Sladjana

In 1992, during the armed conflict in Bosnia, corridor between the two parts of the territory of the Bosnian Serb Republic was cut by enemy forces. The hospital in Banjaluka, the capital of Serbian Republic, had a shortage of oxygen for incubators. The shipment of the oxygen was sent from Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, but could not reach the destination. Enemy forces did not allow the transport of the shipment through the corridor, with explanation they wanted to prevent weapons to be smuggled along with the shipment. Because of the same doubts, the UN peace forces did not allow the transport of the shipment. 12 babies died in the hospital that horrible night. One baby, Sladjana, did survive…

A year ago, more than 13 years after, Sladjana passed on. During these 13 years, she had numerous health problems because of the lack of oxygen in the first hours of her life. 14 months before she died, she was diagnosed to have cancer of bones.

One poem was written when this terrible event happened 13 years ago:

“I don’t prey for myself, the way it is predestined, so it will be.
But tell me, mister, do these tears hurt you, do you sleep?
Born in the same day,
The same day Your sharp sword ruled.
And I wonder, Your Highness,
Which God has such power to forgive You?
Twelve stars have fallen from the sky
To Your palm, honorable mister.
Twelve stars have fallen from the sky…
What were they guilt for, honorable mister?
What were they guilt for?”

I don’t want to discuss here who is guilty and who is innocent. Older and smarter than me said how no innocent side ever existed in any war. I don’t want to assume whether the worst were those who didn’t allow the shipment to reach the hospital, or those who tried to smuggle the weapons (if they did so). The thirteenth star reminded me once more how horrible, how unreasonable, how inconceivable every war is. It is indeed denial of any logic known to human brain. Those who least deserve the suffering, suffer the most, and those who mostly deserve disdain are glorified as heroes. If you look more carefully in the world history, every hero for one nation is actually a criminal and murderer for the other. All heroes are necessary a negative ones. I preach here for the world without heroes. The world of heroes is the world of war.

Stop the war.