Minorities within minorities

My friend Owusu posing with some gypsy kids, whom I gave a little change for their modeling.

Bosnian Muslims, who comprise most of the population in Sarajevo and in Bosnia, are in the scope of the region a historically oppressed minority, a lonely island of Islam sandwiched between Orthodox Serbs and Catholic Croatians. Prejudice certainly goes both ways, but it cannot be said that Bosnians do not know what it is like to be discriminated against.

And yet it always seems that within every minority is another minority. After I had my wallet stolen on the tram, the Bosnian security officer at the court advised me that in order to avoid further theft I should "Stay away from gypsies. They have dark skin, you know. Keep away from them, and their children." In everyday Bosnian slang, being lazy means you are acting "like a gypsy." My friend Knute has a beat-up 1983 VW Jetta with diplomatic plates because of his father's job, and our Bosnian friends get endless amusment at his diplomatically-immune "gypsy car."

This kind of slurring is not, of course, unique to Bosnia or even Europe, but I have never seen such a large Roma (the PC word for gypsy, I guess) population as in Sarajevo. Walking down the street, they are a clearly visible ethnic group, yet live on the very margins of society. In politics, in education, in the economy -- in everything except as a hindrance to locals -- they are a complete non-factor. They are dismissed as societal leeches who "don't even want to work if they could."

It is hard to drive anywhere without being accosted by squeegee-wielding packs of young Roma children, who beg persisently for change and, if you refuse, often use some of the few english words they know: "Go fuck your mother!" Not exactly the best customer service, and it is not uncommon to see a Bosnian man burst out from his car and chase them away with a stream of obscenities.

Another distinct minority are gays, though the repression is so overwhelming that it is pretty much impossible to tell they even exist. I have never been in a country as openly homophobic as Bosnia, mostly evinced in the unavoidable, continuous slurs.

In my first week here, I met 3 Bosnians guys on separate occasions, all of whom within minutes of meeting me slapped me on the back and told me they were gay. The first time, I awkwardly said "Uh... OK, that's cool," to which the fellow in question furrowed his eyebrows, puffed up his chest and proceeded to make absolutely sure I knew he was just kidding: "No, no... it was just joke! You understand, no? Just joke! Haha, funny, you know. I like the women! Women very fine! Very fine!" I soon learned that it is a common punchline, funny because it is completely and utterly inconceivable that anyone would ever be gay, much less admit to it.

A recent article in the English-language Bosnia Daily made a rare mention of homosexuality in the country, quoting a Bosnian gay activist who said: "Families find it easier to accept if a member of their family is a war criminal than if he's gay." Very sad, but very true...