Serbians. Kosovo Albanians. Humans.

-2017-

While travelling Serbia and Kosovo, I portrayed and interviewed
young Serbian and Kosovo Albanian women. I asked them about their
view on politics and on each other and how the relationship between
Serbians and Kosovo Albanians could be improved in the future.

The interview excerpts are not necessarily related to the personal views of the interviewer and do not purport to be representative.

“I would like to visit Kosovo and Albania, but I would not feel safe over there. I don’t have anything against the Albanian people, but I don’t like the politicians that created conflicts over there.” – Andja, 27 (Belgrade, Serbia)

 
 

“I don’t understand the need of power. (…) I have never had a conversation with a Serbian. I have never been to Serbia. There should be a dialogue. But we all have family who was part of the war and who still feels the hate and the pain that they had and if we would do that, our families would think that we were going against them and just forgetting what our people went through. But I hope that there will be a dialogue in 10 years, especially from the teenagers.” – Era, 20 (Prizren, Kosovo)

 
 

“My generation is very open for dialogue. My generation will change politics and economics and everything. (…) My grandma is from Germany and my mother is from Italy and I was born here in Belgrade. I don’t know any Kosovo Albanian, but I like everybody. I really don’t care where people are from. (…) I want to visit Kosovo, but I am afraid.
I heard a lot of stories.” Blanša, 18 (Belgrade, Serbia)

 
 

“I applied for an event to discuss with young Serbs, but then I could’t go there because of my exams. (…) We are willing to change our relationship with the Serbians.” – Endrita, 23 (Prizren, Kosovo)

 
 

“We should have taken better care of Kosovo not to lose it. The people who are complaining now didn’t do anything to hold Kosovo when it was necessary. (…) I really try to be less informed about politics, because if I think too much about it, I think I won’t like the country anymore. I don’t want to be depressed and leave the country.“ – Tamara, 27 (Belgrade, Serbia)

 
 

“I don’t think that the Serbians are friendly with us. We want to do it better. We want to be friendly with them. And I guess they want to do it better, too. (…) Politics make things worse. We would have been friends with them a long time ago, if it wasn’t for politics.” Ujzë, 19 (Prizren, Kosovo)

 
 

“I am not angry at Kosovo Albanians. (…) It’s better to just accept the reality and go further. (…) I don’t really have that nationalism in me. (…) I can sing the Yugoslav anthem if you wake me up in the middle of the night, but I don’t know the words of the Serbian anthem.” Nadja, 34 (Belgrade, Serbia)

 
 

“I don’t have anything against the Serbian people, I just don’t like Serbian politics.” – Amanta (Pristina, Kosovo)

 
 

“I don’t care where you are from and what your religion is.” – Andjela, 19 (Belgrade, Serbia)

 
 

“Education is the solution to end the hate.” – Nora, 33 (Prizren, Kosovo)