Peace privilege

By Mara Smelt

 

After a hectic first day we woke up on Thursday (15 June) morning with renewed energy and excitement. Where the Wednesday had felt like a jump into the cold water, we now knew what to expect and how to prepare. Surprisingly enough, sharing two showers with twenty people has been a relatively smooth process and so at 9:15, after a quick shower and run to the nearby bakery, we made our way down to the NEWBORN monument again. Our Thursday morning walk was cold and wet but this could certainly not spoil our excitement for the upcoming meeting and so, equipped with umbrellas and raincoats, we arrived at the office of our next appointment: Zana Hoxha. 

Hoxha is a Kosovar feminist artist, performer, theatre director, and advocate for women’s rights. Based in Prishtina, she has, among other achievements, managed to set up the yearly artistic festival FemArt, which has become a platform for feminist performers across the Balkan region and far beyond it. Working from the idea that the arts can be a tool to change the narrative, initiate discussions, and foster societal improvement, Hoxha’s FemArt brings together feminist performers from all across the world. 

 

At Zana Hoxha's office

Upon entering Hoxha’s office we were aware of her background and achievements, yet this meeting exceeded any expectations we had. From the moment she stated that her ability to speak Serbian saved her life on “at least three different occasions”, Hoxha captured us and we could not stop listening to her. As a child, Hoxha grew up in a multicultural apartment block in Pristina, where she learned to speak both Serbian and Albanian. From an early age the artist was exposed to diversity and multiculturality and this shaped her life and work in many different ways. By drawing on personal experiences and the stories and histories of the women around her, she drew a picture of her life and her work. Feminism had been the framework and the “beacon of light” upon which she built a movement that made cultural institutions accessible to a larger public, providing what she referred to as “safe spaces to heal” to those in need of them.

Hoxha managed to touch us with her boldness, humor, courage, and passion. Her sincerity shone through as she spoke of the performances that had changed her, never failing to credit the artists who shaped her. On a final note she explained how she is currently in the process of going back to school again. Now in her early 40s, Hoxha has decided that she is not done studying yet. After a bachelor’s degree, three children, and a successful career, she aims to get a master of arts, rekindling her own passion and desire to create art, reassuring us that “it is never too late to start again”.

When gathering at NEWBORN, Pristina's stray dogs often come say hi to us.

Once our meeting with Hoxha had ended, we walked back to the hostel to grab some lunch and work on our projects for a bit. Not much later we gathered at NEWBORN again, ready to head towards the second meeting of the day. After a short taxi ride we arrived at the headquarters of KOSOVO 2.0. This Pristina-based journalistic platform is a small, yet impactful voice within the Kosovo media landscape. They feed into the contemporary issues that shape Kosovo, aiming for thoroughly researched, slow journalism that provides readers not just with one-dimensional stories or news reports but articles that are situated within a wider historical and social context. It was towards the end of our visit when Besa Luci, the editor-in-chief of K2.0, made a remark that particularly caught my attention. 

During our meeting at Kosovo 2.0, with editor-in-chief Besa Luci and senior editor Daniel Petrick

Luci explained that Kosovo knows of a lot of grassroot initiatives aimed at changing the existing structures. This involvement, according to Luci, is inevitable. Growing up and working in a country that is still shaping itself, it is impossible to refrain from getting involved in political action or change making, and Luci stated that “you end up getting into that conversation because it determines your day-to-day life.” 

            Throughout these past two days, this seems to be an idea that resonated within many of the people we met. Having seen a state that has built itself from the ground, the people in Kosovo – or at least the ones that we have talked to so far – seem to be aware of the fact that change is not happening tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year, but today. Moreover, the issues faced today are not other people’s problems, but our own. We saw this not just at Kosovo 2.0, but also at the CSGD who showed us how they are dedicating their lives to the cause of LGBTQ+ rights because they believe it takes precedence over anything else, and at the Pristina Shapers who urged us to be involved as much as possible, because our rights, freedoms and privileges are never simply handed to us. Everything we currently have has once been fought for by a previous generation. Similarly, Luci seems to see that the work of K2.0 is always part of a larger social discourse, one that you cannot shy away from, because it also relates to you. 

Throughout these conversations it has become apparent that the people at the forefront of changemaking understand the necessity of being involved because they have experienced first-hand what it is like to not have certain opportunities, structures, or rights. Each in their own way, these conversations have made me aware of how important it is to stop and think about what I have and confronted me with the importance of staying involved, because the issues faced today are not just other people’s problems to solve, but also my own. Coming here and listening to the stories and motivations of Kosovo’s peacebuilders and changemakers has been a pleasure and a privilege and I am excited to see what these next few days will bring us.