The other day, as I rushed home to beat the curfew, I was anxious and hoped that I do not meet the police. Sometime back I needed to get some document signed at a government office. I thought I was dreaming when the officer signed the document without taking me round in circles. I felt like hugging the gentleman for doing his job.
One of the deadliest weapons used during the world wars was the barbed wire. It was laid out in no man’s land as a trap for enemy soldiers who would inadvertently walk into the wire and would then be slaughtered by bullets as they struggled to disentangle themselves from the bush of barbed wire.
The barbed wire was also used as a fence for the concentration camps, gulags and prisoner of war camps. More than its physical restraining purpose, the barbed wire had a significant psychological effect on the prisoners.
The conditions in the prison camps were dreadful, consisting of hunger, humiliation and hard labor. The captors dominated and used propaganda to make the prisoners doubt their realities and see the power of the captor. They made efforts to disabuse the prisoners of any ideas that whatever they were fighting for was a just cause. This propaganda was solidified by announcements by the captors of the defeat and surrender of some of their comrades. This was aimed at reminding the prisoners that not only were they defeated, but that some of their trusted comrades had betrayed their cause and were now part of the system. Sometimes, to show the prisoners, who is boss, the captors fired at and killed prisoners for moving too close to the barbed wire.
Although they initially experienced acute stress, with time, many prisoners adjusted to the life in prison. They looked forward to get into their cells in the evening after a day of torture. They were grateful to have a morsel of bread and a place to sleep. In a way, there was a sense of resignation and a feeling of futility among the prisoners.
To deal with the listless boredom and maintain their sanity, sometimes the prisoners entertained themselves and engaged in theatrical activities. There was however, general apathy and melancholy among the prisoners. In fact, the captors were usually alarmed whenever a prisoner worked too hard or appeared too cheerful. The captors were happy to see malingering prisoners.
Although the prisoners showed occasional solidarity and defiance of the captor, they often turned their anger at each other. Blaming and fighting with their fellow prisoners for petty reasons. Sometimes the captors instigated these quarrels among prisoners not only as a divide and rule strategy but also to amuse themselves at the credulity of the prisoners.
If this sounds familiar, it is because it is.
The struggle to make ends meet, the threats and intimidation. The feeling of relieve when the captors try to solve the problems they created. The confusion we feel when we are told to shut up and stop complaining. The uncertainty about when this will end. The fear of moving too close to the barbed wire. The resignation. Bora uhai.
Occasionally we rally ourselves to oppose our captor’s irresponsible behavior but sooner rather than later, we turn our anger towards each other. We engage in petty quarrels. We blame and ridicule some of us for voting three times forgetting that we did not vote three times for the same reasons.
The only thing that is helping us cope with our barbed wire sickness is the inexhaustible entertainment on the internet. The proliferation of liquor stores in our neighborhoods is evidence of our desire to drink ourselves into a stupor. To forget our predicament, for a moment.
Just like “death by a thousand cuts”, whereby prisoners are killed slowly by making several small cuts on their bodies, our lives are slowly ebbing out in this prison camp.
But,
Many prisoners attempt to escape
Life is life
Fabio