of the geographical significance further, it would be worth looking into the case Italy. Italy, the first European country where Covid-19 noted such a sharp and violent increase in incidents, with a worryingly high mortality rate, presents a unique example of the correlation between the virus and the location. While the northern areas of the country have been reporting over the last weeks a tremendous number of incidents and deaths, the things are significantly different as we are moving southwards and eastwards.  The numbers in Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont and Veneto have been really disheartening. The figures are notably lower in Lazio and Campania, while the cases in Basilicata and Calabria are just a fraction compared to the North.

Factors explaining the divergence and the BCG vaccine

So far there have been some factors indicating why the number of cases and deaths related to Covid-19 differ substantially from region to region. Apparently, there is evidence that the extent and the fatalities in a country are related to the median age of the population. Scientific research has proven that the elderly are significantly more vulnerable to the virus, indicating that countries with ageing populations are more likely to report a higher number of cases and fatalities. According to the data available so far there could also be a correlation between the temperature of a country and the rate Covid-19 is spreading. Even though there is no substantial evidence about this yet, there are assumptions that the warmer a country is the more difficult for the virus to spread.

There is also a notable difference between the capabilities of the National Health services across Central-Eastern European countries and the Balkans compared to Western Europe. With overloaded hospitals and shortages in health equipment supplies being two of the most concerning risk factors for Covid-19 fatalities, the aforementioned regions have been more careful with regards to the timing of imposing the Covid-19 restrictions. Countries with weaker public health infrastructure have adopted stricter measures faster, in order to prevent the potential collapse of the National Health System capacity; a strategy which proved to be quite fruitful.

Last but not least, there have been some claims about the possible correlation between the BCG vaccine and Covid-19 transmission. BCG is the vaccine used against tuberculosis and there are thoughts that it could be effective against Covid-19. Even though there is no evidence yet and WHO indicates that people should not use the vaccine as a measure against the virus, the ongoing trials testing the BCG effects, indicate that some of those claims could be founded. And if this is the case, then we might have an explanation about the discrepancy of incidents and fatalities from country to country in the region under question; this vaccine has been mandatory for most of the Balkans and Eastern European countries over the last decades. To the contrary, the most affected countries including Scandinavia, Italy and the UK (and even the US) have either given up the mandatory policy for the vaccine several years ago or simply never had such a policy in place.

Bottom Line

A comparison of Covid-19 cases without considering the substantial factors potentially affecting their number could be misleading. The following example indicates how real figures and data could be used in a way to easily manipulate public opinion; especially in an era that the vast majority of the audience prefer a visualized set of data to a thorough scientific paper – regardless of how accurate the findings are in either case. According to the graph, countries with a remarkably small population size are seemingly in a much worse position than China and Iran, an obviously misleading claim.

Greece has indeed addressed the Covid-19 challenge promptly and taken a series of countermeasures to limit the scope of the virus in the country. But trying to overstress the effectiveness of the measures by comparing Greece with the most affected countries across Western Europe -or even the US- is not only pointless but also deceptive. At this critical moment, journalism should stick to the facts, seeking to inform the public responsibly and accurately, leaving aside biases and politics.

L'articolo The Geographical Significance of COVID-19 and the Politics of Data Manipulation proviene da InsideOver.

Bosnia, spring 1992.

The thunder of cannon and mortar shots could not be heard yet. Voices, that’s what you could hear. The voices of Serbs getting ready to flee, building trenches. And then the roaring laughter of Muslim Bosnians. At the dawn of conflict, it seemed like there could be nothing more ridiculous. And yet, on the eastern border, delineated by the green waters of the Drina, darkness had already engulfed humanity.

It was not by chance.

Borders are like bridges; they mark a territory and connect it to another. For centuries, the Drina valley had cradled that fascinating mix of people narrated by the Nobel laureate Ivo Andric:

It was on these paths, which the wind sweeps and the rain washes, which the sun infects and disinfects, where you meet only exhausted livestock and silent people with hard faces, it was on these paths that I founded my dream about the riches and beauty of the world (Ivo Andric, Paths)

In order to destroy the Other, the connection needed to be blown up. And so it was that the Drina was tainted red. Around it, Bosnia continued to dance to the flagrant rhythm of the fanfares, unknowing that it was about to be shrouded in a long night.

Twenty-six years later, that frontier no longer exists. There is a threshold; a line of attack which transforms the Other into the enemy, whom one needs to defend oneself from. And along the threshold lie the shreds of a past that everyone ignores. Out of convenience and of fear, out of resentment and of shame. A ghostly land, cleansed by fire and sword, under the Serbian fist, through rape and massacres. A land, black as death, and white as a stele. Nothing smells of life any longer.

A white inscription stands out over a field in Mravinjac. Tito. Four letters which hide ten more behind them: Yugoslavia. The hybrid monster created by the unaligned Marshal reduced to ashes upon his death.

Ivo Saglietti, Bosnia, Border with Croatia, 2018

Foča, Zelengora Hotel. “You will give birth only to Serbian children, There will no longer be any trace of Muslims.” Dragoljub Kunarac, Serbian general, to witness number 48 after having raped her in a hotel room together with a comrade. Houses, gyms, hotels were set up as camps for sexual violence against women and girls. Some were killed, others committed suicide. For the first time in history, the International Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia recognized systematic rape as a crime against humanity. When the sentence was read, the accused shook their heads, incredulous.

Visegrad. Mehmed Paša Solokovic bridge looms majestically over the Drina as it has done for almost 500 years. It used to be the most powerful image of Bosnia, the point of conjunction between East and West. From the bridge which Andric wrote about, thousands of men were thrown, guilty of being Muslims. So many were thrown all together, that the director of the Bajna Bašta dam begged those responsible to “slow down the flow of bodies floating along the river as they jam the dam turbines.”

Stretches of white steles are reflected in that water cemetery by the name of Drina. Men, women, children. All belonging to the same religion: Muslims. The same year of death: 1992.

Along the road leading to Zvornik. Orthodox churches and the carcasses of hanging pigs. The war was won by them, those who marked the Serbian territory with the blood of the Others.

Bijeljina, a city in north-eastern Bosnia, on the border with Serbia. At the outbreak of the conflict, it fell into the hands of the Tigers of Arkan. They put up no resistance. Nearby, in Batkovic, the first concentration camp of that long war was built. Now, the Serbian flag is hoisted triumphantly over Bijeljina.

Last stop Velika Kladusa

Twenty-seven years later, another border becomes a threshold. It is the one between north-western Bosnia and Croatia, between migrants and Europe. In this shred of earth, migrants swarm like bees to every corner of the city. Syrians, Kurds, Afghans. Pakistanis. It is impossible to enter Croatia from Serbia, even more so from Hungary. So, in just a few months, thousands of migrants trapped in the Balkans have poured in here. Flight is an unwitting dance across a carpet of land mines, a challenge to wolves, the cold, and police violence.

At Dom Borici in Bihac, the tragedies of the past are entwined with those of the present. The former student residence, damaged during the war in the nineties, shelters hundreds of refugees. Inside, amassed tents, clothes hanging, no electricity, no running water. Outside, volunteers and Red Cross workers distribute food, clothes, sleeping bags. The days go by slowly, between one escape attempt and another. They call it the game. Go, try, return to the starting point. Keep trying until you reach the other side.

In their shoes. Rain and sun, snow and wind. Trails, roads, woods, plains. And hope and despair. Suffering and illusions. The journey of migrants towards the promised land, a Europe that sees nothing and does not listen.

Ivo Saglietti, Drina River, Bosnia, Border with Serbia, 2018

The story of the wolf-rat comes to mind. Marina Abramovic recounted it in Balkan Baroque. Rats protect each other, a Belgrade rat-catcher told her, so in order to get rid of them you have to create a wolf-rat. Take some rats and put them in a cage, without food. Out of hunger they will start tearing each other apart until there is only one left. Let him go hungry for a while and before he dies, gouge out his eyes and release him. Only then will the wolf-rat tear apart all the other rats it encounters on its path.

Velika Kladusa, the new jungle of Europe. The smell of mud, dust and latrines. On rainy days, the tent city looks like an immense, inhuman puddle. Just a couple of kilometres from the border. It is the last, violent mile. The Croatian police are before their eyes: abuse, theft, broken cell phones, indiscriminate rejections.

Ivo Saglietti, 2018

Yet sometimes, the human lives on amid the inhuman. The human has the face of Ona, a young woman from Luxembourg who, armed with a broom, tries to restore dignity to the refugee camp. Or the faces of Hasan, a Bosnian, and Petra, an Austrian, who heal small wounds in a makeshift emergency room. And again the face of Vlatan, the owner of a restaurant at Velika Kladusa who provides hot meals – three hundred, four hundred a day – to the refugees. Blankets and clothing, hot tea and canned food to survive the long march to Europe.

When there is suffering and war in a country, the refugees flock to its borders, sleep in wagons and live by their wits, temporary beings who can be sent back or who dream of going elsewhere, though their destiny is to remain border refugees for the rest of their lives (Franco Cassano – Il pensiero meridiano)

L'articolo At dawn, the long night proviene da InsideOver.