Over the weekend, my friend Julie, a human rights lawyer, and I travelled to Harmanli, Bulgaria, a tiny town 30 miles from the border with Turkey. Harmanli is typical of post-Soviet small towns. You see almost no young or middle-aged people — only little kids and very old people — because the economy is busted and working-aged people move away. It’s not exactly desolate: there are cafes and restaurants. But signs of decline are visible, in say, the public library being closed in the middle of the day. The parks and playgrounds are rundown; the architecture is depressing Soviet style. Monuments to the grand socialist experiment still sit there, faded and topped by crumbling stars that have lost their red paint. It feels like a different country compared to bustling cities like Sofia and Plovdiv. We went to Plovdiv after and I kept being slightly startled that people were speaking Bulgarian and not French or Italian (seriously go—Bulgaria is
I 100% agree. This is such a perfect personal account to exemplify the narrative people NEED to be hearing regularly if we’re ever going to get the rights of our displaced fellows protected and parity for recognition of their humanity 🖤
Holy smokes girl. This is so amazing. Thank you for being you and for sharing your experiences.
I 100% agree. This is such a perfect personal account to exemplify the narrative people NEED to be hearing regularly if we’re ever going to get the rights of our displaced fellows protected and parity for recognition of their humanity 🖤