Dr. Benjamin Markin from Ghana came to Mostar 25 years ago, he founded his family and stayed there forever. Ben is a real resident of Mostar now, and he considers BiH as his homeland. He is not the only one to do that.
This interesting resident of Mostar is a former student of the Medical School in Zagreb during the former Yugoslavia and then he became a doctor in Jajce. Now, he is one of the most popular doctors in Mostar, as well as the politest passer-by that you can meet on the streets of Mostar.
Despite his skin colour and his origins, Ben stated that he never felt any kind of discrimination, and especially not racial discrimination.
“I was head of the Department of Surgery at the Clinical Hospital in Mostar, and I was even elected as a councillor in the Municipal Council, and what was especially surprised me was the trust that was given to me when I was appointed as the Ambassador of BiH to Japan back in 1999. I never felt any distrust or experienced any insults because I am a black man,” said Ben.
Today, he is in the retirement and lives his peaceful family life in Mostar with his two sons, a daughter-in-law and grandchildren, 13 years-old Benjamin and five years-old Lorena, while the third son lives with his family in Zagreb.
When asked whether he misses his homeland Ghana, Ben said:
“I am here longer than I was in my homeland after I was born. Yes, I miss it but time does its thing. My family is here, and this is my homeland now, and I am proud resident of Mostar,” concluded Dr. Ben.
He also remembers the city of Mostar from the period before the war, and he said that it was very beautiful and clean city, a real pearl.
“Young people are a bit negligent and people do not care for their own. I have noticed that people behave better towards strangers than their fellow citizens. I do not know the reason for this, but they have to accept their own just like they accepted the foreigners. We cannot leave each other out – whatever I wish for myself, I have to give to others as well, because there is no peace without that,” concluded this interesting man from Ghana.
(Source: fokus.ba/Photo by: DW/V. Soldo)
