Nineteen sparks of hope

By Laure Durang

Hope. It is as simple and as powerful as having hope. And I think hope is the very thing that I will take away most from this trip.

On our last night together in Kosovo, during dinner, we all shared how we had changed most during this trip. When Anne first asked us this, I could see a couple confused and nervous faces, including myself. How had we changed over the course of 10 days? And how could we best share this? Nevertheless, just like that, we each did share how we had changed. One by one whenever we felt comfortable. Surely, soon enough some tears were also shed. This was a beautiful evening and a core memory I will cherish for a very long time. After just 10 intense days together, we were able to open up to each other and share very personal things, just because we had created such a safe and trusted environment. 

 

I shared that I had regained hope. As a young person these days, you can easily feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. Wars, climate change, injustices, pandemics, financial crises, you name it. One by one, each is thrown our way. On top of that, we are also told that as young people, it is up to us to make the difference for the future. And although I do truly believe that young people are the future and we are immensely powerful in shaping the future, it is not an easy task. Namely, it does feel like the weight of the world rests on your shoulders. And this can feel immensely overwhelming and sometimes even hopeless. But this changed for me during this trip. It changed for me because I was surrounded by 19 other inspiring and highly driven students, each with their own passion to make the world a slightly better place. Every day I was in awe of my peers. Their hard work, their perseverance, their open hearts, their kindness. I was not just learning from the inspiring people in Kosovo, I was also learning from my inspiring peers. It took this, for me to realize everything is already okay. It is already okay, because I trusted in the amazing contributions all 19 of them were going to make. I was able to trust them, and they gave me hope. The weight of the world was not just on my shoulders, it was distributed evenly on all our shoulders, and we would carry this weight together. And exactly this is what was going to make the weight bearable and also absolutely worth it! With that, I want to express my gratitude to all 19 of you - you inspired me, and I am confident you will continue to touch and inspire all the people you will continue to meet. 

 

 

Besides this precious life lesson in hope, I also learned something about truth. In Kosovo, we listened to many different narratives from many different people. Each told a different truth.  I became conflicted: who was telling the truth and who was I supposed to believe? But Kosovo taught me there is no one truth. My truth is just as valid as your truth, and these do not need to match up in order to both be truths. This made me think maybe it is not about looking for the ultimate truth, but about being okay with the fact that we have different truths. Maybe it is about recognizing that people see things in different ways and that we need to be okay with that. Maybe instead it’s about celebrating our diversity and being able to live in harmony with that diversity. Maybe that’s what peace means? 

For my personal project in Kosovo, together with Anna, Anne-Li and Natalia, we explored art and the power it holds for peacebuilding in Kosovo. Art holds a special power in storytelling, in telling truths. Art is something that surpasses the boundaries of language and ethnicity, as it conveys one message that everyone can understand. Art is powerful in Kosovo and instrumental in advocating for social change. We explored all this and put it on the page in our magazine exploring the power art holds in Kosovo for peacebuilding. Below you can find some page segments, but due to privacy reasons, we could not attach the entire magazine. 

What stuck with me, however, is how artists in Kosovo use art as a form of protest. Artist, Eliza Hoxha, explains, “people were seeking justice through art, when no one was listening”. Similarly, Artist, Fitore Berisha says “As Fitore I am a human rights activist, but the only tool that I have is art. And I am always going to use it so that the message that I convey reaches you”. I think these two quote segments comprehensively showcase how key art is for protest and advocating for social issues in Kosovo. Art makes them listen.  One example is the mural “Broken Dreams”, Fitore painted as seen below with the two women’s heads. This mural was painted in protest against the domestic violence still happening against women in Kosovo. Through her art, Fitore raises awareness and advocates for social change regarding the matter. 

Another piece of art that made a big impact on me, were the missing persons memorials. Simply but powerfully, they could evoke such emotions and display the open wound of the missing persons in Kosovo. Moreover, the missing persons memorials are also an example of how art can help in healing. For families missing loved ones, they offer a space and a way to grieve and remember them. 

Finally, I want to end by bringing up Eli’s comment - there is nothing better than sharing a delicious meal with good people, but for this, you also need to be good company. Keep lighting up the world the way you each do! I could not have wished for a better end to my time at AUC! Please all come visit me in Uppsala next year <3.