The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
John Boyne

Today is the Victory Day in Europe, day when Nazi forces has been defeated. Today I finished book that has something to do with those forces.

This is book for Young Adults and therefore I must admit that the style was a little bit problematic for me. I guess because I’m only an “adult”. It’s very simple, very on the level of the main character but after a while I get used to it and I might say that this naiveness was even charming. Big part of the book is like as if we are waiting something (big) to happens, the main thing but I wouldn’t say the book is boring; again it was charming.
I usually find myself very irritated with the child character who is completely (and impossibly) ignorant about the things around them since it’s usually not convincing at all. But I think he is one nice exception. Bruno is lovely constructed character and his views are very convincing. Occasional sparks from the world of adults are giving reader nice background picture and contrast with readers understandings and Bruno’s ignorance (or misunderstandings) are really lovely. So, indeed Bruno is very likable “young man”.

I will not tell anything about plot (neither will give my rating because I don’t think I’m competent since I’m only “adult”) but instead will type what it says on the back cover, one of the best book blurb I saw:

“The story of “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” is very difficult to describe. Usually we give some clues about the book on the cover, but in this case we think that would spoil the reading of the book. We think it is important that you start to read without knowing what it is about.
If you do start to read this book, you will go on a journey with a nine-year-old boy called Bruno. (Though this isn’t a book for nine-year-olds.) And sooner or later you will arrive with Bruno at a fence . Fences like this exist all over the world. We hope you never have to cross such a fence.”

 

Mister Pip

Mister Pip
Lloyd Jones

“You cannot pretend to read a book. Your eyes will give you away. So will your breathing. A person entranced by a book simply forgets to breathe. The house can catch alight and a reader deep in a book will not look up until the wallpaper is in flames.”

This lovely (and so true) quote is from “Mister Pip”, Winner of the 2007 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and Shortlisted for the 2007 Man Booker Prize written by Mr. Lloyd Jones of New Zealand.

If Pip sounds familiar to you that you’ve probably read “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens and coincidence is surely not accidental. I must admit I’m not in that group as I haven’t read Mr. Dickens’ novel and at first I was afraid that will have an impact on reading (and fully understanding) this novel however I was wrong. I might even shamefully admit that not knowing story of Disken’s Pip was actually advantage so that I could easily jump in the shoes of (barefoot!) Matilda, our 13 year old narrator.

The plot is settled on tropical island Bougainville, Papua New Guinea during civilian war which is approaching to the part of the island where they are. Central character of the novel is a teacher who is named Mr. Watts, Bougainville’s only white resident. As a consequence of the war life on the island’s village is changing and one of the greatest change for our young narrator is that the school is closed since the teacher has left the island. Until one morning Matilda’s mother yelled “Get up Matilda! You’ve got school today!” since Mr. Watts decided to help the village and children by taking the role of the school teacher. At the very beginning he admits that he’s no educated to be a teacher and that there’ll be questions on which he will not be able to give answers but he promises that he’ll do his best to be a good teacher. Since there is no formal education to be had, he improvises the curriculum that comes most easily to him: with “Great Expectations”, which, incidentally, is the greatest novel by the greatest English writer of the nineteenth century, Charles Dickens” and he starts reading one chapter per day feeding children’s hungry imagination and giving them a ticket into another world, so different than the one they live in.

As the students’ interest mounts, so do their parents’ misconceptions. Told of the new importance of a Mr. Dickens on the island, the parents send in requests that Mr. Dickens procure antimalaria tablets, generator fuel, beer, wax candles and so on.

Eventually parents decided to give their contribution to the education of their children. So we can be thought that “trust crabs first and above all others” or “to kill an octopus, bite it above the eyes,” and so on but of course this can’t last forever, especially not on the island where is raging civilian war. Under this circumstance the impact of “Great Expectations” on the life of children (Matilda) is even greater: it gives her a shelter because “Stories have a job to do. They can’t just lie around like lazybone dogs. They have to teach you something.”

And I’m afraid this is the place where book is lessening its impact because the dramatic events weren’t dramatic whatsoever. I don’t know why; maybe that ascetic narration was precisely what Mr. Jones wanted avoiding by it all possible melodramatic elements. However for me it was just too fast and too flat.

As I said the plot is settled on the tropical island in South Pacific but the story is universal, the only local spice might be the stories about crabs and octopuses and when I said that I don’t mean in negative way. Dicken’s novel introduces the life in Victorian England to Matilda, while Jones’ novel introduces me the life on Bougainville during the civil conflicts and I would love that I could say that this is world removed from me as much as Victorian England is removed from Matilda. However I am familiar with the horrors of civilian war and that might be the reason why geography is irrelevant with “Mister Pip”. This is story about life on some remote island, it’s not about broken families and lost of the love ones; it’s not even about horrors of war … “Mister Pip” is “a love song to the power of the imagination and of storytelling. It shows how books can change lives.”

 

TT#28 ~ 9 years after: Air Raid waking alarm

I modified my last post from 24th March into TT post cause I think it should be exposed to wider blogging audience. So here it is:
1. Last night I went in bed with huge smile on my face. It was amazing watching how Serbs Ana Ivanović and Novak Djoković have took titles in Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells! Serbian fans on the stadium wore “NOLE, ANA, JELENA” t-shirts, this time no one has been punished but the banner “Kosovo is Serbia” has been confiscated, on the grounds that the banner was a political statement (I guess “Texas is USA” would be taken in the same way). Novak made a taped speech last month for a rally in Belgrade in which he spoke against Kosovo’s independence.

 

2. “The people who know my past and they understand what I’m saying — my father and my aunt, my uncle all grew up there. They were born in Kosovo and my family used to live there for 30 years. I was there many times. So it kind of touched me in that moment that this was my quest to give support by my country.” said Djoković.

3. Last week, the swimmer Milorad Čavić, who was born in California to Serbian parents, was barred from the European championships after wearing a T-shirt that said “Kosovo is Serbia,” in Cyrillic letters, at the medal ceremony after winning the 50-meter butterfly. “I’m really sad to hear about this. It’s hard because we are athletes and trying to do the best we can on the court and promote our country in the best possible way,” Ivanović said about the Čavić’s case (I wrote about that HERE).

4. And it was fantastic to see those youngsters who have managed to conquer hearts of so many people all around the world.

5. And then this morning I’m turning on my radio expecting to hear news from tennis court I was frozen by the sound of air raid emergency siren! It was horrible flash back and it took me few moments to realize that today is 9^th anniversary of the NATO War of aggression against Serbia.

6. I remember that day I didn’t want to leave my flat in Belgrade naively believed that international law is supreme value and that no one will attack sovereign European country without permission of the Security Council UNO (the only institution which has mandate to bring that decision). Moreover I didn’t believe it’s possible that NATO will broke its own statute which said that alliance will go in military action only if the country, member of the alliance is jeopardized by some third (non member) country. But then I simply didn’t think that international law doesn’t exist if USA wants that.

7. So I decided to leave Belgrade to calm my parents and I remember my shock when I arrived on the main bus station which has been completely covered with people sleeping with their luggage on the floor. It was impossible to reach the counters. My god I never saw anything like this before.

8. Anyhow that evening I was visiting my friend, drinking coffee and chatting about something trivial and in one moment we stopped talking. “Was that detonation?” and soon after that we heard air raid sirens. It was unbelievable.

9. 78 days of bombing killed about 3000 civilians; destroyed infrastructure of the country; helped Milosević’s regime to achieve what he couldn’t for so long: kill free press, put in jail everyone who was publicly expressing different political opinion; put citizens in total misery.

10. Official cause for bombing was massacre in the village of Racak. After bombing UN commission of forensics and pathologists confirmed that there was no massacre. Those bodies were in unnaturally positions in the cloths that don’t match the wounds on the body. It was confirmed what Serbs officials were claim that those are terrorists dressed post mortem in the civilian clothes. Naturally that was irrelevant. Of course now we see the true purpose of NATO aggression: making Kosovo independent.

11.

12. One might think 9 years would be enough for wounds to heal but I don’t think that will ever happen. When I heard sirens this morning I couldn’t pick up myself entire morning. 9 years and yet, as if it was yesterday. No I wasn’t afraid, I wasn’t afraid during the bombing neither. I never went in shelter or something like that. I was in despair and filled with anger and in the same time incapable to do anything. And that state of mind is worse than anything you can imagine. This morning I realized that state of mind is somewhere inside me, waiting to be awaken.

13. If you were me, would you be able to forgive? (is this question makes me a bad person, or at least a bad Christian? If so, I’m wondering where is the limit of human ability to forgive?)

 

If you can’t win them, ban them! Voila!

Euro champ Milorad Čavić, Serbian swimmer has been banned from European Swimming Championship in Eindhoven and became first sportsmen in the history who has been banned from the competition by the LEN because of the issue other than doping.

His ‘crime’ was to wear a t-shirt declaring that ‘Kosovo is Serbia’ (in Serbian language and Cyrillic letters) when on the podium receiving his gold medal for the 50m butterfly, in a European record of 23.11 (beating his own record from semifinal); A letter of protest was received from “an unnamed party” and of course he has to be punished because t-shirt “contained a political message”. LEN officials even said that he violated rules by carrying Serbian flag on podium completely neglecting that organizers didn’t have Serbian flag on medal ceremony and that they have used reversed Russian flag which is not the same as current Serbian.
It is amazing how politics of double standards is applied on every field!

The European swimming governing body (LEN) didn’t do anything after scandal in the final match of European Water polo Championship in Slovenia 2003 when the Serbian players and fans including President Boris Tadić and minister of foreign affairs Goran Svilanović were brutally attacked! They even had to jump in the pool to save their heads. The match was between Serbia and Croatia and since the Serbs were targeted no punishment was necessary.

I’m not person who is thinking about secret conspiracies and I could understand this might sound paranoid but there are simply too much similarities!

Without expressing my political opinion and intention to offend anyone I’m wondering would you react the same if the message was “Free Tibet” or “Flanders is not Belgium” or even “Kosovo is Independent”? Or, since Čavić is Serb born in USA and lives in Florida what if he had won gold for US and wore the same t-shirt? Surely nothing like this would happened.

Lets think if they had to punish him was it necessary so drastically? 7000 euros for Serbian Swimming Organization and official warning wasn’t enough? Or was his potential the main criteria in making this shameful decision? Namely (with best result) he was the main candidate for gold in 100m butterfly; the other discipline was 100m freestyle.

“I’m afraid of the worst,” Čavić told The Associated Press in Thursday. “A suspension is the worst they can do to me. That is the death sentence.” And of course they heard him.

“What is my wearing a shirt going to do to change the minds of the United States, United Nations or European Union,” he said. “This is already a done deal. All I wanted to do was uplift my people. My only role here was to be a leader and transfer positive energy. I didn’t do it to provoke anger, I didn’t do it to provoke violence,” Čavić said. “The country is torn apart and . . . my goal was just to uplift them.”

And you did, Milorad. I’m horribly sorry for the price you are paying and hope you’ll be able to stay focused on Beijing. After this maybe even more!

Good luck and thank you!

 

Happy Anniversary (to the ones who remained)!

Four years ago, on March 17^th 2004 the biggest attack on Serbs since arrival of international UN peacekeeper troops has happened. Attacks on Serbian enclaves and mass destruction of their properties were apparently surprised international forces and their reaction was too late and too weak. During this ethnic cleansing 4000 Serbs have been banned from Kosovo, 19 people lost their lives; 6 towns and 9 villages were completely ethnically cleaned. 800 houses has been destroyed and 35 churches/monasteries and 18 cultural monuments.

“Cause” for this attack was campaign of Albanian media against Serbs who have been accused for death of three Albanian boys who have drowned in the Ibar river. Investigation performed by UNMIK showed that those accusations were false.

March 2004 part 1

March 2004 part 2

Four years later investigation is not over; organizers of the ethnic cleansing are still free. Reconstruction of damaged houses is minor.

And today, on the anniversary KFOR has manifested its power against Serbian clerks in the court of Kosovska Mitrovica. Few days ago Serbian clerks have taken court building demanding to reestablish rule of law; they wanted to go back and start work again. They protested in a front of the court since 21^st Feb and since the officials were deaf they managed to enter in the building last Friday. Of course now is clear why they didn’t have any difficulties then. What have happened today was planned from a start. Of course it was completely unnecessary.

This morning at 5.30 am soldiers were broke windows were the clerks slept, they tied them refusing any talk, took their cell phones and arrested them. I should tell you that those clerks are middle aged people who worked in juridical bureaucracy which means that any force was unnecessary. But of course since they were watching ethnic cleansing four years ago and done nothing KFOR decided to use an extra force today.

Naturally when Serbs in the town found out what is going on in the Court building they surrounded it demanding to let go arrested people.

More than 100 people are injured mostly of shock bombs, tear gas and explosions.

What a proper anniversary! UN forces are forcing democracy indeed; who needs law in the presence of peacekeepers anyway!

 

A Thousand Splendid Suns

About two weeks ago I finished A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. Novel I was so eager to read. In his bestselling debut The Kite Runner the accent is on the relationship between father and son and friendships between men, in this novel relationship between women is in the focus. Moreover Mr. Hosseini is precisely dedicated this novel “to the women of Afghanistan”.

This is a story of two women against the background of the last forty years in Afghanistan. Two women from completely different milieus but almost equally tragic destiny. Of course this can’t be different considering the problems their country has had. We see what means to be a harami (bastard) in the same country but under different circumstances. Either way it’s very hard but sometimes that might be a deadly mark. So from the very beginning we are confronted with the position of women in society where “like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman. Always”.

There is one nice picture of Afghanistan before and then during Taliban rule and period of war against Soviets in between. Therefore we can see how life might be wealthy, the one we are more/less familiar with and not nearly like the images we have when think about nowadays Afghanistan. Namely, second main character is from a wealthy family who is investing in her education and has big planes for her. She has been raised in the “Western” tradition and does not share rigid and traditional Muslim customs. The ones which broke wings of the first woman and the ones which will some twenty years later inevitably knock on her door as well when series of horrifying events will unite destinies of these two women.

Under impossible repressive regime towards women where they must wear burqa, where education is forbidden, where there are no female doctors and male ones can only examine men, where they can’t leave the house without a man … the only salvation is friendship.

Indeed the story sometimes look soap-opera-ish: there is a saintly best friend who commits an act of enormous self-sacrifice to aid the heroine (as in The Kite Runner); romantic twists with sometimes ridiculous description of sexual awakening of young Laila and I’m afraid too many fairy-tale turns as if they were lifted from some B movie. Characters are one-dimensional that they feel like cartoons. Laila is the great beauty, with a doting father and a protective boyfriend — a lucky girl whose luck abruptly runs out. Mariam is the illegitimate daughter of a bitter woman and a disloyal father — an unlucky girl whose luck turns from bad to worse. There is just too many black/white characterizations.

Luckily Mr. Hosseini succeeds in making the emotional reality of Mariam and Laila’s lives tangible to us, and by conjuring their day-to-day routines, he is able to give us a sense of what daily life was like in Kabul — both before and during the harsh reign of the Taliban and for me that was the most valuable thing here.

He was describing Taliban “beard patrols”; despair of women who can’t find hospital where can be treated (or even give a birth); black market where one can buy forbidden things such are TV, music or movies. Very interesting was “Titanic” fewer in 2000 when parts of the town was named after the movie, also toothpaste, deodorant and (imagine this!) burqas! (recently I’ve read memoirs of girl who lived under Taliban regime “My Forbidden Face” by Latifa (pseudonym) and indeed she wrote about the same “Titanic” fewer)

In some weird way this story is very similar with the movie “Titanic”: They are living on the sinking ship desperately relying on clichés: childhood promises are sacred; true love never dies; justice will be done; sisterhood is powerful. Love will save us and sacrifice for love will always be awarded, in this or in afterlife. It’s very fairy-tale-ish, unrealistic and eventually hard-to-put-down-able story.

 

Fighting against windmills while waiting for Godot

I just came back in town after about two weeks of isolation from news. Now I’m supposed to pick up pieces of normality in my life and try to live, right? Oh but that will not be that easy. Namely political situation is just as if it was in the early nineties: economy is in mess, stock market too; inflation is jumping every day; radicalism is awake; people are so furious and angry and (the latest in the line) government fell. What a perfect place to be normal! And all that in only two weeks!

Oh, Europe is constantly saying how Serbia is its friend and how Serbia has its place in European Union. They are willing to help us on every step, of course if we chose Europe. Now after this, I’m afraid we will not chose Europe. Not that I want that, on the contrary but Europe has done everything to provoke rising of blood pressure to every common citizen in Serbia whenever they hear word “Europe”! Oh but the point is that Europe is our friend who wants to help us, right?

Well I’ll try to make the picture about European offer clearer:
Imagine a man who has found a homeless frozen girl on the street and he offers her help. He could put her in one SAFE House (Violence Shelter) where is warm and where she’ll get bed and food and where she’ll be able to stay as long as necessary. And girl of course accepts his offer willingly BUT there’s a catch: since SAFE House is only for victims of violence he must beat her and rape her and after that there’ll be no problem for her to be under protection.

Nice isn’t it? Would you accept that offer? Well that is exactly what Europe is doing to Serbia: constantly is speaking about historical friendship with Serbia and their will to help but … there’s a catch!

And how live normal life? How going to work, study, how not thinking what if phone ring in 3 am and the pissed voice said “let’s throw some bombs there! We’ll find excuse later in the morning”? That wouldn’t be the first time anyway.

I surely try to stop fighting against windmills by reading and commenting posts about Kosovo and history of this region on other blogs. The latest experience with that was Mr. Cheeseburger 9000, guy who is pro Kosovo independence (which is quite legitimate of course) and whose blog I left after I saw his comment about organized atrocities against Serbs and their homes and cultural heritage in March 2004 where he was justifying it. I did “protest” about it and he said that he didn’t mean that but even though that was just too much. Until two weeks ago when I posted my comment about some other issue in which I explained why I think his arguments are unbelievable (among other things he said that since the violation of the law has been committed we shouldn’t mentioning anymore! It’s done so there’s no point insisting on that) and replied about his insults. I’m quite aware my positions and I’m trying to stand with both feet on the ground but I just had to react when I see injustice. Of course I lost and people like Mr. Cheeseburger 9000 have won and I said that in my comment so they can celebrate and be happy toward my despair (I said that as well). I’m not ashamed cause I’m in grief.
But then I guess my comment was just too much for him (I was polite so I’m not sure what was the reason). I guess Mr. Cheeseburger 9000 saw his own reflection in my comment and what he saw wasn’t pretty and so he decided not to publish my comment! Really I couldn’t believe it. It was so immature. And then what’s the point to allow comments at all? To be honest I was surprise cause I didn’t expect that but hey, he has all right to do that. After all it’s his blog.

So as you can see there’s no point fight against windmills. They will understand the message (otherwise he would publish my comment) but even though they will continue to go in the same direction. This kind of people is something I don’t wanna have anything with.

So, normality? It will be very hard. Maybe it would be the easiest to spread the legs, close eyes and try to enjoy thinking about all warmth and food that are waiting in the SAFE House. If you can’t avoid to be raped then at least try to enjoy in sex, right? But then how to look yourself tomorrow? How to bear to see your image in the mirror? That would not be something you can censored from publishing on your blog and keep on living like nothing happened.

 

Sovereign, Sovereigner, Sovereignest, USA

 

I’ve loaned this title from Svetlana of Byzantine Sacred Art Blog because precisely the same gradation was on my mind after reading headlines of the world news agencies about yesterday’s riot in Belgrade against Kosovo independence.

Linking USA policy with hypocrisy is nothing new but statement of the US ambassador in UN Mr. Khalilzad how he is “outraged by the mob attack against US embassy in Belgrade as a sovereign US territory. The government of Serbia has a responsibility under international law to protect diplomatic facilities, particularly embassies.” as a shamelessly clear expression of the politics of double standards really makes you wonder is there any boundary? Your embassy is sovereign US territory and its protection is guaranteed by international law but 15% of territory of the sovereign country, its cultural, historical, spiritual heart is somehow not enough sovereign so that the same international law and its guaranties can be applied to?

Precisely that kind of US politic towards Serbian nation in last almost 15 years has led to this explosion of anger. Indeed few hundreds of Serbian rioters have yesterday night attacked and torched US embassy in Belgrade. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not happy because of that and to be honest I’m not happy because it’s my town (not because it’s US territory). But again don’t get me wrong, I absolutely understand why they have attacked it. We have reminders on that just across the street for almost a decade. In the same street where is US embassy are few enormous buildings in ruins, destroyed by US and their NATO allies during aggression against Serbia.

And if we were thought that all those sufferings were over after the aggression we were so wrong. US government continued to reassures us every day, and we continued to pay the price. We are the only country who extradited its (ex) president (I’m not talking about his moral qualifications now) to express our dedication to democracy and justice and international law but that wasn’t enough. We lost our prime minister who has been assassinated precisely because his dedication toward those same values but again that wasn’t enough. You are taking Kosovo and Metohija from us expecting that we’ll accept that calmly like all those previous payments; that we’ll be silent like a lamb before slaughtering?

Mr. Khalilzad said he will “ask the 15-member Security Council to issue a unanimous statement expressing its outrage, condemning the attack and also reminding Serb government of its responsibility.” And Security Council has precisely done that. The SAME Council that US has avoid to start NATO aggression against Serbia supporting terrorist organization the KLA, turning lives of dozen million into a nightmare, destroying infrastructure, killing so many people! The SAME Council that has been avoided just yesterday in the process of recognizing Kosovo independence, while precisely the Council is the only legitimate institution who has right to do that!

Mr. Khalilzad is mentioning protection of the international law. Which one Mr. Khalilzad? Because apparently there are few international laws depending who’s a judge and who’s sitting in the dock.
“All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others”, right Mr. Khalilzad?

 

Sadly we, the other 500.000 (according to BBC reporters) people on the demonstrations and later on the moleban (Christian liturgy for Kosovo salvation) were not enough interesting news. You can’t expect from us to shut and bear all insults and injustice for years. There is a limit and you have reached it. But then as someone said yesterday:
“We Serbs know how to forgive, if we have whom to forgive”

 

TT#27 ~ Breast-feeding a snake

1. Today I received an e-mail from a friend as his reaction about my previous blog post about Kosovo secession from Serbia. This isn’t nearly easy thing to write and I don’t have clear concept so forgive me if this TT is a little bit chaotic.

2. Few months ago I stopped to post comments on blogs about Kosovo independence after I received more/less same comments. Namely while debating with the authors, on their question what argument Serbia has I was answering “International Law and Charter of the United Nations” and usually reply was “Well yes, but that is only thing you have. What is else?” Oh, I didn’t realize that’s not enough. Of course it wasn’t enough. And why? Because International Law can be changed, depends of the issue because of something I’ll be accused, charged, executed you could be awarded! The only catch is what’s in judges’ interest, right?

3. My friend in his e-mail mentioned democratic values, he even said how his country “tries to promote democracy worldwide”; my comment on that is that he doesn’t realize enormously fortunate fact that he’s not familiar with the methods of achieving this noble goal his country has and how he’s blessed cause he doesn’t know how many faces that “democracy” has, again depends of the issue and the interest.

4. Not only he, everyone is talking about democracy and law and how these two will be the fundament of this newborn country. But somehow everyone is neglecting the fact that this newborn has been conceived precisely by flagrant violation of those fundamental values. As if they said “I was nasty but don’t punish me. Close your eyes just this time and I promise I’ll be good in future” and big players closed their eyes. Or they even turned their back completely. They avoided Security Council UNO, they neglected their own laws, the same scenario they used with NATO aggression on Yugoslavia. Of course this is still the same film so why would methods be different?

5. It’s so disgusting to read statements from international community how “Serbia is a friend, ally in both World War who has scarified so much” (indeed Serbia is a country who suffered the most of all countries in WWI. 33% of entire population or 60% male population of Serbia lost their lives).

There are statements that says that “Serbs are our Christian brothers”; well why don’t you look what you have done to your Christian brothers:

6.

Dozens of churches, monasteries and shrines have been destroyed or damaged since the UN military forces came 1999 in Kosovo, the cradle of Orthodox Christianity in Serbia. The Serbian Orthodox Church lists nearly 150 attacks on holy places, which often involve desecration of altars, vandalism of icons and the ripping of crosses from Church rooftops. 800 houses and 29 Serb Orthodox churches and monasteries - some of them dating to the 14th century — were torched in only few days (these are data from March 2004).

7. 15^th century Devic Monastery:

You can click on these images to see Serbian religious and historical heritage on Kosovo:

8. All this happened despite the presence of UN peacekeeping forces.
And you awarded them with a country. It seems some instances of ethnic cleansing are more acceptable than others.

9. Yes, other friend of mine posted a comment on my previous blog post and she said that “Changes are scary”. Oh indeed but I’m not sure that we think about the same thing. She probably meant on changes here (on local level) but in reality the worst change and the scariest one is on global level: law has been dismissed! Everything is possible now when Pandora’s Box is open. Declaration of independence of Kosovo is a means towards legitimizing the dissolution and breaking up of sovereign states on a global scale. Gosh well known politician and “expert” for Balkan Carl Bildt said “we must preserve at
least a semblance of international law” about recognize this independence. (here I don’t have a comment)

10. Of course many other regions want to declare independence as well but big player said “Kosovo is a unique case”. Oh? Why’s that? Maybe because the biggest US military camp Bondsteel is there and not in Abkhazia or South Ossetia or Nagorno-Karabakh or Taiwan or Palestine or Basque province or Catalonia? You’re not familiar with that camp? Oh just wait, soon you’ll watch braking news from there because 11. the Kosovo declaration of independence was a declaration of dependency and surrender to colonial forces. And I’m not sure if they (Kosovars) realizing that. You should know that Kosovo prime minister was a commander of KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army), drug-smuggling, arms-trafficking terrorist organization which is still active. The KLA was among the first international terrorist groups linked to al Qaeda in the late 1990s. Western intelligence agencies observed its members training at al Qaeda terror camps a decade ago and more. It was listed as a terrorist organization by CIA but in spite that it has been supported by US government.

12. Without any doubts Kosovo would have had greater independence as an autonomous province in an agreement of autonomy with Serbia but the talks between Serbia and Kosovo were never meant to succeed because the US was determined to establish another protectorate in the former Yugoslavia. During last session of negotiations they were stressing that if negotiation failed the only solution will be independence and that they are willing to accept it. Under those circumstances what motivation Kosovo team had for further negotiation? Kosovo leaders just waited deadline to do what they’ve done.

13. And they have transformed their land into a colonial outpost of Anglo-American interest. Under the so-called independence roadmap, NATO and E.U. troops and police officers will formally administer Kosovo. And if you think the KLA will accept that, you don’t have a clue how wrong you are, you’re breast-feeding a snake (we know, we’ve been there, fight against terrorism didn’t wait 9/11).
In God you trust? Well if you’re doing all this in the name of your God then he is not God I believe in but do pray your God that you have enough milk.

P.S.
If you’d like to leave your comment please scroll up!

 

…

I’m looking at my keyboard without any clear idea what to write. However I know I should, I must type something … how I feel … how should I feel?

Today Serbian province Kosovo and Metohija proclaimed independence.

OK I typed that. I’m not surprised, moreover it was something everyone has expected; it was something more than common among daily news and they don’t see anything strange in it. I don’t blame them. Why? Because I find myself in the same state of mind, as if I’m brainwashed. I know as well as they that declaration is flagrant violation of every single international law and agreement; that is giving new hope to numerous secessionist movements around the globe; that is changing geopolitical climate once for all … and even so I don’t feel anything.
But if that’s true why am I crying?

 

Ћирилица…

За месец дана се навршава пет година од убиства Зорана Ђинђића. Након пет година судски процес је (ваљда) окончан али оно у шта не треба сумњати је да се они који су били иза кулиса Зорановог убиства сада налазе испред кулиса. Са Велике Сцене Српског Политичког Театра они нас плаше Европом док ми гласамо и вапимо за променом репертоара. Ми бисмо нешто друго ако може!

И тако пре неко вече добих неколико СМС-ова на свом мобилном телефону а сви кажу “Гледај ХРТ1!”. Било ми је чудно јер ја баш и не гледам ТВ а и кад гледам ретко гледам програме на свом матерњем и блиских му језика. Међутим да сам био код куће ово бих сигурно одгледао. Наиме ХРТ1 (Хрватска Радио Телевизија) и њена “Латиница” су имали тему “Зашто је убијeн Зоран Ђинђић?”, нешто о чему РТС (Радио Телевизија Србије) не говори већ пет година (а и кад нешто каже боље да ћути). И зато се ја захваљујем Anselin80 који је емисију поставио на YouTube. Ја ћу поставити делове емисије овде јер мислим да свако ко није видео (а разуме језик) то треба да учини.

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TT #26 ~ My 1st Blogging Anniversary

1. I really don’t have some bright idea what should I write for this TT. Since it will be the last TT this year it should be something about some important events in 2007. But I’m not sure about that because I usually blogging about them. So it will be one spontaneously written TT about … we’ll see…
2. 13 days ago (Dec 14th) it was my 1st blogging anniversary. I’ve never been fan of diaries; I never wrote one. It was considered as a girlish thing and beside that I wasn’t interested in doing that. I was writing my thoughts from time to time and also kind of short stories I’m very proud of.
3. Then I started to be “active” on the internet and have met lots of great folks with whom I share so many interests. I was thinking about my favourite books and movies and all I could remember was that sense of astonishment after reading/watching it. But then I tried to recall what was all about and I couldn’t. It was frightening. I know what is my favourite book and I could remember the synopsis vaguely which was not nearly satisfying. 4. And that was my main impulse to start writing, and then since I already writing why not make a blog? Without any pretensions to create something big and important just a place where I could put my ramblings. It was quite accidentally and I didn’t think it will be interesting for others to read.

5. But it seems it was interesting Of course posting in TT meme increased visits and I though it might be good idea to write things about Serbia, our customs, life etc precisely in TT. And when you live in Serbia you simply cannot avoid politics. Sadly it is inseparable part of our everyday life. Every peasant knows when is next meeting of Security Council in UNO because it has (again or should I say still) direct impact on our lives. 6. So I started to write about political situation here and especially about some (unknown) facts about Kosovo and Metohija, especially after I heard what people from abroad “knows” about this issue. I tried to stay objective as much a possible. I know this theme was not very popular among TTers; people simply expect to read here about funny things. They usually don’t wanna read huge text about suffering in the country they aren’t even able to locate on the map. And I respect that completely! 7. Well good thing about TT is that you can write about everything so that people are free to say “boooring” and leave the place. I just remembered that my blog was marked as potentially offensive. I think that was because of my text about film Iraq in Fragments (click the link if you wanna see why) and I would lie if I say I’m not glad because of that.

8. Then of course to not completely scare people who visit my TTs I started to write about history and customs in Serbia; about things and people we are so proud of. And it seems that was quite interesting for many … eventually I become proud on my blog so here is post about it! (that’s a joke of course LOL!). Truth is I was enjoying very much in comments you were leaving.

9. And then I received an e-mail from the Serbian Institute for Public Diplomacy in Brussels in which they said something like “Milan you’re doing awesome thing on your blog so I sent an e-mail with the link of your blog on about 100 addresses (to Serbian diaspora and foreign press agencies)” the subject of the mail was “Someone really special”. I really couldn’t believe that and to be honest I was completely frightened! It seems my blog became something not only mine and I’d have to be careful what I’m writing. No you will not see self censorship here, it’s just few drops of responsibility. I guess.

10. Oh yes, it was fabulous surprise to find comments of directors and producers of the movies I wrote about. It happened twice! Have you ever thought they are actually reading reviews of common spectators? Indeed I never thought but I saw I was horribly wrong in the best possible way!

11. But actually the biggest question about my blog, the question all my friends are asking me: “Why on earth you’re not writing in your mother tongue?” and that’s a very good question indeed. I don’t have a clue why; I guess I initially started after reading my friend’s blogs written in English and I didn’t even noticed I’m writing in foreign language. 12. To be honest I’m glad my blog is in English, otherwise I wouldn’t meet such a great people all around the world. It is sometimes hard to express myself in English indeed and I realize I’m making grammar mistakes but frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn!.
That’s the price I’m willing to pay.

13. Thank you all for making this first year very enjoyable. See you next year!

 

TT #25 ~ Serbian winter “fast food”

1. I spoke recently with one of my Spanish professors and she said that one of the strangest thing she saw on the streets of Belgrade is popcorn! Whole world is eating popcorns on the street. 2. When I asked her what’s so strange there, aren’t popcorns common in Spain as well? She said yes people are eating popcorns but not on the streets but in their homes.

3. This evening while I was going back from my class I was observing what people are eating/can buy for eat in the main pedestrian zone in Belgrade and indeed number one are popcorns. On every 100 m there you can buy popcorns!

4. Since it’s winter and quite cold number 2 is roasted chestnuts. Unlike popcorns I LOVE chestnuts. People are roasting it on the street and when you buy it they are so hot but that is the charm: peeling hot, hot chestnuts and then let them melting in your mouth. Beautiful indeed and so winterish. 5. You know couples are often buy two big cartridges of roasted chestnuts and then sit on the bench on the old fort above two big rivers Danube and Sava and feed one another. (6. you can add full moon and stuff like that if you like).

7. Then there is roasted corn. I love that one as well but it leaves traits after eationg so it’s quite handy to care dental floss with yourself. You think that’s crazy (OK I’m crazy but I have dental floss always with me).
8. Ok there is also boiled corn but now it’s not its season.

9. Then there is ђеврек or đevrek it’s round dough with sesame and … I’m not sure but is beautiful! I love it whan it crisp in my mouth.

10. Of course pizza. Is tehre any place where you can’t buy pizza? But difference with us here is (Italians are horrified with that) wa are putting ketchup on pizza! And there are so many variations. During the cold evenings I prefer one with chili peppers.

11. You can’t skip burek. Something we took from Turks and modified it so now there are burkes with meat, cheese, mushrooms, etc. I love it! Or traditionally Serbian Gibanica (Serbian phyllo pastry dish, usually made with Serbian white cheese, less common with other cheeses)

12. And since it’s time of Lent there are fast food adequate for the people who are respecting it. I ate this evening, small breads stuffed with leek for instance. It’s healthy and delicious.

13. So this is the food you can buy on the street and food you will normally eat while walking and chatting with friends or while taking your dog in walk (and share few bites).

P.S.
If you’d like to leave your comment please scroll up!

 

 

In the Country of Men

In the Country of Men
Hisham Matar

In the Country of Men is basically story about life in Libya after the colonel Muammar El Qaddafi’s revolution. The year is 1979 and the narrator is nine years old Suleiman so we see revolution and its consequences through the eyes of nine years old boy. Boy who was much protected from the truth by his parents. It was interesting how some obvious facts (obvious for us, adults) are presented in some naïve language of a kid. We have impression that we are sailing through the sea surrounded with peaks of icebergs. The difference is that we (adults) are aware what’s beneath the surface unlike the child who is telling us the story.

Then there is one nice picture about customs in the Muslim country and again position of woman in it. Suleiman’s mother has been forced into the marriage when her brother saw her in the café with mixed company. Immediately “husband hunt” begins and the Scheherazade-like story. Therefore she was very unhappy with her marriage but in the same time in the husband’s absence she’s even more miserable and becomes “ill”. Her “illness” is another peak of an iceberg and I must say I liked how Matar has described bond between mother and son making her “illness” something sacredly secret.

Suleiman’s family is relatively rich. His father is businessman often on the trip abroad but also man who is part of democratic wing in new Libya. Wing you don’t want to be part in post Revolutionary, Qaddafi’s Libya; full of secret police, man in dark suits and sunglasses, land where national TV is broadcasting public execution of “traitors of the revolution”; where phone lines are tapped, etc. And inevitably consequence for being wrong winged came. But even then it’s a peak of an iceberg.

Matar has done great job in conveying kid’s confusion toward all the events around him. Politics is absolutely incomprehensible to him; he doesn’t have a clue what his father supports or what he actually is doing in spite the fact that some glimpses have been presented accidentally to him. He is confronted with the mechanism of the regime when secret service is following their car or watching his house or taking away his friend’s father but somehow he manages to not recognize that as something bad. He’s explaining that in the most impossible ways. On the other hand his parents aren’t teaching their son anything, they are worsening situation even more and make him confused ‘till the breaking point when he start to scream (finally!):” You always lie. I am not a child and you always lie.” In the meanwhile I was so irritated with the kid and had to (too) often remind myself that he’s only a child.

But what disappointed me the most are last few chapters when we are actually see that the story tells 24 Suleiman and not nine years old boy. I’ve found myself confused why on earth he made this unnecessary contrast with the rest of the novel who has convinced us that the narrator is a boy? The whole novel was through the eyes of a kid, who is not kid anymore and therefore it completely spoils the earlier approach. Now when I know Suleiman is an adult I’d expect story from a point of view of an adult person.

The story itself is nothing new. It’s more/less the same story from a country under oppressive regime. There are only few specifically Libyan spices in this dish.
Indeed this is sad and sometimes poignant story but is that should be enough?

This is part of my Winter Reading Challenge 2008

 

Winter Reading Challange 2008

Yes I know I’ve said I’ll avoid reading challenges since I was so unsuccessful in my previous attempt but I decided to try once again (this time with not so many books).

Kathleen is hosting Winter Reading Challenge 2008. It shouldn’t be too hard: simply you should pick as many as you wanted books and read them from Dec 1st till the Feb 28th

Here is my list:
1. Fear and its Servant by Mirjana Novaković (read review here Dec 5th)
2. In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar (read review here Dec 10th)
3. Götz and Meyer by David Albahari
4. Kapo by Aleksandar Tišma
5. Binu and the Great Wall (Canongate Myths) by Su Tong
6. Peeling the Onion by Günter Grass
7. The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu
8. Goya’s Ghosts by Jean-Claude Carrière and Milos Forman
9. Gould’s Book of Fish by Richard Flanagan (Feb 3rd; didn’t write review)
10. Beltenebros by Antonio Muñoz Molina (Jan 10th; didn’t write review)

OK that would be it. Knowing myself I‘ll probably add some other title just because.
Wish me luck

EDIT TO ADD:
As I thought I had to change the list. I’ve read:
1. The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices by Xinran (read review here (I’m zzz); Feb 4th)
2. My Forbidden Face: Growing Up Under the Taliban by Latifa (read review here (I’m zzz); Feb 16th)
3. Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (Feb 20th; didn’t write review)
4. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (read review here; Feb 28th)