1989 drastically changed the life and destinies of several generations of Bulgarians. It brought shiny new SUVs to some, to others a pile of old papers and cardboard to haul to the recycling authority, gathered from the backyards of shops owned by those with the SUVs. There are only two classes - the have-nots and the have-a-lots.

If you approached an elderly person with a question about their memories, they will remember that unforgettable summer at Ovcha Mogila (a Bulgarian resort) or somewhere along the seaside, such as Sozopol, because ironically enough of the old generation has vacationed on the seaside while many of today’s youngsters have not even set foot on the Southern coast of the Black Sea. The elderly person remembers his or her “savings book” and a range of basic human earthly provisions, which the time long past “before the 10th”—the 10th of November 1989—made certain. While some are still basking in their memories from the 1980s, others wake up in cold sweat from their nightmares. They relive the past in their dreams. Their memories are searing hot, horrid and painful from the merciless sun over the labour camps in Lovech and Belene. Why do some want that time back, and others dread it? Why do some reminisce of it with a smile, and others in tears?

And they “spake” for democracy! And democracy came. Precisely those who coveted it are today bewailing not having been able to go to the cinema or to the theater since the beginning of the transition. Down-and-out people are fighting for trash can territory. The trash cans symbolize the Bulgarian economy, because that is where former bread-winners find their scant nurture now. A sad and poor sight. Democracy is not for the unenlightened. It becomes a spectacle. The last twenty years have reduced everything to a spectacle of misery. And better still, so that we can remember earlier times. Gone are the calm, the cleanliness, statehood, safety and order of old! All that is left is fear, poverty and the eternal discontent, the apologetics of victimhood. And the dream for a national messiah. In twenty years we learned not to stay out after dark, and to go to our own beds in fear. As if in a film. To be afraid in one’s own home. To be afraid of the doctor, not because of bad news, but because you cannot afford seeing him.

It is truth and fact that the communist regime killed, without reasons or excuses. No one can deny this. Our grandparents tell a story where everyone was equal. Aunt Stanka, a worker at the local cooperative, had the same rights as nanny Minka, accountant at the cooperative shop.
NOT REMEMBERING THE LIFE IN RED

Our generation, 23 and 24-year old, did not see communism. Or at least we do not remember what life was like in Red. Our grandparents lament Todor Zhivkov’s red time and nostalgic thoughts drive them up the blue wall (blue is the colour of the democratic opposition) - cold and abrasive. Once upon a time people would build two and three floor houses with ease and cheerful labour. This is what our mothers and fathers say. Once upon a time we were all equal - at the shop, in the pub, before police officers. This is what everyone who lived during Communism says. People have their memories to keep them going. Nice memories. And what memories do we have? Blue, free, democratic…and hungry, and painful. What am I going to tell my grandchildren tomorrow? Am I going to tell them about Ahmed Dogan, Ivan Kostov, Simeon Saxecoburggotha, Sergei Stanishev, Boiko Borissov (all leading Bulgarian politicians, some former Prme Ministers)? Wonderful people, no two opinions on that. We did not see communism, but we witnessed the vicissitudes of democracy. We are free to vote and starve. Poor and hungry, we enjoy our freedom. Education is without principle. Too many college graduates. Too many fools. We only heard that during Communism our education was of world class. And today our illiteracy and unemployment are of world class.

Some people really wanted to speak freely. Some people wanted to tell jokes about the government. Some people cried and pulled their hair and spoke of freedom. And now that we speak freely and tell government jokes, what came out of it? What use is it to us, average citizens? Some will say, it is thanks to democracy that you are today writing this text, but I would answer, we prefer a stable job to freedom in unemployment. Socialism is dead. Democracy wilted. What’s next?

We changed Russian for English. We proudly beat our chests because we speak the language of America. And we can even congratulate ourselves in English: happy democracy!
Happy democracy made of communist concrete!

DISCRIMINATION OF ROMA PERSISTS

And what about Bulgaria’s Roma people? Before the changes the Roma worked in the factories, in the field and on construction sites. Their lower level of education notwithstanding, the Roma had jobs, even if low skilled ones. Even if they did not share the social standard of the majority, they were not outsiders, but part of the common social structure. During the transition their social position changed. After the factory closures (that accompanied privatization) they were among those laid off. Now it’s easier for some to find a job, for others not. A big part of the Roma today do want to integrate and share rights and duties in society. They had that once and still hope to get another chance at it. Or at least that their children will have the opportunity to be equal movers and shakers in society. This is why they send them to integrated schools if they can afford it.

That the lack of a sewage system and road infrastructure in the ghettos create a sense of misery, is a different issue. These people want to be respected by society. They might at first sight appear as marginal individuals, but they do not see themselves this way. They have potential and do not need to be pushed or forced, all they need is a hand outstretched. They do not need someone to force them to send their children to school. Besides, birth rates in many communities have long dropped to the average for Bulgaria. It is very important to approach the Roma community with respect to their aspirations to be part of society. During the transition period, due to the lack of policies targeting minorities, and in some cases due to misguided policies, illiteracy, low skills and other Roma-related problems began to intensify. Desegregation in schools and encouraging education is one of the best and most successful integration policies. It is almost a hundred percent sure that the community will integrate faster if Roma children attend school. But it has to be taken into consideration that it is going to take time. Depending on the situation, different incentives will have to be applied.
The low educational status of the Roma population made the Communist government open many special schools, which in the beginning were not meant exclusively for the Roma. However, they de facto became “gypsy schools”. These are the so called secondary schools with applied labour. To them were added the boarding institutions for Roma children. The special schools continue to exist. In 1984 playing gypsy music in public was entirely forbidden. This ban showed the change of direction of the Buglarian Communist Party (BCP) towards the Roma. The de jure liquidation of the whole minority finds expression in the erection of large walls around the ghettos in certain cities. When the so called “revival process”, aiming to subdue Turkish minority identity in Bulgaria through renaming citizens with Turkish names reachesdits climax in 1984/5, many Roma with Turkish or Arabic names, who had not voluntarily changed their names, were forced to do so. Around 180 000 Muslim Roma were targeted by this campaign and renamed with Christian names. In this atmosphere, poisoned by assimilation attempts, warning signs began to appear at railway stations, alerting passengers of pickpockets, more precisely gypsy pickpockets. In some coffee shops and restaurants the Roma were denied entry.

There is a joke which describes Roma feelings towards the BCP’s assimilation policy: “A gypsy man is standing on the road and beating his donkey with a stick, yelling “Turn into a horse! Turn into a horse!”. A policeman passes by and asks him: “How can you be so foolish to think you can turn a donkey into a horse?”. To that the gypsy man answers: “If you can turn a gypsy man into an ethnic Bulgarian, then you can surely turn a donkey into a horse.”

The Roma today definitely live a freer life and have more opportunities for self- and professional realization. But discrimination is still pervasive. And after the unsuccessful Transition to democracy Bulgarian society often accuses the Roma of being thieves and welfare queens, living on the back of tax-payers, which is the way they are portrayed in the media. This warped view of Roma reality leads a big part of the Bulgarian society to heap guilt for the transition hardships on the Roma.

–by Ognyan Isaev