By Food Not Bombs Sofia
Food Not Bombs (FNB) is a grassroots organisation that promotes cooking and sharing food without discrimination and with a philosophy of co-participation and solidarity. There are different FNB groups across Europe. In the Sofia (Bulgaria) group, they prepare and provide food (and clothes), keep a community urban garden and provide accommodation for people in need. They are linked to other local groups, and help counter resource waste and environmental pollution. They also support other anti-authoritarian initiatives based in solidarity rather than charity, which means they use, as much as possible, direct communication and inclusion for all providers and users throughout organisation and action.
From 6 to 8 September 2024, FNB in Sofia, Bulgaria, organised a weekend action to cook and deliver meals for people on the move at the Harmanli reception centre, in collaboration with two other collectives: No Name Kitchen Bulgaria and Collettivo Rotte Balcaniche. The idea was to provide people on the move with a familiar meal (most come from Syria and Syrian Kurdistan), rather than something Bulgarian, to make them feel more at home.
Collettivo Rotte Balcaniche (the RB Collective) organises food distributions, provides medical services and medical supplies, and responds to emergencies. No Name Kitchen (NNK) is involved in activities including clothes distribution, activities for women and children, and publishing reports about conditions and events in the life of people on the move. We did our best to provide items that each organisation was in dire need of, including thermal blankets and medical supplies.
A Lebanese volunteer from FNB was in charge of the cooking and chose the traditional Lebanese dish, Mjaddara Hamra. This volunteer was also able to help with translating Arabic . The ingredients were 15kg of onions, 8 packets of lentils, 1 packet of bulgur wheat, olive oil and salt.
We travelled to Harmanli on Friday, carrying the cooking equipment we had collected from the FNB house in Sofia, and tents - since we would be sleeping at a camping site. We met the RB Collective and settled in. Then Saturday was action day. Food distribution usually takes place in a park, but due to Unification Day celebrations (a Bulgarian national holiday) we moved closer to the camp this time. Cooking started at around 10 am and finished at around 2:30 pm.
Since the recipe uses so many onions, which take a lot of time to cook, we missed a big chunk of people on the move at delivery time. But we still managed to prepare 57 portions, which we took to the distribution site. There were some leftovers, which the two collectives distributed the following Monday. NNK kept most of those portions in their fridges until Monday (the dish can be eaten cold). At the end of the weekend, we swapped contact details and made tentative plans to do this again.
At dinnertime, the FNB team had an internal debriefing to reflect on the action. We left on Sunday morning, reaching Sofia in time for three of us to participate in our regular food cooking and distribution action in the capital.
"Residents at the Harmanli camp prefer to cook their own food so that they can choose the ingredients themselves. They also say the cooked food at the centre is very bad."
The RB Collective provides fresh food, medicines and medical treatment to people on the move. Residents at the Harmanli camp prefer to cook their own food so that they can choose the ingredients themselves. They also say the cooked food at the centre is very bad. One exile from Syria shared that "if you have a heart attack you get anti-inflammatory medicines, and if you have a broken bone as well". This indicates the scarcity and low quality of medical health care.
Volunteers from the RB Collective usually stay in Harmanli for one month and then go back home, returning the following summer. One volunteer shared that "fresh energy is always needed here" and that they don't feel it is mentally sustainable to stay longer. This organisation also supports families on the move who they find in the forest — if they manage to reach them before the police do. In these situations, they call the emergency services and stay close to the family, to make sure they aren’t deported or harassed by the police. Police harassment of people on the move is frequent, and the RB Collective is involved in daily conflicts with the authorities about this.
NNK provides clothes and various activities to people on the move, including activities specifically for women. They have a permanent presence in the camp.
In Harmanli there are only three small organisations supporting people on the move, and they communicate with each other constantly. Our impression, confirmed by their reports, was that supporting people on the move there is a very stressful job. We generally observed a need for:
- Bulgarian speakers, to help NGOs and camp residents communicate with the police, general authorities and local population, as well as to help with administrative tasks.
- Arabic speakers.
- Menstrual pads for women, and diapers for babies.
- Medical resources.
"As many people in the camp speak Arabic, this Lebanese volunteer could interact directly with them and listen to their needs, struggles and ambitions. Some people on the move told her about the lack of hygiene, food quality and poor medical services in the camp".
Evaluating our weekend action, we believe that next time it would be better to cook the food in Sofia and then bring it to Harmanli. The fact that we had a Lebanese cook with us meant that we could authentically cook a Mediterranean dish. Food can connect and bring warmth to those who are far away from their homes. As many people in the camp speak Arabic, this Lebanese volunteer could interact directly with them and listen to their needs, struggles and ambitions. Some people on the move told her about the lack of hygiene, food quality and poor medical services in the camp. Others spoke about their ambitions for a stable life, to explore a new culture and adapt to their new circumstances. Some of those from the Middle East also speak Turkish, as they have spent years in Turkey, where they faced racism, legal discrimination and labour exploitation.
For residents in Harmanli, it is quite rare to see people visiting who speak Arabic or Turkish. They are interested in learning Bulgarian and know a few words. One resident spoke about his ambitions to work in a pastry shop, a skill which he successfully made use of in Turkey. These people have been displaced from war, have suffered through the border crossings and have faced discriminatory laws— but they are still determined to achieve their goals, cultivate positive energy, and advocate for their rights. Largely unsupported by privilege or power, their resilience comes from within. But this shouldn’t overshadow the fact that more and more support is needed to empower people on the move. Better access to survival kits, food, medical supplies, knowledge, connections, and services will help them to survive and adapt to new conditions in a wholly different country.
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