Milana: do not forget Chechnya
When you meet Milana, you feel like you have an old soul in front of you. Despite the finesse of his features and the sweetness of his eyes, the young woman exudes a breathtaking strength and maturity. If, since the release of her autobiographical book Danser sur les ruines, she continues the interviews and keeps telling her country, it is nonetheless a real emotion when she talks about her beloved Chechnya, broken by incessant wars.
"We can always act"
Thanks to the association Etudes sans frontières, Milana has been in France since 2003. After studying at Sciences-Po, she returned to live in Grozny in November. "My stay was used to talk about my country, the French students knew a little bit about the hell we're going through there, but most of the people do not know it, they've seen terrible images of Beslan, when a commando Chechen Hijacked hundreds of adults and children in a school. But they did not see how much my people were horrified by this tragedy. We were all in the street expressing our anger, our disapproval. The horror in fact was to realize that some of us had acted with the same barbarity that the Russian soldiers used on our land. "
And if the Russo-Chechen conflict seems to leave indifferent the heads of state of the whole world, Milana refuses any fatalism.
"Many people tell me that they can not do anything, but yes, we can always do something!" Studies Without Borders was born from a student volunteer project thanks to the will and courage of this handful of persevering , this association brings to France dozens of young people whose country is in war. Then France is a Earth democratic, we can always put pressure on its leaders! They do not want to get angry with Vladimir Putin because of gas and oil, but we must keep in mind that Russia also needs France! "
"The worst would be forgetting"
If filtration camps and raids persist, the "real war "No longer, more officially, but according to Milana, what is happening now is even more dangerous." Before, people were talking to each other. Now, they are afraid. Fear of the complaints, founded or not. A short time ago, Russian soldiers killed or imprisoned at random. Victims are now more targeted. This battle is even more horrible because it is more insidious. " The young Chechen speak in perfect French. She has written her book in the language of Molière. She tells us that her mother is scared since she knows about her daughter's story. "She tells me it's no good, I'm afraid for my family because in Chechnya, it's the relatives who are often punished, but I know that witnessing is necessary, and the worst thing is that we are forgotten."
His project: helping others Chechens
Upon her return to Grozny, Milana plans to take care of a European cultural center. A project funded by European institutions and not by an NGO. "The young people there need a window open to the world, with a video library, language and computer courses, or even a library." Philosophers and intellectuals from all over Europe would come I think this opening to the outside is very important for the youth Chechen. Despite the propaganda and corruption suffered in Chechnya, the fatigue of the last two wars and almost universal indifference, there remains in my people a refusal of resignation. Otherwise, we would go crazy. Our strength lies in our solidarity and faith in the future. It helps us to live. "Milana's gaze suddenly darts away, and in an instant she feels Earth from its roots. His face is crossed by a shadow of sadness, then of hope. We, we feel then a little Chechen.
Dance on the ruins, by Milana Terloeva, Hachette Literatures, 18 euros
