What I learned and thought

By Kenji Shimizu

While it was a shame not to be able to conduct the Peace Lab class in person in Kosovo, these last three weeks have been super insightful. Before participating in this class, I knew very little about the Balkan States and the volatile tensions that have persisted throughout the past centuries. These tensions have crept up in the various meetings that we have attended with NGOs and other leadership figures. The meetings confirmed for me that peacebuilding is a very complex, time-consuming procedure, one that is not as easy as the Trump administration would seem to think. 

A perfect example of the painstakingly long process of peacebuilding is the continued presence of UNMIK, who were originally scheduled to leave in 2012. The people we met from UNMIK were career diplomats themselves, having helped out in other conflicts worldwide. According to them, Ambassador Grenell could potentially formulate a peace agreement, but this agreement would paper over the cracks of what is, in my opinion, an almost irreparable conflict. As Mr. Kurti put it, the U.S. is seeking a quick international success, with the desired ascendancy of both Kosovo and Serbia to the European Union, perhaps providing an easier start for dialogue. This taught me a lot about international relations and peacekeeping, namely that countries are more protectionist than I initially thought. If peacebuilding proves to be economically beneficial, as is the case of EU membership, then countries may very easily forgive past quarrels.  

Nonetheless, the work the various NGOs are conducting is inspiring. A particular point that stood out to me was that when Mitrovica Community Building offered English classes, the students pointed out that they would much rather prefer learning either Serbian or Albanian. This taught me the importance of youth in peacebuilding missions, not necessarily only in Kosovo. Younger individuals tend to be more forgiving and open minded than older people, perhaps due to a degree of naivety. An ideal activity, with which the youth can interact among separated communities, is sports. 

 

Through the research for my project, I noticed multiple instances in which, on a meso level, sports helped bind youth from different ethnic backgrounds together. Identity building is still very much developing throughout childhood, with athletes, in particular, providing a source of inspiration for young individuals. 

Comparably, the importance of education was highlighted for me. If teachers educate younger pupils about both the Serbian and Albanian cultures, then negative stereotypes of both cultures, and other minority cultures in Kosovo, would dissipate easier. Future peaceful coexistence, not only in Kosovo, is heavily dependent on non-biased education, ensuring that younger individuals are taught to not hate other ethnicities. In addition, experiences of parents formed a vital part of the willingness to engage in intercommunal dialogue, which I found interesting. This ties back to education, as a hate-incited educational system propagates nationalism, which would increase the amount of nasty experiences individuals experience. A combination of sports activities and educational sessions could ensure that young individuals in Kosovo could live in unison, potentially spilling over into peaceful relationships in next generations.

Similarly, the importance of uniformity in all societal institutions, for peaceful coexistence, was highlighted in the meetings we attended. Specifically, Serb communities in Kosovo were supported by Serbia-backed educational institutions and a Serbia-backed policing unit.
The success of sports in peacebuilding depends heavily on integrated social structures, through which a group of national athletes could rally citizens to live peacefully. This was the case in Ivory Coast, where Didier Drogba’s plea helped stop a civil war from breaking out in 2005, and in Sri Lanka, where a cricket legend called on ethnically different people to stop fighting among themselves. In Kosovo this differs greatly, as Serb-minority communities look up to Serbian athletes. The separate institutions are a big reason for the continued divisiveness prevalent in Kosovo. Therefore, it is vital to reduce this gap as much as possible. 

This made the work of Kosovo 2.0 so interesting, as they are one of the only news outlets to publicize in both Serbian and Albanian (as well as English). The media, as was mentioned in that meeting, is one of the primary instigators of violence in the region. If more news outlets broadcasted in both Serbian and Albanian, it would be easier to tackle the fake news that serves as primary instigator of hateful tensions. 

Ultimately, Peace Lab helped reiterate past knowledge from other IR classes, while at the same time teaching me valuable information about conflict escalation and de-escalation, namely, that the latter is difficult to achieve as conflicts are more complex than meets the eye.

Last day in virtual Kosovo

19 June 2020

By Britt Bom

Today, on our very last day in ‘virtual Kosovo’, we met with Jack and Iliriana from Kosovo 2.0; an independent media organization that publishes about a wide variety of topics and advocates for human rights, inclusive participation, and media freedoms. Through print and online magazines, Kosovo 2.0 explores the current situation in Kosovo and its surrounding region. The organization has recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and publishes in three languages: Serbian, Albanian, and English. Working with these three languages is rare for journalism platforms in Kosovo but comes with the benefit of not only including all citizens of Kosovo, but also being accessible to English-speaking people from other parts of the world. 

Both Jack and Illiriana were very kind, passionate, and knowledgeable which meant that our usual round of questions was responded to with very elaborate answers. What I liked is that Illiriana explained how they strive for personal stories, meaning that if they publish an article that concerns discrimination towards Roma and Ashkali people, for example, they make sure that it is written by someone coming from one of these backgrounds. I think that this is important because people who have experienced it, are in my opinion, more suitable to tell the story. Moreover, this way people from minorities get to represent their own voices, rather than a ‘third party’ telling stories about lives they did not live and things they have not experienced.

Our virtual trip through Kosovo has been a very meaningful experience that I think has inspired and triggered many of us to go there by ourselves one day. Maybe we’ll be able to get internships, do volunteer work or just go there to see what else Kosovo has to offer. One thing I do know, and what has become very clear through our meetings, is that Kosovar people are very welcoming and kind, but also thankful to share their stories with us.

In the coming week, we will be focusing on finishing our projects, which we will present to each other on Thursday and Friday. After that, Peace Lab 2020 is done. It has been an interesting experience, for which I would like to thank Anne, Nini, and all of the organizations and people that took the time to speak with us and educate us about Kosovo, so: THANK YOU! It has been eye-opening, educational and fun!

An independent voice for the voiceless

19 June 2020

By Madeleine Doan 

 

Currently, I am sitting in my wooden chair behind my wobbly desk. Whilst looking at the grey skies outside, I am reflecting on another interesting day. Over the past days, we had the pleasure of virtually travelling through Kosovo to meet with different organizations, each with their own mission, but all united in the common goal of helping Kosovo to grow. Today, we had the pleasure of meeting with Kosovo 2.0. Kosovo 2.0 is an independent, modern media organization based in Prishtina. This organization was founded by Besa Luci -a journalist from Kosovo- in 2010, as Kosovo’s very first blogging platform. In 2010, Kosovo was two years post-independence. After the war, the image the world had of Kosovo was largely determined by international media.

There was a dominant foreign frame that talked about Kosovo in terms of war, corruption, organised crime, inter-ethnic tensions and conflicts which created a very unilateral image of the country. As a young girl, living through the Kosovo war, 29-year-old Besa was frustrated with these media practices and the way Kosovo was portrayed. This formed the main driver for her to establish a platform to unite young people from within Kosovo and beyond Kosovo’s borders, to change the discourse. Ever since the establishment of this platform, Kosovo 2.0 has been rapidly evolving and it will be celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. 

Today, it works as an institute of journalism, creative production, human rights advocacy, media freedom, and inclusive participation. With 70% under 35 years old, Kosovo has the youngest population in Europe. However the voice of young people in Kosovo is often underrepresented. Kosovo 2.0 calls itself an “independent voice for the voiceless”. By combining traditional and new media, they created a platform for Kosovo’s youth to become more informed and active and to challenge the status quo.

The meeting with the representatives of Kosovo 2.0 itself was very interesting. Before today, I had never heard of this organization before but I find it very inspiring that they are not afraid to take a stance and voice their opinions. All of this in order to change the discourse, in a country where so many share the feeling of being pawns in a  political game and of not having a say in what is going on in their country. Kosovo 2.0 really aims to go beyond the mainstream headlines and discover how people’s daily lives are influenced. 

Of course, as a magazine that challenges the status quo, Kosovo 2.0 faces a lot of criticism as well, mainly from conservative and religious groups. Despite this, Besa believes it’s vital that Kosovo protects its media’s fundamental right to freedom of expression, and strives to build a culture that encourages the discussion of issues relevant to young people as there is “little coverage of the issues and problems that young people are facing”.

This online version of Peace Lab managed to give me a totally different dimension to learning. It really highlighted the importance of learning about different perspectives to broaden one's horizons. Although our schedule was packed and intense from time to time, I will definitely miss our little online community and the daily meetings we had. 

On behalf of the whole Peace Lab 2020 group, I would like to thank you for following our virtual journey through Kosovo.

Take care of  yourself and yours,

Madeleine

Erasing the distance

18 June 2020

By Stan Bride

Our virtual journey to Kosovo ended this Friday after several follow-up interviews (which took place for some of us) and our final meeting with Kosovo 2.0.  This independent media organisation publishes content both on paper and online and covers a great  diversity of topics. In fact, throughout our meeting, Jack (deputy editor-in-chief) and Iliriana (managing director) mentioned topics which echoed almost every single theme which we had been confronted with in these last three weeks. In that sense, the name of the organisation is very telling as the magazine is to a certain extent a crystallisation of all the different topics which make up Kosovo.

Interestingly, the fact that all this information  – which I wouldn’t have had without Peace Lab – but also the pictures and stories were made so accessible through the organisation’s website made me feel as if I was almost in Kosovo physically and erased some of the distance which I think most of us felt during our meetings. This distance is something which I felt several times throughout the last two weeks but particularly this Friday. More specifically, it has been something very paradoxical in the sense that technology allowed us to connect with people in Kosovo without being actually there. In some instances, it certainly felt as if we were there, however you are brought back to reality the moment the meeting ends, and you are suddenly alone on your desk chair. Because of the pandemic, this distance has most likely been felt by many people around the world in one way or another. 

However, on a more political and geographical level, Kosovo is also subject to a similar paradoxical distance. Often described in the readings as a region at the heart of Europe, the absence of visa liberalisation or the length of Kosovo’s candidacy to EU membership prove otherwise. This was made very explicit during the follow-up interviews which also took place on Friday for some of us. I can only speak for my group, but when Rosa and I talked to the students, mentioning our inability to be in Kosovo because of the pandemic often led to the topic of the complexity for people in Kosovo to travel in the EU. In other words, without realising it and in the flow of the conversation, we associated these distances. 

This comparison is not without any significance for it bears a message of hope. Whether it is Anne’s decision to maintain Peace Lab virtually, the rich journalistic work of Kosovo 2.0, or the friendly conversations we exchanged with the students during the follow-up interviews, all these actions erase some of the distance I mentioned earlier. Even if temporary or small, I have a feeling that these actions have an impact. In the same way that we have been able to erase the 2,300 km between Amsterdam and Pristina, I feel like the same can be done, step by step, between the EU and Kosovo.