announcing my radio documentary on
Vukovar, a pit in the Balkans
Dutch Radio 1, Tuesday 16th of October 10 am
"Shta je ovo?"
In Nova Gradishka four footbal hooligans joined me, and a doctor travelling
to Italy, in the
compartment of the train that brought me from Belgrade to Zagreb.
I had spent two days in
Belgrade to make a report for Dutch VPRO Radio on what the revolution
exactly a year before
had done for the people. And before I was in Vukovar, to dedicate a
radio documentary to its
destruction ten years ago.
I said nothing but turned the small bottle of mineral water some
180 degrees: Voda Vrnjci, now
showing in latin letters.
But later he tried some anyway. Not bad. And he appreciated my original
Dutch Drum tobacco as
well. Roll your own of course.
"Are you from Nova Gradishka?" , I asked, thinking of Sanja's plot nearby,
and my dream to
grow a wallnut tree on it one day. No, they were from Zagreb. Wasn't
there a match this evening?
It was about 9.15 in the evening. Yes, the under 18s from Croatia and
Belgium had played 1-0.
Now they were drunk, and travelling back to Zagreb. Loading up for the
real match next evening
in Maksimir. "Za koga navijes", who do you support, the jews from Ajax?
the boy in front of me
asked. Yes, I said, and De graafschap, The Superseljaci. I asked them
about the one minute
silence for New York, broaken by Bad Blue Boys and Torcida's,
shouting "Vukovar!
VUKOVAR! VUKOVAR!!"
I informed them that I had aired Bad Blue Boys in the Confetti Bar twoo
year before on Dutch
radio. "Aha, with Choka" my opposite said. Yes, I said, that was one
of them, doing the Dynamo
show on Radio 101.
Then maybe you would like to record with me how you shouted Vukovar
in the stadion, for my
next program on Vukovar? No problem. A test, to bring the level down.
And then again when the
train had stopped in Novska, near Pakrac where I have worked as a peace-promotor
for half a
year in 1993-4.
But why you were yelling Vukovar? " Nobody made silence when our
people were killed. I don't
want to be silent for fucking jews in New York. Fuck Israel."
The boy sitting next to my
opposite explained. Basically.
The doctor next to him told him to wash his mouth after this. And actually
he fell silent.
A police man passed by for an ID-check. The explainer didn't have any
document, but got away
with it. Next came the conductor to stamp the tickets. "We've thrown
them away". The conductor
first took it as a joke. But then he heard they didn't have money for
a train ticket. Although two of
them did have money for a mobitel. And booze of course.Then the conductor,
an elderly guy, got
angry, said he would call the police. And switched of the light before
leaving us.
I switched on the light soon enough to continue reading Sandor Marai.
And the doctor her reading
her weekly Nacional.
My opposite neighbour did most of the talking, begging and explaning.
He went out to make
arrangements. And apparently he succeeded, coz later on he settled
back in his seat in facing mine.
After arriving in Zagreb I happily accepted their help to get my heavy
suitcase across the railway
separating us from the main square.
Jo van der Spek
jo@xs4all.nl
dedicated to Croatia's entry into their second World Championship Tournament.