Category: Blog Organizations: Alternativna , UNMIK Tags:
If you asked a random passer-by in North Mitrovica where Oslobođenje Street is, maybe not everyone could give you the correct answer. But, if you were to ask where the Bosniak neighborhood/Bosniak Mahala is, every passer-by will certainly know that. In addition to various goods in Oslobođenje Street, inherent in the name, you will find liberation from prejudices also.
They say that the Bosniak neighborhood/Bosniak Mahala is a shopping paradise for both buyers and sellers. From needles to plastic, all the way to glamour and shine, copies of models by world designers…
The uninitiated may be reluctant to come to this part of the city, but veterans in shopping smiley and bravely to the last dinar, or the euro, indulge in the charms of wholesale and retail shopping. Fashion does not know about borders, nor differences in currency. It is important that the customer is satisfied regardless of nationality.
One of the many sellers in this street is Suad Saigjia. Originally from Peja/Peć, he owns a boutique with various goods. Watches, jewelry, sports clothes, sneakers, heels, handbags, caps ... But, Suad also offers what is priceless and everyone lacks - a warm, human, neighborly word.
His boutique is located across the street from the famous "Brothers", somewhere in the middle of this street in the heart of "Bošnja" (as it is affectionately called).
Smiling and kind, Suad welcomes and send-off everyone the same - with respect and appreciation.
He says that for him all customers are the same. His customers are mostly Serbs. He trusts his customers so he has no problem waiting for payment for a week or two, or getting them everything they are looking for.
He fears only from Corona virus. Measures are being respected - mask, distance ... He talks about how long this will last because the virus does not choose either religion or nation.
He adds: "We live together, we work together. We are talking about the economy, now a little more about this virus, everyone is a little afraid, but it will pass..."
When asked what is most important now for people to survive together, in the absence of a desire to engage in politics, he reiterates the claim that economy "must be stronger" and most important in all relationships among people.
"And people should not be involved in politics, but rather to be involved in sports, recreation ... I have nothing wrong with anyone, I greet all people - 'good day, good evening'", Suad described his experience of the time and place where he lives and works.
That it is really like that it is confirmed by the customers who enter also. They greet the owner and, in an already recognizable manner, look for and find clothes that mean something to them.
Suad is a merchant who manages to feed his family by doing his job, not by dealing with the divisions "us and them". For him all people are the same because they have the same worries.
Apart from the importance of good health, he also believes in "family and education", because "without education there is nothing" – he says.
''People should take care of their own things, their own families, and their society in order to progress economically as much as possible. If the economy is good, there will be no problems," he explains further.
Freedom is more than a dear guest in this street, because thanks to freedom, one can talk about coexistence and democracy that lies in the economy.
Gifts are bought, jokes and smiles are exchanged, sometimes there is resentment, but never, never will you leave this neighborhood empty-handed but always with impressions about the offer that is not going to be forgotten.
In a bought blouses, there may be no answer about the meaning of life, much less in sneakers and a purse, but there is a sense to spend time with people who are kind and attentive.
The seasons change, but the human need to buy all these new things does not change and does not end with one coming in Oslobođenje Street. All manufacturers, sellers, but also buyers, from all sides, are in one place. Suad is just one of them.
The Bosniak mahala, he says, also offers many other things that bring people together:
"There are more than forty stores here. We live together, we drink coffee together, we respect each other ... It is better, since we are neighbors, to live together. It is important that the neighbor is good.”
That is how it is in the Bosniak neighborhood/Bosniak Mahala.
Using this text is allowed with a clear indication of the source and linking to the source of the text or the home page of the platform.
