Friday, March 16, 2012

Fifteen years ago

It was a sunny day in March 1997 when I transcended, together with my friend Manda, from the physical into the metaphysical world. Before we stepped into the twilight zone, Manda turned around and shouted:

"Mechanics, where are you!?"

"Here we are!", shouted back students of Mechanical Engineering, few hundred of them, occupying the street and the sidewalk in front of the agency "Star Eye", owned by Clairvoyant Branka, a famous Belgrade psychic. As soon as we entered the premises of the agency, the staff told us that Clairvoyant Branka will receive us immediately. The waiting room was filled with about twenty people, mostly elderly women, who were waiting for the prophetess. Regular checkup costed 50 Deutchemarks, special 100, but we got a free session. "Patients" in the waiting room were looking at the two of us and whispering to each other:

"These are the students, they are protesting for months. What are they doing here?"

I hung my WW2 trench-coat on the hanger, didn't wan't to attract attention with it. I tried hard not to burst out laughing. Of all the things we did last week, this was by far the craziest. This could be the culmination of our Search for the Rector.

The search for the Rector of Belgrade University began few weeks earlier, when Mechanical Engineering students blocked the highway near Autokomanda. The blockade was performed because of a bet (let's block the highway - that's crazy, they'll send the cops to beat us up - we'll block it on our own then - you are insane, no way you can pull it off), but we could not possibly say in public this was the reason. So someone got the idea to say that we were waiting for the Rector to return from the mountains, where he was seen skiing the week before. It sounded silly enough, and the Search for the Rector was born.

The Rector of the Belgrade University, Milosevic loyalist, did not support the students when the protests against electoral fraud began in November 1996. Soon, the students demanded his resignation, but he remained defiant. In the meantime, Milosevic conceded the election results, but the demand for Rector's resignation remained unmet. The Search for the Rector was perfect to create personal pressure on him, but also to breathe new life to the Protest which was, after more than three months, in serious crisis - it was just boring to demonstrate every day down the same route: Plato - Vasina Street - Republic Square - Terazije - Marshal Tito's Street - then left to Milosa Velikog Street - then again left under granny Olga's balcony to Ivo Lola Ribar's Street - and back to Plato. Every day!

Immediately after blocking the highway, Sima phoned Vuk Bojovic, the manager of the Belgrade Zoo. We decided we would visit the Zoo the next day and look for the Rector there. This turned out to be a complete hit; photos of "Mechanics" with banners together with camels and bisons appeared on front pages of several newspapers. Evening news on state-run TV spent ten minutes dealing with students and their tasteless action in the Zoo. We became famous.

The next day, armed with fishing poles, we went down to the Danube River to fish for the Rector, but we couldn't catch him. As we started walking back to Plato to join other students in yet another march down the usual route, a bus driver operating bus number 24 offered to make a short detour and take us to Plato. We boarded the bus, raised the flag of Mechanical Engineering School and arrived to Plato in style. More front pages, more criticism of the tasteless and pointless search for the Rector.

Then we went to the Observatory at Kalemegdan to see if the Rector was not on Mars. For this opportunity we had specially designed "rectorscope" which we used thoroughly search the surface of the Red Planet, but without success. Nevertheless, this visit to the Observatory brought us more publicity. This time, "rectorscope" was considered a vulgar detail, which was really not necessary.

Next stop in the search for the Rector was the underground railway station at Vukov Spomenik. We descended into the underworld with the help of our buddies from the Mining and Geology School to look for "rectorsaur" fossils. For this occasion the banners said "Rector, the Mechanics will dig you out". While we were waiting for the train

"On the fourth day of the search for Rector, fellow students, may the train be with you!"

"Train help us all!" shouted the students and entered the train, which had entered the station in the meantime. More front pages, yet more criticism.

The search continued for another week. Every day we would gather at the Mechanical Faculty School in the morning, search for the Rector a bit and then go to Plato to join others in protest. In the evening we would brainstorm where to look for the Rector the next day. We looked for him in green markets, in taverns, but there was no no sign of him. We eventually decided to seek professional help, and we headed to the office of Clairvoyant Branka to ask her about Rector's whereabouts, but also whether he was about to resign. This is how Manda and I found ourselves in the waiting room of the agency "Star Eye".

The prophetess appeared in the waiting room quite unexpectedly, greeted us and showed us into her office. Manda and I stepped in, the door closed behind us. Branka threw beans, and laid down the cards. She looked at both of us, muttered something and looked again at the cards. Finally she said:

"I have the answers to questions that trouble you."

"Do you know if the Rector is going to resign?"

"I know when he is going to resign."

"Well, come with us then and sharing your knowledge with the rest of the students."

We went out of the office and out of the building, Clairvoyant Branka, Manda and me. The students started singing as soon as we saw us:

"Hey Branka, Branka, Branka
Tell us, Branka
Will Rector yield?
Will he give in?

Clairvoyant Branka took the bullhorn and said:

"The Rector will resign in ten days!"

Ten days later the Rector of the Belgrade University resigned. The protest ended. Few days later, Manda and I went to see Branka once again, this time to talk about Milosevic.

This story is from a book "Decenija [Decade]" about 1996-1997 Student Protest, published in 2006. Many leaders of the protest wrote articles for this edited volume, this one was my contribution. It describes the so-called street actions of the School of Mechanical Engineering, a style of protest which would later influence Otpor.

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