For all the mothers who never stop being mothers
Za sve majke koje nikada ne prestaju biti majke (hrvatska verzija na kraju)
Dear readers,
This Mother’s Day, I want us to remember all the mothers who are torn between tragedy and taking care of their children. Some tragedies are an inevitable part of human experience, but most are not. Wars are not necessary, shootings are not necessary, and violence is not necessary, in any shape or form.
This drawing represents me and my mother from 1991 to 1995. During this time, she lived not knowing if her mother will live to see another day, if her husband will eventually be forced to go to war, and which friend or family might die next. She knew all her Bosniak and Croatian friends might meet the same destiny as her best friend who was brutally killed with her entire family in her own home.
Among all this brutality, my mom never stopped being my mother. She told me bedtime stories of hope and resilience, hoping I would grow up in a better world. Maybe the world is not any better yet, but I still want to believe in the stories that tell us that one day it just might be. Stories are not there only to comfort us but also to inspire us in believing that change is possible and necessary.
A year ago I wrote about war in my Medium post “A Letter Against War”, where I talk about this weird feeling of knowing and yet not knowing what war is that comes with growing up in a war-torn country. We often talk about the protection of children in war zones but none of that matters if their fathers have to die on the battlefield (or by suicide) and their mothers cannot be mothers anymore.
For all the mothers and fathers experiencing or having experienced tragedy, in Ukraine and anywhere else, my heart and my tears are with you.
If you liked this post, share it so we can get more people on our side, the side against war.
In the spirit of this newsletter, you can also read a comic I published last year for Mother’s Day:
Thank you for reading!
Until next time,
Ana
Za sve majke koje nikada ne prestaju biti majke
Ovaj Majčin dan želim da se prisjetimo svih majki koje su pored brige za djecu suočene s tragedijom. Neke tragedije su neizbježni dio ljudskog života, ali većina njih nije. Ratovi nisu neizbježni, i ubijanje i nasilje bilo kakvog tipa nije neizbježno.
Crtež koje vidite na početku predstavlja mene i moju mamu od 1991 do 1995. U tom razdoblju, moja mama je živjela pitajući se svakodnevno je li njena majka još uvijek živa, hoće li njen muž biti prisiljen otići na ratište, i koji prijatelj ili član obitelji bi mogao biti iduća žrtva. Ona je znala da sudbine svih njenih prijateljia Bošnjaka i Hrvata mogu završiti kao i njena najbolja prijateljica—brutalno ubijena sa cijelom svojom obitelji u vlastitom domu.
U cijeloj toj brutalnosti, moja mama nije nikad prestala biti moja majka. Pričala mi je priče o ljubavi i hrabrosti, nadajući ce da ću odrasti u boljem svijetu. Možda svijet još uvijek nije bolji, ali i dalje želim vjerovati u priče koje nam kažu da bi jednom mogao biti. Priče nisu tu samo da nas tješe, nego i da nas inspiriraju da vjerujemo da je promjena moguća i nužna.
Često pričamo o zaštiti djece u ratnim zonama, ali sve je to uzalud ako njihovi očevi moraju umrijeti na ratištu, a majke ne mogu više biti majke.
Za sve majke i očeve koji su iskusili tragediju, u Ukrajini i bilo gdje drugdje, stojim uz vas i plačem uz vas.
Za Majčin dan prošle godine sam napravila ovaj strip na poklon kao zahvalu mojoj mami, hrvatska verzija je na kraju posta:
Hvala na čitanju!
Do idućeg puta,
Ana