Looking back at the trip

By Ousman Mbengue 

As Peace Lab comes to a conclusion, I have a lot to talk about from the last few weeks! The trip to Kosovo was an incredible experience, which gave me a new perspective on the country itself, as well as its people and its history.

I wrote my first blogpost entry on the day that we met Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Elizabeth Gowing: since then, I have focused my efforts on a group project with three other members of the team, Demir, Anna and Chynna. We were interested in looking at how food can be used as a peacebuilding tool to promote unity and reconciliation, since we all felt that food was one of the most candid expressions of people’s traditions. Our efforts culminated in the creation of a digital cookbook, which you can find here!

The cover of our cookbook!

Above and below: An example of a bean stew recipe from the two groups

The booklet features recipes that were given to us by people from Kosovo Albanian and Kosovo Serb communities. When you read it, you should be able to see the similarities between the two cuisines: this highlights how there are bonds between the cultures of the two ethnic groups, despite the many narratives which oppose this concept. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed creating it!

While I was conducting interviews to create this booklet, I realized that people were more open to acknowledge the similarities between the two cuisines than I had anticipated: when asked, many people would say that they knew about a variation of the dish they were describing that was commonly prepared by the other group, and would acknowledge them as variations of the same dish. I realized that this was a sentiment I had felt quite consistently among the people in Kosovo: I often felt that when talking to people, many of them mentioned how the ethnic conflict was not something they personally wanted to continue, even though they understood the reasons for the tensions. I found that people seemed less preoccupied with the ethnic divisions than with living a happy life, and they cared about the tensions only because they affected their ability to do so. This was a powerful learning, because it helped me understand what made people receptive to the narratives that were pushed onto them.

A picture of a local dish: grilled trout with vegetables

I also learned that asking people about food often organically led to them opening up to deeper, more meaningful conversations: in a way, food helped us not only as a peacebuilding tool, but also as an ice-breaking tool to show people our genuine interest in their identity and traditions. For example, a casual question on the preparation of a dish to a server in Mitrovica led to a long conversation about Turkish influence on the Kosovar cuisine, which developed further into his beliefs regarding the identity of Kosovo as a state. I learned that often, the best way to understand people’s true, unfiltered perspective about a topic was actually not to mention it at all: through organic conversation, people would reveal which topics they were actually passionate and eager to talk about. This realization will help me approach difficult conversations with more ease in the future, and I will keep it in mind when trying to approach people whom I want to learn more about.

Another local dish I tried there: steak with vegetables and potatoes

Before I conclude, I want to thank my friends Drit and Olti again for the help they gave us in creating the cookbook: Olti’s knowledge of recipes and food was particularly important for the development of our manual. Now that I am back in Amsterdam, I am glad to be able to say that I have friends in Kosovo that I plan to see again. This Peace Lab left me with new important realizations on the way I should approach people, and a new perspective on the feelings of the people of Kosovo; and, most importantly, new friendships which I will continue to cultivate, both at AUC and in Pristina. It was a beautiful experience and I am grateful to have been able to be part of it.