Namrud Negash

NAMRUD NEGASHI

A FIGHTER FOR THE HOMELESS

By Stephen Wilson 

 

           There are some dreams you have which leave an indelible impression on you. They are so disturbing you can't forget them. They jolt you out of your humdrum routine life. A few days ago I had a dream where I saw an old friend walking toward me seeking a meeting. It was Namrud. When I approached him he retreated and vanished into thin air. I could not find him or rather was unable to cross some kind of threshold. When I woke up and reflected on this strange meeting it occurred to me that Namrud Negashi, an old friend and colleague from Ethiopia who helped the homeless, had died ten years ago. I wondered whether the dream was just a coincidence. But it is easy to get carried away when we interpret our dreams so I think it is better to skip speculation or indulge in fruitless mysticism. What really matters is that Namrud Negashi's life left a priceless legacy. And this remains a living legacy. He was one of the few people who wholly devoted his whole life to helping the homeless and the hungry not only in Moscow but in Ethiopia during the dreadful famine of 1984-1985. Namrud was not short of detractors. He certainly made mistakes, but we all made terrible errors during the establishment and creation of the Brotherhood of Saint Seraphim of Sarov. I don't think those detractors completely acknowledge or appreciate the pressures he bore in attempting to do, at times, impossible feats. Despite errors, it is what he accomplished which should amaze us!

 

I can remember a lot of good things about Namrud. He usually came across as a very warm, cheerful and talkative person. He was also a great storyteller who told us endless anecdotes.This should come as no great revelation as Ethiopia is a land with a strong oral poetic tradition where storytelling is deeply rooted in their culture. Ethiopians use stories to not only entertain people but educate and strengthen the bonds in communities. When a wife of a Priest had heard Namrud had died she felt very sorry for him. She told us, "He was a very kind man. Do you know that when I was pregnant in a maternity ward he dropped by us and fed us with his Ethiopian cuisine." I had never heard of that story before. I wager that there are many such stories we have never heard about concerning Namrud's deeds. I know that Namrud had struggled to help all kinds of refugees and that he had often spent hours speaking with officials at the Migration services or with all kinds of officials hopelessly pleading their cases. He was also trying to help some homeless and poor children. I recall the brotherhood even organised a small summer camp for poor children.

From around 1996 into the next decade of the 21st century the Brotherhood continued to feed, cloth and try to comfort the homeless from a Church located within the vicinity of the three railway stations of Moscow. It was hardly easy. There were many people against this. The only reason we could do this because there was a good priest, Father Stefan, who fully understood and supported what we were doing. But many people in his congregation did not like this and strongly objected. They would say things like "Why should we help those people who are just wasters and petty criminals?" or "We can't let them wander our church. They can come in and steal things" and  "I am afraid of them."  But Father Stefan who had spent over a decade in prison for his religious beliefs had no such fear. He would invite them round the church explaining his belief and what this or that icon represents. One elder who worked in the church became jealous of the amount of attention and support the priest was giving Namrud. He started to attack the Brotherhood saying, "What right have those people to call themselves the Brotherhood of Saint Seraphim when some of those volunteers are Protestants or atheists?" 

In the Brotherhood we had volunteers from the Lutheran church and, yes, there may well have been an atheist. One woman came up to me and said, "O You are a Protestant" as if it was some kind of heinous sin. I felt that, 'This is like Northern Ireland all over again'. I replied, "Where did you get this information? How do you know it is true?" So Namrud and others found themselves being dragged into some foolish conflicts and church office politics which we strove hard to avoid. 

The Brotherhood was not set up for prestige, power or to make some money. It represented a genuine attempt to comfort the poor and the homeless who often only encountered hostility in the streets. But that is not how many people saw this. Charity can be a magnet for all kinds of petty criminals and con-artists. Namrud and I often felt we were like policemen questioning certain people. What at first seemed like a simple and straightforward project quickly became excessively complex. There was a lot of opposition to feeding the homeless. They perceived the homeless as a threat in terms of crime, hygiene and morals. There still is such opposition. It was more difficult for Namrud because he was an Ethiopian, who at times endured racist slurs which I witnessed, and once when I arrived with him to go back to his hostel he was not allowed in by the security men. When I stayed with him I recall telling a security man that I was from Serbia just as a joke. Later, the OMAN raided the room where Namrud and I were sharing and one man asked us "Where is this Serbian guy?" I showed him my British passport and they moved on. Instead, they took away all those Chinese students and thrust them into a long bus. Fortunately, Namrud and I avoided this for some reason.

 

The Brotherhood attempted to set up a paper for the homeless twice. But each time the project failed. Why was this case? It was not because of the enthusiasm of the homeless who made a great effort to sell such papers. The reason was partly due to police harassment where vendors could be detained or told to move on. Another reason was that potential sponsors wouldn't help us because we represented 'competition'. The Big issue in London refused to offer material or moral sponsorship because, "The people in the Saint Petersburg newspaper for the homeless objected." That was inexplicable to us. You would have thought that such people helping the homeless would have greatly welcomed such an initiative. But for some reason they have never given they refused! The only hint I received about their motives for refusing was that,  "We were competition". You can readily understand why many people question the motives of those who work in charity. I mean what has competition got to do with the original Latin meaning to Charity which is 'Loving respect'? When many years later I heard a Moscow Charity for the homeless deride another charity as 'competition' I ceased to support them. At a meeting with one directer of a homeless shelter I offered the aid of volunteers who were prepared to visit and offer their skills to the homeless. He answered, "We don't need all that. All we need is money for repairing things." At least the Brotherhood did not turn away any volunteer who wanted to help the homeless.

Homeless Newspaper in Moscow Namrud directed

I recall that when Namrud entered a police station all the homeless who were behind bars got down on their knees to render homage to him. I think a lot of homeless people practically worshiped him. Even some of the police were glad to hear that he was working hard to defend their interests. Unfortunately, Namrud became very sick and was taken to hospital. But even though he was sick he still talked about the importance of helping the homeless. Jim Vail told him, "Look you are in no condition to help the homeless. You need to get yourself straightened out." He fell victim to alcoholism and developed sclerosis. In the hospital he found some poor man wandering around the bathroom desperately scavenging for cigarette ends. So we managed to at least get him a packet of cigarettes.

 

When I last spoke to Namrud it was by telephone. He was at the airport on his way back to Ethiopia where he later died a few months later. I asked him how he felt about returning and he told me, "Very sad but also in some ways I welcome it. I would like you to carry on helping the homeless, and in particular the shelter which was looking after me". For some reason, Namrud never wanted to return to Ethiopia  and to be honest, I don't think it was the right thing for him to be sent back. Russia had become his first home! His soul belonged in Russia. This was the decision of the shelter which was taking care of him and feared a potential scandal least he die in their place.

 

I have to admit that Namrud was inscrutable. There is a lot I don't know about him. His daughter who lives in Canada was inspired by him and is helping the downtrodden. So she is carrying on his struggle. This ought to be a consolation for Namrud! Whatever people say, Namrud struggled to the end to help the sick and the homeless. Even when he was in hospital his thoughts were with the other patients. We are justified in regarding him as a true fighter for the homeless. We are proud to have met him. We certainly won't forget him !