I moved to Belgrade from Brazil in 2015. It was a spontaneous idea that surged after talking to a good friend in a bar about my plans for the future. At that time, I was planning to have the experience of being a foreigner somewhere in Europe. Visit Serbia as a black male was a big question in my head. Is it safe? Is it a racist country?
I knew two things about Serbia back then: the football player Petkovic and that Montenegro separated from the country in 2006. I saw that in the news, and somehow, this info stuck in my head. Being an adventurer, I have decided to go to Belgrade with my friend and see Serbia with my own eyes.
The decision to start a new life in Belgrade has proven to be an excellent decision that brought me a lot of good experiences and moments. In this post, I want to share 17 things I learned after living in Serbia for eight years as a black male. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Let’s get it started!!
Table of Contents
People gonna stare at you
Let’s be honest: Serbia is a predominantly white people country. It’s not a common destination where foreigners would love to move to start a new life. Most foreigners I met ended up in Serbia because it happened, not because they planned to do it. Being a foreigner already draws attention anywhere, but being a black male in Serbia will undoubtedly draw some attention.
People gonna stare at you, some with admiration in their eyes, some with curiosity or just intrigued by the fact that you are in their country. There are only a few black people in the country. Nowadays, you can see more people of color than 8 years ago, when I started living in Belgrade. So it is a good idea to prepare yourself to handle these situations. Maybe the best thing to do is not pay too much attention.
Guys won't like to see you with a serbian girl
Walking outside in a park, talking to a girl on the streets, or going somewhere to check out the nightlife, you can see that Serbian guys tend to look at you angrily if you are with a local girl.
These guys can be extremely mean, not to you but to the girls you are with. They won’t say anything to you and will use slang to ensure you don’t understand them. All the comments I heard made me believe that some guys have an ego problem, most of them don’t approach girls, but at the same time, they don’t like to see them with another guy, mainly if he’s black.
Serbs are very proud of their history and their people. Guys are very protective of Serbian girls when they are with foreigners. The vibe you can get from these guys is that, in their opinion, Serbian girls shouldn’t be with any other guys besides Serbian ones.
Racism does exist
Yes, like everywhere in the world, racism exists here as well. But it’s almost non-existent in my experience. In all these eight years, I had only one racist situation. It was a drunk guy that told me he didn’t like to see people of my color in his country. I looked at him and said: “So you better move because I’m not going anywhere. I love it here, and I have an amazing life. If you don’t have a good life here, that’s not my problem”.
Thinking back about that day, maybe it wasn’t wise to tell him what I said, mostly because he was with 6 friends, and they could easily do something to me and start a fight. It was around 3 AM on a Saturday night, and he started talking to me while I was waiting for my food to be prepared in some fast food place.
Right now, when I think back, I can think of different ways to handle that situation. When you are there, and something is happening, you have only a few seconds to act. These situations make you angry, and staying calm and addressing the problem is complicated.
It is safe to be a black male in Serbia. If someone faced some racist situation, I would like to hear in the comments. My black friends told me about some cases that happened to them, but these situations were more exceptions than the rule. Stupid people exist everywhere, and in Serbia, it is no different. However, I want to clarify that these people are a minority.
There's a legit interest to know who you are
We all know that the economic situation in Serbia could be better compared with the European Union and other developed countries. This is why locals are always interested to know why you live in Serbia and, most importantly, if you like their country.
It’s common to hear Serbs complain about their country; I honestly don’t blame them; we are constantly striving to improve our lifestyles. And comparisons with the EU standards often happen since many Serbs live or visit these countries, so there is an expectation plus hope to have a similar development in Serbia at some point.
Putting together all of this plus the fact that you are a person of color, you can understand these are enough reasons for Serbs to be interested in your story and experience in their country.
Serbs are amazing and kind
Serbs want to show the best of their country to everybody, and that’s a legit feeling. They are naturally kind and helpful. Feel free to ask for information from anyone on the streets. If you walk somewhere, stop briefly, and make some “lost tourist face.”, someone will ask you if you need help in a blink of an eye.
I even had situations where people invited me to drink rakija with them shortly after we spoke for a few minutes on the streets. The initial interaction was me only asking for directions to find one shop.
They will help you with translation without asking if you are in a big group and someone speaks something in Serbian. I feel a lot of care from them. You can see their kindness in small things, like holding a door if they know you will enter some establishment, offering to help fill up some form in Serbian if you can’t understand something, etc. Their kindness is one of the main reasons I really like to live here.
People will ask for drugs
I’m not sure about the origin of this stereotype people have about people of color and drugs, but guys constantly ask me if I have some weed or other drugs to sell. It’s an annoying situation that happens often in the nightlife. I asked a couple of black friends, and they told me it also happened to them.
It also happens that people ask me if I know someone that is selling something. In Serbia, if you are in a group of people and someone is looking for something, the chances they will ask the black male in the group first is high.
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You are a master dancer
Another stereotype in Serbia is that people of color are all experts in dancing. People of color have a different energy and swag for music. In countries like Brazil and Angola, people have been dancing since they were kids. When talking to Serbs about dancing or going to the club, many will assume that you are a master in Salsa or Samba if you are Brazilian.
Serbs in general don’t dance that much, contributing to the fact that people of color take the spotlight in an environment with music. I met a couple of Serbs that are excellent dancers, but they are a minority. If you go out to nightclubs, you will see that most guys are just at their tables, staring at people around. It’s a bit different when it is about Serbian girls; they are more interested in dancing and feel free to dance in the clubs.
The latino dream is real
As a black male in Serbia, you will hear some people telling you that many Serbian girls have the Latino dream in their heads. The funny thing about this theory is that I heard it most from guys. After spending some time in Serbia, it’s easy to confirm that this theory is not false. This is likely fueled by Telenovelas in the past and social media nowadays. They helped to show Serbs a bit about Latino culture and how they live.
Many people are naturally curious about different people from distant cultures. So if you are a Latino, you will be an exotic person living or visiting a predominantly white people country like Serbia.
Everybody appreciates your efforts to speak the language
This goes to anyone trying to speak Serbian, but when you are a black male in Serbia, the appreciation from Serbs is even higher. It comes to the fact that being a person of color mainly implies that you are mainly coming from Africa or the Americas. When a Serb sees a person of color, it’s easy to assume this person is not a Serb. So you can imagine their surprise if you throw some sentences in their language.
Making mistakes is normal, and they understand that, don’t be afraid to try and speak their language. Most people will appreciate the fact you are making an effort and help you to fix your mistakes.
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Serbs want to know about your culture
Serbs have an insatiable curiosity, always asking numerous questions to learn more about you. This genuine interest is something I genuinely appreciate. It leads to engaging conversations and provides an excellent opportunity to explore someone else’s culture.
They ask about your background to validate their knowledge of your country. If they lack information, they eagerly embrace the chance to expand their understanding. Get ready for tons of questions… Serbia, being a developing nation, sparks curiosity in Serbs, who wonder why anyone would choose to visit.
It’s funny how often they ask, “Why are you here?” Please don’t misunderstand their intentions; it stems from pure curiosity and the perception that the country is struggling, creating confusion about why someone would want to visit.
There's a prejudice against students
In Serbia, there’s a significant portion of migrants coming from African countries on scholarship programs. Because of that, many believe that a person of color lives in Serbian due to one of these scholarship programs. One of the first questions you can hear from people may be: “Are you a student?”.
So why I stated this as a prejudice? Because of the way some people ask questions or talk about this subject. You can feel it. People can easily assume that you are a student just because you are a person of color.
Once, a person told me, “Yeah, Serbia has a lot of poor immigrants coming from Africa, studying here.” I had to stop her and ask, “How do you know they are poor? The fact they got a scholarship here doesn’t mean they are all poor students from poor family backgrounds”. She said, “They are from Africa.” It’s unfortunate to hear this, but after all these years living in Serbia, I can feel that some people look down on black students.
You won't feel uncomfortable in any restaurant
I still face weird looks when I visit some restaurants in Brazil. The higher the price tag of the restaurant, the stare increases. You know when you enter a restaurant, people stare at you differently, like you don’t belong there? Or what are you doing there? You won’t feel this as a black male in Serbia.
I have been in several restaurants with very different crowds and price tags. One word that can explain how I always felt after going to a restaurant is: GOOD. I never faced any strange looks from anyone, also any racist situation from the staff or a customer.
If you go to a Kafana, you will be a star
Kafanas are the Serbian pubs. It’s a place where they play a lot of folk music, and you can drink a lot of rakija, the Serbian spirit. It’s a great place for socialization and integration with the Serbian culture, perfect to know how Serbs party with their music.
So imagine their surprise if they see a person of color having fun with their songs. If you know the lyrics of some songs, the shock will be more significant. The first song I learned was “Kafana je moja sudbina” by Toma Zdravkovic. It’s a great song where Toma says that Kafana is his truth and destiny. This song often plays in kafanas.
I often sang some Serbian songs by myself, and the singers saw me singing, so they gave me the mic to sing with them. It’s always a fun experience to go to kafanas in Serbia.
Knowing the language will get you far, very far
Everybody knows that speaking the local language of a country can open doors to you, increasing the possibilities of integration and giving you different experiences and moments to remember. So why is Serbia different? It’s not about being different than other countries; it’s about the special touch of it. In developed countries like Germany, it’s expected you speak the local language. If you speak German, you are just doing the minimum expected from you.
Serbs don’t expect foreigners to speak Serbian. Being a person of color in a country where people don’t expect you to speak their language brings great opportunities to connect with people and expand your network. As I mentioned, Serbs are curious people, and if you know their language, they will be very interested to know how you learn Serbian and get to know more about your story.
Many Serbs speak excellent English, mainly in Belgrade. Knowing at least the basics of the Serbian language will also help you connect with locals that don’t speak english. It can happen more if you explore smaller towns in the country.
They want you to marry someone soon
It’s interesting how one of the first questions people ask when you meet them for the first time is if you have a serbian girlfriend. If you say yes, they will ask you when is the wedding. Otherwise they will say you must get one soon and marry her.
Serbs will ask you these questions and comment on your private life because the family as an institution is extremely valuable in their culture. They are constantly in touch with their parents and other family members. Family is very important to them, so they value the possibility of someone forming a new one. They will even connect you with someone if they like you, to speed up the process :).
People think you don't need sun protection
In Serbia, looks like being a black male give us natural and complete protection against the sun, accordingly to many Serbs. I had many different situations where I was traveling with my friends, and they were always in shock when they saw me applying sunscreen cream.
Some comments were jokes, and some were legit a surprise from their side. “Why do you need to apply sunscreen cream?”, I can’t count how many time I heard that. So don’t get mad at anyone if they think you are a superhero that doesn’t need to protect yourself against the sun.
Border crossings are never normal
Every single time, I mean each time I cross a border between Serbia and another country, some situation happens. It’s never a normal border crossing. I get it, and it’s not so common to see a person of color crossing the border in the Balkans, entering Serbia. Based on how they always look at me, I can easily see they are not used to that.
It can happen they will ask several questions about your business in Serbia. It can happen they will ask you if you have drugs in the trunk. Most of the time, they asked me about drugs jokingly, but we all know every joke has some truth inside.
If you know a bit of the language, they will probably get excited and talk to you about random stuff, they are always very friendly when I speak to them in Serbian. Once, I spent over 25 minutes talking to a cop after arriving at the Nikola Tesla Airport. She couldn’t grasp the idea of a Brazilian living in Serbia for more than seven years, so she asked many questions about my experience there.
Conclusion
It is a fantastic experience to live in Serbia as a person of color. I wish I had found someone being open about their experiences in the country nine years ago when I started researching about it. For sure I would be less concerned about what could happen to me in Belgrade.
I learned a lot while living in Belgrade and exploring Serbia. I was motivated to write this blog post when a Brazilian friend asked me if Serbia was a racist country. I hope my experience in this post can give you some information about this beautiful country that became my second home in the world!!
6 Responses
Thanks so much. This was very helpful. Hoping to spend a few days in Belgrade en route Malta. Want to link up with an old friend of 30 years back.
You’re welcome. I’m very glad this article was helpful for you!! Have a great time in Belgrade 🙂
Very interested overview
Thanks for the info,it has really been of great help to me.
You’re welcome. I’m glad this article was helpful for you 🙂
Fantastic article, excellent observations.