“Bridging the Gap”--Reconciliation in a Divided City

By Parthivi Mariwala

20 June 2022 

On this day we visited Mitrovica. This is a city in the northern region of Kosovo that borders Serbia and is divided by a bridge that separates Kosovo's Albanian population in the South and the Serb-dominated area in the North. The bridge symbolizes the division in the people after the 1999 violence and physically divides the city and ethnicities. This division between North Mitrovica and South Mitrovica expands beyond the physical realm. We heard from the New Social Initiative, a think-tank in North Mitrovica, that more than one-third of the Kosovar-Serbian population avoids crossing the bridge out of fear. The bridge represents the mental division of the people living in Kosovo.  The two populations speak different languages- Serbian and Albanian- have different currencies, and one of the most predominant divisions is different educational systems--all of which reinforces the polarizing dynamic. The hundred dinars in my pocket became obsolete as we crossed the bridge. This bridge, and thus Mitrovica, represents the grey area where Kosovo stands, as an independent nation and a part of Serbia simultaneously. The Italian Carabinieri has posts on either side of the bridge as patrols, part of the international presence that is now daily life in Kosovo. Thus, it is essential to understand the roots of the anxiety from both sides. This is a multi-layered and complex dynamic where organizations must simultaneously focus on several levels and issues. 

Bridge dividing Mitrovica

 

In North Mitrovica, we visited the New Social Initiative, a multi-ethnic organization working on transitional justice with a top-down and bottom-up approaches. They have a unique position of not only including the different ethnicities impacted by the conflict, but also by means of the different levels of impact. Established in 2015, the New Social Initiative works on integrating the Serb community by working with governments to help draft policy documents and include grassroots reconciliation efforts. They aim to improve social inclusion and promote dialogue between the two communities. We learned about their work bridging the gap between the two communities and fostering reconciliation in Mitrovica and Kosovo. They explained some of the challenges they face.

One is at the national level, where it is quite a systematic division. The Serbian government pays Kosovar Serbs their salaries in the Serbian dinar. Many official documents, while legally required, are not translated into Serbian, and the school systems are very different. In this sphere, it is vital to understand the nuanced politics of Belgrade within the context of Kosovo and their focus on keeping Kosovar Serbs loyal to their country. To somewhat simplify the division, let's begin with one of the issues that transcends into the other spheres. The two different educational systems consist of one Kosovar-Albanian system run with Albanian children and teachers. The other follows the curriculum set by Serbia and teaches Serbian children in the Serbian language. School curricula are separate; thus, they don't learn each other's language and fail to grow together as there is little or no integration at this level.

 

View from the Bridge, with North Mitrovica on the left and South Mitrovica of the right

The issue of language in the educational system also translates itself to the local level, where the two communities not only fail to learn each other's language but also fail to learn a common language. Consequently, there is no cultural exchange, and that's where the work of NGOs such as the New Social Initiative becomes so significant. Encouraging dialogue about sensitive issues is essential for reconciliation efforts. Nevertheless, language-learning campaigns begin not just at the grassroots NGO level but also the systematic level of educational institutions and government papers. Thus, language becomes an important tool to facilitate clear dialogue between the two communities and bridge the gap, fostering an understanding of the individual anxieties.

Kosovar's future is complex, and it is important to differentiate between past and present dialogues. The past holds the impact of the war memory. Whereas, in the present, the country struggles with the economic instability and unemployability of the youth that overpowers past grievances. This is also amplified by the stories told by their families, imprinting different histories onto the youth, and carrying on the fear. Thus, there is a stark difference between older people and youth. What does this mean for reconciliation efforts? For Kosovo, NGOs and governmental institutions must look into the future while creating space for the past. I believe this starts by facilitating dialogue as a small step in bridging the gap between the two communities.

 

Our ‘last’ day in Pristina: from Fushë Kosovë to a government roundtable to Zanzi

By Lenka Šimšić  

23 June 2022

After finally getting a decent night's sleep, we all gathered at Newborn for the last time at 9 in the morning. We got into cabs and headed to Fushë Kosovë to meet with the Ideas Partnership. Anne had told us that the group in 2018 felt it came too close to voluntourism which is why they didn’t go in 2019. However, since the organisation asked us to come back and the meeting was deemed important, our group would be the first to return. After some big confusion amongst the cab drivers on which road to take, and one cab even being pulled over by cops, a slightly frustrated Bartha managed to make sure we arrived on time after all.

The stark contrast in living conditions between the Roma, Ashkali, Egyptian community living in Fushë Kosovë and Pristina was painfully obvious. The visit was at times uncomfortable, due to being told we could take pictures with the kids and not being able to talk to any of the people there. Some in our group felt it was an important visit while others thought it was inappropriate. Despite differences in how we felt about it, I think it left our whole group with a heavy heart, a big realisation of our own privilege, and a confirmation of this community being the most marginalized in Kosovo.

Back in Prishtina, we had a quick lunch at one of the rare healthy places we’d come to love, Sonder. Afterwards, we headed to the organisation I had presented on: Kosovo 2.0, an online news magazine that operates as one of the few independent media outlets in Kosovo. Besa Luci told us about the organisation with passion and afterwards our group of course was eager to ask questions. While the organisation itself impressed me since it highlights the taboo topics in Kosovo’s society, Besa additionally impressed us all with her intelligent analysis of Kosovo’s situation. She, for example, highlighted the colonial discourse on development in Kosovo when it comes to women empowerment and other aspects. We enthusiastically bought about half of the magazines available and me and Sara quickly interviewed Besa for our project. This was a bit intimidating seeing as she seemed annoyed at the questions we were asking, which also made us reflect on the relevance of a Kosovar identity. Throughout all our interviews the thing that stuck to me most was that identity is fluid and personal, which Besa once again reiterated.

We rushed to get to the government building for our meeting with Elizabeth Gowing, co-founder of the Idea’s Partner ship and now advisor to the Prime Minister regarding Kosovo’s minority communities. Sadly, PM Albin Kurti was only able to quickly say hi, but our meeting with Gowing was still quite interesting. I was impressed with her self-awareness regarding the sensitivity of her position especially as someone who wasn’t born in Kosovo.

We ended the day with a dinner at Rings, the same place we ate the first night in Prishtina. We all reflected on something that had changed for us, quite an emotional moment for all. The whole group reflected on how special this experience had been and how comfortable we all felt with each other. For me the trip was very different than I expected, and I was reminded of thinking about the human face behind political narratives. As a student born in Amsterdam to Serbian parents, I knew of Kosovo, but I had no idea about the people of Kosovo. This trip taught me about their resilience, hospitality, and kindness.

While we were all prepared to leave the next morning, our flight got cancelled so we got another day in this vibrant city which I was secretly quite happy with. We ended the night dancing away in Zanzi bar and with a sunrise walk followed by a pack of about 20 stray dogs, another family we found in Prishtina.

 

Mitrovica – Barriers and Bridges

By Alexandra von Vultejus

21 June 2022

What a day! After a lovely easy breakfast at the hotel close to Mitrovica of cheese, bread, cucumber, and tomatoes we got picked up by the UN bus and were brought to the regional UNMIK (United Nations Mission in Kosovo) office. It was highly interesting to talk to the UN staff, especially since we had heard so much about the mission and Resolution 1244 before.

After they answered our adamant questions, we directly made our way to meet with UNDP (United Nations Development Program) and UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) in the region of Mitrovica. Earlier that day in the bus, I had given a short presentation about their general missions and their region-specific appliance in Kosovo. We learned a lot about their programs, specifically targeted at the region, for example, in terms of capacity building (UNDP) or COVID-responses (UNICEF). Amongst many things, I was particularly impressed by UNICEF’s vaccination campaigns. The topic of decreased funding came up repeatedly. Our focus shifted for much of the conversation to the lead pollution issue of Mitrovica and its impact on the people and the organizations’ work.

Many groups used the lunch break to conduct interviews on the streets of Mitrovica until our meeting with the organization CBM (Community Building Mitrovica). We were all deeply impressed and inspired by their multi-ethnic team and engagement in the community. Our final group activity of the day was visiting the Field of Blackbirds. For me personally, the location had an odd feeling to it. It reminded me of all the battles that had been fought, lives lost, and history being made at this place. We climbed up the stairs inside of the monument from where we were able to see parts of Kosovo and the beautiful surrounding mountains.

Throughout our time in Mitrovica, I constantly had to think about the bridge, separating the North of the city with a Serbian majority of inhabitants from the South with an Albanian majority. In the North, the Serbian currency appeared to be predominant, and the streets were adorned with Serbian flags, whereas stores in the South used Euro as a currency in streets decorated with Albanian flags. The bridge, as a physical and mental barrier yet also connection between the communities of Mitrovica, concerned me lot.

On our way back to Prishtina, I scribbled this sketch in my journal to process my experiences in that city. The hands that move towards each other symbolize the organizations, institutions and individuals that we had met, because of their incredible efforts in community and peace building. 

Peace Lab Kosovo 2022

 

By Anne de Graaf

Three years later, Peace Lab returned to Kosovo in person. From 14-24 June this qualitative research methods fieldwork class traveled to Prishtina, Prizren, Mitrovice and Albania to listen and try to understand the different perspectives of this post-conflict area. In 2020 and 2021 I conducted the class online, but now we heard the calls to prayer and blackbirds, smelled the macchiatos, felt the warm breeze as evenings cooled, tasted sweet tomatoes and onions and saw the faces of all those who welcomed us warmly: the kindness of strangers.

In the next weeks the students will be writing about their experiences and their projects as we studied peacebuilding, peacekeeping and peacemaking. We came home two days ago after Austrian Airlines cancelled our flights so we had to leave at 4:45 Saturday morning instead of Friday at noon. But that's ok. We've learned to be FLEXIBLE. And it is a great class.

So please do read our blog every day and follow our travels. What an adventure we had!