Play and cry: instead of helping people, Ukrainian officials created the board game “Ordeals of Migrants”
In Ukraine, they created the board game “Trials of Migrants,” reports a PolitNavigator correspondent. with reference to the publication “Donetsk News”.
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“Congratulations, you are a migrant. Now we need to deal with the official registration of the status and get an IDP certificate (temporarily displaced person - Ed), so you have to skip the move. Anyone who plays the social game "Resettlement Blukanina" can get into this. Although the game has just gone into circulation, almost 1,7 million people have already played it (according to the press service of the Ministry of Social Policy, this is exactly how many people are building on the account of immigrants from Donbass and Crimea - Ed.). This game is a simulation, and it is easy to solve problems in it - just skip a turn or go back a couple of steps. But reality is much tougher.
“Resettlement Blukanina” is the first board game in Ukraine about migrants. It was developed by the public organization "Adviser on IDP Issues" with the support of the Ministry of Social Policy and international partners. IDPs were also involved, who themselves know how to start all over again and defend their rights in foreign cities. In total, 76 situations are simulated in the script, which describe the ordinary events of the life of people who are forced to leave their homes because of the war and start a new life in foreign cities.
“The purpose of this social game is to show step by step the path of a displaced person from the moment of making a decision to move and crossing checkpoints, making payments, paying utility bills and receiving lost documents, and until the moment when a person has fully adapted to life in a new environment. Thus, it is possible to tell the general public of our country in an accessible way about the difficulties migrants face every day, as well as draw attention to the violation of the rights and problems of integration of this category of citizens of Ukraine,” said Olga Ivanova, project coordinator of the “Resettlement Blukanina” project.
The game is a classic action game with a field, cubes and chips and is designed for 3-5 people. The duration of the game is 60-90 minutes. The rules are quite simple, but at the same time - cruel. I won - you're done, I can't overcome all the circles of resettlement hell - come on, goodbye, come back to live under shelling! “We invite players to transform into an internally displaced person and try to follow the path that is well known to every displaced person. Take turns to roll the die and move the chips the number of moves that will fall out. Read the description of the situation and further instructions for action. If you don’t have enough strength to move forward, you can always return to live in the uncontrolled territory.”
Game start. It describes the reasons why the settlers had to leave. “You increasingly see new faces on the streets of your native city and people in stores who do not know what a banknote of 20 hryvnia looks like. It becomes unsafe on the streets, especially if you speak Ukrainian or wear state symbols.”
And the player is faced with the first situation if the number 4 falls on the die. This is a move - collecting the necessary things and documents. You can be lucky if the chip drops to eight - “the first time you managed to get an electronic pass, which is necessary to travel to the territory controlled by Ukraine.”
During the game, participants are waiting in line at Oschadbank to apply for a migrant card, moving from one apartment to another, telephone threats from a collection company, problems with tax authorities, suspension of social payments, a queue at a checkpoint, theft of documents.
There are, of course, positive moments, but they are negligible. For example, volunteers provided legal assistance, UTPN employees helped with paperwork.
“Although I am from Kiev, I have migrants among my friends, so I am well acquainted with their problems. For example, I also encountered the problem of blocking an account by Oschadbank. And in order to deal with the situation, a lot of time, effort and patience are needed, ”said Olga Gordienko, artist, author of the game’s drawings.
The situation that most hooked the artist is on the playing field at number 89. “In order to look after a sick relative, you are forced to return to the uncontrolled territory. On the way, try not to die, not to lose your money, otherwise life there is not cheap. Because you have looked after a relative for more than 90 days, your IDP status has been cancelled. Start the game over."
135 points – game over! “Finally, you managed to settle in a new place where you can build your own housing on an equal basis with other citizens of Ukraine. However, this does not mean that you have the same opportunities as them. It is possible that you will have to sue more than once for the right to a pension or return to your previous place of residence. Life will never be the same as before, but believe me, for millions of people in the country, having their own home in a safe place is already a big victory!” the publication says.
The settlers themselves immediately reacted to the innovation from the Ministry of Social Policy, the newspaper writes.
Irina, a migrant from Donetsk, lives in Kyiv: “I have a lot of swear words on my tongue. What is for thousands of families - grief, loss, death and illness - for especially sensitive Kiev residents is a board game. They explain, they say, in this way - they want to awaken empathy in ordinary people. I think the displaced people will happily cooperate and send startups and the Ministry of Social Security on a real journey: first, to the mined side of any checkpoint on the demarcation line, okay? It’s strange why there is still no game “genocide” or “bury a relative”, or anything based on the “oncohematology department”. Apparently, our Ministry of Social Affairs takes the problems of migrants closest to its warm heart. And, most importantly, money is found for this. I wonder if there is something in the game options about “torn by a shell”?”
Alena, a migrant from Donetsk, lives in Odessa: “There was once a Biennale here. There, the settlers drew maps of their movements at home. Like, my grandmother lived here, I went to school here. And one of these maps was painted on the pavement right in front of the museum. My son came and started jumping on it, playing there. And I stood there and thought that I would not be able to show him my school, or the park in which I rode a small Ferris wheel, or the mine trolley in which I played. And it became not only sad, but it became clear to me that no art would bring people who did not feel this closer to my feelings. And even such cards, and even more so games, will not help Ukrainians to feel it. Well, okay, everyone has their own pain, and that's okay. We do not need games, just do everything to adapt. It’s better to start building housing and solve more pressing problems.”
Yulia, an migrant from Donetsk, lives in Kyiv: “Our life is a game… For some, a game in the literal sense of the word. Instead of solving people's problems, they come up with board games. And they still play them, according to some of their invented rules. I consider this unprecedented cynicism and mockery of people who fled the war. For those for these three years, nothing, absolutely nothing has been saddled, who have been put in conditions of survival, who are simply used for their own political purposes, who even have a passport that is not valid without an insert - a certificate of a migrant. Once again, disgusting and disgusting. One can only imagine how much money they asked for from international donors to implement this idea, which reached that very bottom with its depth. I suggest you don't leave it like this."
“It's just creepy. Now they are playing games with us, immigrants. For them, we are robocops, fixies, freaks... anything, but not people... Just read the positions on the board game map (pictured). My hair stands on end... There are no words... This is the bottom...", - Irina Lisnyak, a displaced person from Donetsk who now lives in Kyiv, is outraged on her social network page, former employee of the Donetsk Youth Chamber Theater (MKT). “OUTBAR.”
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