Does anyone remember the Painted Birds by Jerzy Kosiński, a compelling testimony about the suffering of a Polish boy during WWII which differed from its surroundings with his black hair, be it Jewish or roma, as the one’s he sought shelter with thought.
Kosiński named the novel by a rural game of painting a black bird into live colors so the bird, unaware of its new look, becomes the victim of its flock which is unable to recognize it.
In its history, Serbia has often been the one pursuing, torturing and killing its own painted birds. The liveliness of the vibrant colors was annoying to mediocrity and ignorance, which were celebrated as virtues, so the tops were cut off as well as the colorfull wings.
Sometimes without mercy, with pomp, and sometimes with suppressed condolence, regret and fear. The wars at the end of the last century as well as March 12th, showed just what we are ready to do.
Today, after 20, 12 and eight years, slowly but surely the time for new painted birds is coming, the ones that will lead the flock instead of being the prey. Nikola, who helped the Roma boy Slobodan in Belgrade, who was the victim of three hooligans, is one of the heralds of a new age where diversity will be seen as a fortune and defended from the assaults of the majority. And why wouldn’t it be said – if there was a Nikola on May 27th, 1997, Dusko Jovanovic would still be alive.
A Belgrade citizen, Ivan, a lawyer by education, a taxi driver and a co-owner of a pizza place, Una’s and Vuk’s father, is brave in a different way. He didn’t wait for a government job, he didn’t turn to crime in his pursuit for money, he didn’t fall into depression which leads to self-destruction, nor hysteria which destroys others blaming them for destiny. He simply rolled up his sleeves and determined his life for himself.
Nikola and Ivan are our painted birds, the freshness that maybe still surprises its surroundings that is used to bask in misery, but is not as bothered as before.
And also the 3 thousand volunteers that will be cleaning Serbia on Saturday are a breath of freshness, the spite to disrepair, the counterbalance to those that still prefer to soil and destroy rather than clean and build.
I strongly believe that Novi magazin is a part of that vitality that will not moan but roll up its sleeves and find people, young by years or spirit, defiant and willing to show that Serbia is not only a refuge for false prophets, self-proclaimed heroes and hooligans.
The task is difficult but not impossible – we already introduced the ones who do not accept mediocrity, and that is how the ones that are different live in Serbia. Artists, athletes, peasants, entrepreneurs, scientists…And there are more of them that need to be heard.