The hope of Shutka – Skopje – Macedonia

During four weeks, from August to early September, I visited many projects in the Balkan countries. I started to study the Balkan countries four months ago. As many readers of my blog know, during my graduation in Law, I presented a thesis about the refugee children in Africa. Two years later, I was invited to publish it in a book.

Until the publication of my book in Brazil, no one knew anything about the laws that protect refugee children. Nobody knew anything about the real suffering of a refugee child in Africa. During fours years, I´ve written about their lives. I´ve shown photos, testemonials and I was writing my second book when I received a message from University Studies of Sweden that I was admitted in a Master´s degree in International HUmanitarian Actions. That´s bullshit, a joke(since I can not accept to study a subject and leave the University with a strange award under my arms…)After the comunication, I started to prepare myself to write a new thesis, about refugee children in the Balkan countries. An Africa in the European Continent.

My life changed a lot after the admission to a Master Programme. I left my work, abandoned the idea of my second book and I began to study the Balkan countries rehabilitation. I arrived in Macedonia in a very warm afternoon, 43 degrees Celsius. The first vision of Skopje, its Capital, was given me by the famous castle. Some hours later, the castle was iluminated but I wasn´t worried with it. I was with my mind full of expectations about the community of SHUTKA. Many questions on my mind: How do the children will say WELCOME, GRACE? HOW DO THEY LIVE? WILL THEY TREAT ME LIKE THE REFUGEES IN AFRICA? What could I expect from those who live in a place called SHUTKA? Do you know what it´s mean? “garbage”, a place where nobody wants to live. Some friends who have visited the place, adviced me to take care of me. In fact, I wasn´t worried at all. After I´ve visited 7 refugee centers in Afríca, favelas in Central America, Rio de Janeiro and Northeast Brazil…not…I was not. SHUTKA: an area located in the countryside of Skopje, the Capital of Macedonia, where live 45.000 refugees and most of them are gypsies. An interesting place for an ANTROPHOLOGY RESEARCH after I´ve read the book “Can there be an Anthropology of Children?” HARDMAN,CHARLOTTE .

90% of those who live there are unemployers. They fight strong and daily for a better living. I entered into the community by the hands of CONVOY OF HOPE EUROPE, a serious organisation based in Belgium. CONVOY OF HOPE works together with local church and it´s attempting to help children go to school by providing a free meal every day. The objective of CONVOY OF HOPE is to see a minimum of 6 studentes graduate a year from high school and, consequentely, CONVOY OF HOPE has a dream: see some of those students graduate from university. Is it a dream? Of course that it is…But we can´t abandone our dreams…does not matter if a chaos was installed in our life…I learned by myself that today, the life can be full of sadness but tomorrow the sun will rise. If you want to addopt a community, contact CONVOY OF HOPE.

I did not decide YET what I´ll do what´s left of my dreams…after I given up the Master´s degree. At the moment, I´m touching the hands of my husband, friends and my family and ask them for help. This morning, I woked up and asked to my husband: HOW CAN I GO ON IF I´VE LOST MY HOPE? He answered me: TAKE YOUR TIME. DEEP BREATH. YOU CAN´T LOSE THE HOPE IF HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN ARE WAITING FOR YOU IN SHUTKA AND MOZAMBIQUE…PERHAPS, YOU SHOULD GIVE UP YOUR DREAMS, FOR A WHILE…ONLY WHILE YOU RECOVER YOUR ENERGY!

The hope of Shutka - Skopje - Macedonia

Desemprego e pobreza sao evidentes. Criancas descalcas, doentes, e a falta de higiene imperam a céu aberto. Uma vez dentro de Shutka, fica difícil de entender de como aquele povo foi parar ali. Apenas, na Macedônia, os ciganos têm um poder evidente…E na Capital da Macedonia, todos se surpreendem quando você fala que, está ali, para visitar aquela comunidade. Uma comunidade que nao é muito diferente de muitas comunidades pobres na África, Brazil, América Central. Os ciganos, como um povo desconfiado, demora para abrir a guarda, a casa, e a vida deles aos estranhos. Mas, eu devo confessar que eu nao tive dificuldade nenhuma, uma vez que, parte da familia da minha mae tem raizes plantadas no povo cigano. na verdade, eu tenho uma alma muito voltada para uma liberdade que nao se explica, facilmente. Por incrível que pareca, no meu segundo dia em Shutka, eu estava sentada na casa de uma família, tomando café forte, quando a matriarca me perguntou o que eu queria comer naquele dia. Eu fiquei surpresa…por que, naquela casa paupérrima, nao me parecia ter alguma comida para me dar. Eu nao estava, ali, para comer. Eu estava , ali, para entender…COMO, DENTRO DO CONTINENTE RICO DA EUROPA, UM POVO VIVE À MERCÊ DA PRÓPRIA SORTE…E NAO MUITO DIFERENTE DE COMUNIDADES AFRICANAS…

Apesar de todas as desgracas que eles vivam, as raizes e costumes sao preservados. O povo cigano, tao discriminado, tenta, a todo custo, preservar o que restou de si mesmo. Quando eu leio que governos europeus querem proibir costumes tao arraigados em milenios de historias de vida, comeco a me preocupar, no que esse mundo vai se transformar. Um dia chegará em que, nós, vamos impor nossos costumes e vamos, de forma mais descaradas, esquecer da Antropologia e entrarmos, todos, em um mundo devassado pela capacidade que, apenas o ser humano tem de destruir um outro igual a ele.
O mundo precisa, urgentemente, de compaixao, de entender o que se passa na cabeca do outro. Por quê o outro chora? O que podemos fazer para dirimir tanta dor? Eu entro, hoje, numa fase contraditória de vida. Me vejo a me perguntar, novamente, PARA ONDE EU VOU? COMO PODEREI AJUDAR PESSOAS SE, EU MESMA, NAO ENCONTRO REMEDIOS CAPAZES DE CURAR AS MINHAS PRÓPRIAS FERIDAS? No momento, venho me apoiando no marido, familia, amigos. As lágrimas ainda nao cessaram mas o jogo da vida nao pode parar. Preciso seguir o conselho do marido e respirar fundo. Apenas, enquanto eu me recupero e parto, novamente, para a luta. Por que, para mim, NUNCA NADA FOI FÁCIL.