With the Zabalduz caravan in the city of Bihac in Bosnia Herzegovina, activist Nihad Suljic explained to us that the Drina River is the largest tomb in the Balkans. In order not to be forgotten, he is responsible for identifying the bodies that are found and for giving them burial, in order to recognize their dignity. The drin was used in the 1990s by war criminals to destroy those they considered enemies.
Upon hearing Suljic's testimony, I was led by another river, the Rio Bravo of Mexico, which also draws a border of death. Although we have it further, those who pass through there share experiences, forced to migrate, as explained to me by a Guatemalan woman who I met some time ago in Getxo… She managed to cross in the third attempt, and although she did not get the future she was looking for, many do not get it.
I also remembered the Bidasoa, I heard at home post-war reports that lost their lives in search of freedom, and in recent years seven people – including Abpour Bas, Ibrahim Diallo, Abdoulaye Koulibaly, Yaya Karamoko and Tessfit – have died on the road to Europe.
Let's not forget that the interrupted life stories that are hidden underwater and that were, let's confess, we owe them.