You don’t notice anything of the protests on the banks of the Sava. The river flows calmly as always. The winter sun shines gently through a light haze. And in the silence of the coworking space xteam, I concentrate on working on my texts. That’s the reason why I came here.
Here, on the outskirts of the city, the protests only take place in the media. There, however, the topic is omnipresent (over 200.000 people on the streets). I’ve already heard about it in Switzerland. But it’s difficult for me to grasp the scope of the events. What is the significance of what is happening? It doesn’t become clearer when writing poetry by the Sava river.
In the evening, I’m visiting relatives. I already know that Zlatko, the father, is fed up with these protests. I’ve seen posts from him. I can’t just ignore the elephant in the room. But I don’t like arguing either. After all, I am only a guest – at my relative’s in particular and in the country in general. As such, it’s not my place to interfere in things that don’t concern me. It is a matter of tact and courtesy.
At least, that’s what I tell myself. I’m just making up these arguments. I’m hiding behind my ignorance. It’s not about courtesy. It’s actually about cowardice and fear.
When I get to my hosts, the subject falls on my feet, so to speak. The children have not been to school. Their schools are on strike and have been for weeks. I didn’t know that. I thought it was only the universities that were affected. I don’t even have to play ignorant; I am.
Zlatko takes the opportunity to explain things to me – in his way, of course. He talks about a lack of responsibility, about chaos. The older son has to take his exams for college. How is he supposed to prepare when school is closed? And what to do with the children all day while the school is on lockdown?
“The whole country is on lockdown and has been for decades”, says Ana, the mother. Zlato disagrees: “You’re doing the country an injustice. The economy is growing, wages are rising.” “Not as much as prices”, says Ana.
Zlatko is convinced that these protests are controlled from abroad. He speaks a lot and quickly. I don’t understand half of it because I’ve let my Serbian slip recently. The other half, which I do understand, makes the usual arguments: The protests are provoked by NGOs, financed by the billionaire Soros. Europe, NATO, and the West in general are behind it.
I have no desire to contradict Zlatko. What do I know about Soros’ billions? Three times nothing. But I know the tune well enough. And in this old tune, arguments don’t matter anyway.
“Enough with politics,” says Ana. We sit down at a table full of soup, grilled meat, onions, sauces, dessert, juice, beer, and wine. It’s not the Swiss neutrality that saves me, but their hospitality. After all, we are family.
The next day I went to the city centre. At noon, the demonstrators outside the university remain silent for 15 minutes – one for each victim. And I think: that’s a worthy gesture in the current situation: deafening silence.
Author: Andreas Pfister
English translation: deepL
Writer. Blogger. Traveler. Researcher. Electronic Music Lover.
