Zlovešča dramaturgija balkanske poti

Meje na Balkanu trenutno kažejo precej drugačno podobo kot še nedavno. Namesto blokiranih meja, samoorganiziranih begunskih kampov na železniških postajah in ob mejah ter občasnega policijskega nasilja, so meje trenutno pretočne, poročil o nasilju pa praktično ni. Res je sicer, da Madžarska za domače potrebe še vedno igra predstavo “do zob oboroženi varuh šengenske meje”, toda hkrati skozi državo v popolnem sodelovanju s policijami sosednjih držav spusti več tisoč beguncev na dan. Po začetnem obdobju nesoglasij med državami, odzivov na lastno pest in improvizaciji – slednja je bila značilna za Slovenijo -, je Evropski uniji uspelo na celotnem Balkanu vzpostaviti enoten in kontroliran režim upravljanja z ljudmi.

Gledano od daleč, pa tudi od blizu, se ta hip zdi, da se agende beguncev kot držav in njihovih policij, medsebojno prekrivajo: ljudje hočejo v Evropo in ta jih ne samo sprejema, temveč aktivno organizira njihovo pot na celotni balkanski poti. Toda to prekrivanje drži zgolj, če se osredotočimo na raven potovanja iz točke A v točko B. Toda takoj, ko se vprašamo o načinu, na katerega ta pot poteka, postane zadeva bolj zlovešča.

Aktivisti iz terena v zbirnih točkah od Makedonije, preko Srbije, Hrvaške in Madžarske poročajo o izjemno dovršeni dramaturgiji in scenografiji begunske poti čez Balkan: vedno se mudi; pogosto se potuje ponoči; nikoli ni dovolj postelj, ni dovolj vecejev; vlada večna negotovost ali bodo avtobusi ali ne; ni možnosti za počitek, premislek, pogovor; ponoči in v dežju povsod zastrašujoče luči, plesniv kruh, prepoved tople hrane; agregati in tople postelje za policijo, vlažne deke za ostale; nočni odsevi uniform protiizgredniške policije; hitri nočni pohodi čez mostove in gozdove do z bodečo žico zaznamovanje meje. Vse te podobe in gibi proizvajajo nenehen občutek tekočega traku, katerega temeljna značilnost je, da ljudem odvzame možnost, da bi sami vplivali na dinamiko svoje poti. To dehumanizacijo dopolnjuje perverzna zapoved hvaležnosti, ki naj bi jo bili begunci bili dolžni čutiti napram tem istim birokratom, ki na njihovih plečih dograjujejo režim hierarhičnega vključevanja beguncev v naše skupnosti.

O strašljivi vlogi humanitarnih organizacij na terenu, ki poleg tega, da tam so, ne počnejo kaj dosti drugega, je bilo rečenega že dovolj. Praktično po celotnem Balkanu pomembne humanitarne naloge opravljajo samoorganizirani prostovoljci iz vseh koncev Evrope. Toda kakšna še je lahko vloga aktivistov, torej tistih nas, ki v tej situaciji nismo begunci, toda nas procesi kapitalističnega opustošenja prav tako zadevajo povsem osebno in smo zavezani k tkanju solidarnostnih mrež skupaj z našimi novimi sosedi in sodelavci?

Kako lahko prispevamo k temu, da begunska pot v Evropo ne bo pomenila prehoda v situacijo popolne ločenosti od družbe in programirane šibkosti? Kaj narediti, da bi potovanje beguncev po Evropi hkrati proizvajalo moč beguncev samih in vseh nas, ki smo njihovi podporniki, ne pa, da bi na račun dostojanstva nas vseh zgolj krepilo moč vseh vrst mejnih agencij in birokratov, ki upravljajo s populacijami? To je izziv, ki si ga v teh dneh zastavljajo številni iz številnih karavan odprtih meja, prostovoljci na mejah in drugod.

V sedanji že relativno konsolidirani situaciji se že nakazujejo končni obrisi nove ureditve, ki se bo v svoji celoti razkrila v momentu, ko se bodo meje ponovno zaprle: totalno militarizirana zunanja meja Evropske unije, na vmesnih področjih Srbije in Makedonije, morda pa tudi Hrvaške, Madžarske in, zakaj pa ne, Slovenije pa bo ostalo na deset tisoče novih “zatečenih tujcev”. S tem se bo začela nova faza begunske krize, ki bo še pognojila že sedaj plodna tla za še večji razmah idej sovraštva in agresije.

Zato je izjemnega pomena že sedaj in vseskozi graditi naracije, ki nam, prekercem, nezaposlenim, revnim, mladim brez prihodnosti, potencialnim emigrantom, torej vsem tistim, ki smo tudi sami deležni terorja kapitalističnega opustošenja v številnih vidikih naših življenj, omogočajo, da skupaj z begunci tvorimo politične, diskurzivne in fizične prostore zoperstavljanja temu istemu terorju. Skupaj. Zrušimo meje, zgradimo moč.

 Dramaturgy of safe corridor through the Balkans

At the moment borders and other points on the refugee route through the Balkans offer a quite different sight than the one from not a long time ago. Blocked borders, self-organized refugee camps at the train stations and around border crossings and occasional police violence gave way to the non-declared corridor of safe passage and for some time now reports about police violence remain practically absent. True, Hungarian governement due to the perceived needs of its domestic audience is still staging a show “heavily armed guardian od the Schengen border” and yet it is itself fully cooperating with the police forces of neighbouring countries in organising the transfer of thousands of people through the country. After initial disagreements between various Balkans' states, non-coordinated responses and a certain degree of improvization – the latter was characteristic for Slovenia – European Union has by now managed to establish a unified and controled regime of management of people at practically the whole territory of the Balkans.

From afar, but also from up close, it seems at the moment that the agenda of refugees in fact overlaps with the agenda of the states that they are travelling through and of their police forces: people want to go to Europe which the respective states now do not only accept – they actively organize their journey through the Balkans. And yet this conclusion makes sense only if we focus exclusively on the fact that people indeed do move in an organized manner from point A to point B. But when the experience of refugees' journey is taken into account in all its modalities it aquires a distinctly sinister character.

An ever present theme in the reports of activists that are present on the ground on the borders and in centres in Macedonia, through Serbia, Croatia and Hungary is a very sophisticated dramaturgy and scenography of the refugee journey through the Balkans: always there is a need to hurry; often the travelling is by night; there are never enough beds, never enough toilets; uncertainty reigns as there are never clear guarantees or information about whether the buses will be there or not; there is no opportunity to rest, think, share, talk; police lights pierce the sky and forests; all the rain and mud; mouldy bread; ban on warm food; power generators and warm beds for the police, damp covers for the rest; riot police uniforms reflections in the night; hurried night marches across the bridges and through the forests; barbed wire. All these images and body moves and affects fuel the continuous sensation of an assembly line. People do move to their desired destination and yet the possibility to really influence the dynamics of their journey is taken away from them. This dehumanization is complemented by the perverse command of thankfulness which the refugees are obliged to feel in relation to the bureaucrats that are masterminding a regime of their hierarchical inclusion in our communities.

Enough has been said about the deeply problematic role of humanitarian organizations on the ground that in many locations have hardly been doing much more besides just being there. Throughout the Balkans the important humanitarian efforts are being organized by self-organized volunteers from all corners of Europe. But what more could be the role of the activists, that is to say of those that find themselves in this situation not as refugees but as all those other people that are striken by processes of capitalist devastaton in a very personal way and are dedicated to practically organise solidarity wih our new neighours and colleagues?

How can we prevent that the journey of refugees to Europe would end in their separation from the society and in imposed weakness that comes with it? How can a journey of refugees to Europe end up increasing thepower of the refugees themselves and of all of us that are their supporters and not in further boosting of the power of border agencies and population management bureaucracy? This is a challenge that many people from open borders caravans , volunteers at the borders and elsewhere are faced with today.

As we reflect on the already relatively consolidated situation across the Balkans we can already recognize the contours of a new regime that will be unveiled in its fullness at the moment when now open borders will be shut down. Then we wil be left with increasingly militarized outside border of European union and a consolidation of some form of buffer-zone in the territories of Serbia, Macedonia and maybe Croatia, Hungary and – why not – Slovenia. And with tens of thousands of “stranded foreigners” within this zone. Thus a new phase of crisis of Europe will be inaugurated that will further fertilize already fertile ground for the spread of ideas of hate and agression.

This is why it is a task of an utmost importance to construct naratives that will enable us, the precarious, unemployed, poor, youth without future, potential emigrants, us that are on so many different levels ourselves already targets of terror of capitalist devastation, to build together with the refugees the political, discursive and physical spaces of resistance against the same terror. Together. Brake down the borders, build the power.