Vendor Interview: Olja
You can say anything you’d like to in the interview- it’s your space.
My Name is Olja. I’m from Croatia. I’ve been homeless in London since 2018. I came here with my partner in search of a better life, and we did have a job. We were employed for 2 years, and then came Brexit. We lost our jobs, and because we didn’t have the registration for certificates, and some administrative things were not on our side, that’s where the homeless story begins. Thanks to the outreach team, thanks to COVID basically, in a way, the outreach team enabled us to find a place and find hostel accommodation. Then I’m doing DOPE Magazine as well, maybe now for 4 years total, I’m selling the magazines. It helps a lot.
Are people receptive to it?
Yeah, a lot of people know me and buy the magazine; they say, “This is the girl who sells the magazines.” I do art as well, I sell paintings, along with the magazines, so they used to say, “this is the DOPE girl”, now they say “this is the painter”. It goes together.
Do you get bother for selling it?
Sometimes I have some. In every line of work, when you work with people, you can get criticised and looked bad upon. But I don’t have any serious trouble.
Is it hard to sell an anarchist newspaper?
No! In the beginning, I was thinking, it's not going to work for the older generation, maybe, I mean, I’m 50 as well, so I was thinking, how are they going to react above my age, like 60 or 70-year-olds. But it’s great. I don’t know if they read it, aha, but at least they buy it. The younger generation is open to everything, so they buy it. Some people, even if they don’t understand the concept of anarchism, they still buy it. And I was thinking maybe it’s a bit too alternative, but no, it’s going well. And I never have enough magazines; whatever I have, I sell. That means it’s good, it’s very popular.
What do you like to do when you’re not selling DOPE Magazine?
I like to paint. I do acrylics on paper, canvas, wood, metal, on everything. I like to paint bikes and stuff. I worked as a photographer back in Croatia for about 8 years, which was a really nice and successful period of my life. I’m all about art, I like dance, I like painting, and I like music. And DOPE as well, it’s also promoting art, and people who are on the streets, street art. I like to do things that fulfil me. I said I’m not going to work anymore as a part of the machine; I’m just an observer.
If you could change one thing about the world tomorrow, what would you change?
I would take electricity off. Again, to start from without. I would turn back time, 50-60 years, it would be more romantic, less wars, less bombs, more love, dance, music and festivals. A bit of innocence has been taken away. And people are not spending time together anymore; everything’s happening online, there's no real life. So that’s what I miss, that’s what I would change. Back to the roots.
Is there anything else you would like to say?
I would just want to wish everyone who is doing the same as me, who is selling these magazines, a lot of luck, and to sell as much as they can. Let’s push this project forward, because I think it helps a lot of people.
DOPE Magazine is free for anyone who wants to sell it in the street. Vendors keep 100% of the money.
Photos: Emil Lombardo. Paintings by Olja.
