This weekend, I attended a huge outdoor concert just outside of Pristina known as the Freedom Festival. Musicians from all over the world performed, including American hip-hop artists Method Man and Redman.  The occasion? Ten years of FREEDOM.

On June 12, 1999, NATO forces entered Kosovo after a 78-day bombing campaign. Their objectives included halting all (Serbian and Yugoslav) military action, bringing about the immediate end of violence, and the establishment of a political structure in Kosovo in conjunction with international agreements and the United Nations. NATO’s mission in Kosovo is often touted (by some) as one of NATO’s great success stories, so much so that this week, it was announced that the number of KFOR troops will be reduced to 10,000 by 2010 (whereas in 1999 there were 50,000 NATO troops on the ground).

(There has been significant criticism of NATO’s military campaign against Serbia and the Former Republic of Yugoslavia, in which civilians and civilian targets were subject to NATO bombs. For more information, see Amnesty International’s “Collateral Damage or Unlawful Killings” at http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/EUR70/018/2000/en/e7037dbb-df56-11dd-89a6-e712e728ac9e/eur700182000en.pdf).

British troops land in Kosovo on June 12, 1999

So, June 12 in Kosovo has been dubbed Freedom Day. This year, the President of Kosovo, Dr. Fatmir Sejdiu, has even released a moving public statement. He stated, in part, “It was ten years ago this day that Kosovo joined the free countries of the world, following a long period of efforts and suffering and struggles in every field: in education, in culture and in a political and armed resistance. Part of these endless and ceaseless efforts was the entire people of Kosovo, who have built the freedom that we enjoy today with a lot of sacrifice, love and unwavering belief”(for the full statement, available in English, see http://www.president-ksgov.net/?id=5,67,67,67,e,1548).

But many young Kosovars are tired of the rhetoric while the nation suffers unemployment and poverty rates that are worse than most countries categorized as “developing.” In fact, according to a recent UNDP survey, Kosovars of all ethnic groups view the economic situation in Kosovo as the biggest threat to the nation’s stability (for the full report, see “Early Warning Report Fast Facts 24,” at http://www.ks.undp.org/repository/docs/FF_24_English.pdf).  Finally, they are tired of watching their neighbors advance towards the future they so desperately want for themselves - membership in the European Union and all that comes with it - while corruption remains rampant in their country. Institutionalizing words like “freedom” doesn’t change that.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that they didn’t enjoy the concert.

I recently traveled to the city of Prizren, just south of Pristina, with two colleagues of mine from the Kosovo Women’s Network. Prizren is widely praised as the “historical and cultural capital of Kosovo” (as opposed to Pristina, its actual capital). We visited the city during its annual festivities to commemorate the League of Prizren, a political organization credited by some as the catalyst behind the development of Albanian nationalism in Kosovo during the 19th century. This past June 10th marked the 131st anniversary of the formation of the League of Prizren.

The city of Prizren

The 19th century saw the decline of the Spanish, Portuguese, and Holy Roman Empires. The Ottoman Empire, of which both Kosovo and Serbia were a part, too began to lose its power and influence.  After the Ottoman Empire was defeated in the 1877-1878 war with Russia, territories with significant Albanian communities were ceded to Serbia, Montenegro, and Romania by the Treaty of San Stefano (the administration of Pristina was transferred to Serbia, while the remaining parts of Kosovo continued to belong to the Ottoman Empire). Later, Britain and France among others intervened, creating a new treaty and giving additional Albanian territories to Austria-Hungary and Greece.

In response, Albanian leaders formed the League of Prizren to fight (politically and militarily) for their right to self-determination. They declared, in part, “Just as we are not and do not want to be Turks, so we shall oppose with all our might anyone who would like to turn us into Slavs or Austrians or Greeks. We want to be Albanians.” They even successfully prevented the appropriation of Albanian territory by Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece, at least until 1912.

Site of the League of Prizren, demolished by Serbian forces on March 27, 1999 and since reconstructed

The League of Prizren and the events that transpired in the city of Prizren are considered so central to the history of Kosovo that, on June 15th, ten members of Kosovo’s parliament officially moved to open the possibility of moving the nation’s capital from Pristina to Prizren.

As we entered Prizren city, I saw flags everywhere – hanging across bridges, out of windows, on the backs of cars and motorcycles, even down the entire length of buildings. It was a sea of RED. That’s right, red. You see, it was not the blue flag of Kosovo, which was officially adopted last year when Kosovo declared its independence, on display. Instead, it was the national flag of Albania. 

National flag of Albania

Confused? So was I. My confusion was only compounded when a young Kosovar-Albanian woman told me that “this flag,” the Albanian flag, was “hers,” not the official flag of her country.

Official flag of the Republic of Kosovo

I wondered why a newly independent peoples would proudly claim ownership over another nation’s flag. I started to reflect on the notion of identity and what that means in the specific context of Kosovo. In another multi-ethnic society, the US, it is fairly common for citizens to proudly display the symbols of their heritage, including flags (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” anyone?). And every March 17th, the entire nation is Irish, whether or not their ancestors actually hailed from Ireland (some of mine did). But in the end, there is still a strong sense of “being American.” That is, although our cultural identities are central to our lives, they remain secondary to our national identity.

So is the national identity of Kosovo still being developed (and how?) or will Kosovars continue to maintain their separate cultural identities in lieu of a unified national one? What will the ramifications of either be? It is an issue that I will continue to explore during my time here in Kosovo.

Then again, a young Kosovar man (born in Pristina to a Bosnian mother and Montenegran father) suggested that maybe it would be better if we had no nationalities; then everyone would have the same identity – that of a human being. And you thought I was idealistic!

Let’s try a little experiment…

Imagine a popular reporter hosts a weekly news program on social issues in American society.  She talks about such topics as homosexuality, government corruption, and the exercise of free speech in the US, to name a few. Now imagine that a national newspaper with close ties to the US government branded that same reporter a SPY and declared that, by doing her job, she “brought it upon herself to have a short life.”

How would Americans react? My guess (and you should know that I have been labeled an idealist by some) would be public outrage, more than likely accompanied by a media firestorm.  I imagine that civil rights activists and journalists across the country would take a public stand in support of freedom of expression. After all, it is a right considered by many to be the foundation of a free and democratic society.

Well, here in Pristina, I don’t need to rely on my imagination to know how this situation would play out in Kosovo.

Much like the reporter in my scenario, journalist Jeta Xharra is the host of Jeta ne Kosove (“Life in Kosovo”), a popular current affairs show broadcasted throughout Kosovo and produced by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) (http://www.birn.eu.com/).

Jeta Xharra, host of "Life in Kosovo"

On May 31, 2009, the show featured a segment on government advertising, which is when the government uses public money to disseminate information about governmental programs, and how the practice is being used to influence media coverage. Almost as if to prove the point, Infopress newspaper, which is said to receive a significant amount of its funding through government advertising, launched an aggressive and sustained campaign against BIRN and Jeta Xharra in particular. Articles published by the paper included statements accusing Jeta Xharra of being an agent of the Serbian security forces and a spy for Belgrade. Her life has even been threatened. (The quote above was actually made in reference to Jeta Xharra and published in print).

To view the “offending” segment of the show for yourself, watch the short video below (with English subtitles).

And how did Kosovar society react, you ask?

A group of nine NGOs in Kosovo, including my host, the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) (http://www.womensnetwork.org/), drafted a public letter in defense of free speech. They wrote, in part, “The increasingly common practice of Infopress asserting that particular individuals are ‘Serb spies’ is becoming a disturbing issue. We, as citizens, are weary of flying accusations that certain people are ‘traitors.’ This practice, used by people who hold certain positions of power, which they use to label those who disagree with them as ‘traitors’ or ‘Serb spies’, has existed since the 1990s. We know that such labeling is used because the responsible persons cannot ably defend their position through sound arguments.”

They continued, “The media has a right to report with facts on stories, and Jeta ne Kosova (“Life in Kosovo”) together with BIRN have been striving to disclose facts about important stories affecting our lives and in accordance with professional journalistic standards. They are daring to speak out about issues for which many citizens fear to speak openly, due to the same sorts of threats that persons in positions of power made.”

Dozens of individual citizens, some of whom are employed by NGOs and international agencies that refused to endorse the letter, also signed in support of freedom of expression in Kosovo. Yet, when the letter was published in its entirety, fear set in. Many did not expect their names to be made public and expressed worries that their livelihoods would be negatively affected.

In short, they are afraid of the government. And when members of civil society are afraid of their government, that can hardly bode well for democratization.

So, is this the end of the story? Will civil society in Kosovo be silenced?

I don’t think so.

But first, a little history lesson.

The territorial sovereignty of Kosovo is a regional hot button, and has been throughout history. During the Medieval Period, Kosovo was part of the Serbian Empire prior to being conquered by the Ottomans. Kosovo was once again incorporated into larger Serbia in 1912. In the modern era, even as Serbia and Kosovo became part of Yugolsavia, nationalistic Serbs did not forget this history.

Upon his rise to power in 1989, Slobodan Milosevic revoked Kosovo’s status as an autonomous province within Serbia that had been granted by the Communist power structure in 1974. The Serbian government then began systematically violating the rights of its Kosovar-Albanian citizens. In the early 1990′s, civil unrest erupted in the form of armed conflict between Kosovar-Albanian paramilitaries and Serbian and Yugoslav military forces.

The actions of Serbian forces in the course of fighting were categorized as ethnic cleansing by Western leaders, and in particular by US President Bill Clinton. In 1999, NATO intervened and carried out a 78-day bombing campaign against military and civilian targets in Yugoslavia. Shortly thereafter, the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) (http://www.unmikonline.org/index.html) was created by UN Security Council Resolution 1244. NATO continues to maintain its presence in Kosovo via its Kosovo Force (KFOR) (http://www.nato.int/KFOR/) to preserve stability within the region.

Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008 and just one day later, the US government officially recognized the new nation. The US was the second country to do so, after Costa Rica. (For a complete list of other nations who have recognized Kosovo and to read their official statements of recognition, check out http://www.kosovothanksyou.com/).

It is therefore generally held that Kosovars L-O-V-E the United States. Americans who come to Kosovo are warmly welcomed (I can personally attest to that!). A major road in the capitol city of Pristina has been renamed Bill Clinton Boulevard, complete with an enormous portrait of the former President overlooking the roadway.

Bill Clinton Boulevard

The current administration is also held in high esteem.  Vice President Joe Biden visited Pristina just last month to reaffirm the US’s relationship with Kosovo and was awarded the Medal of Freedom by the Assembly of Kosovo. Vestiges from his visit remain throughout the city, including billboards such as the one pictured below. (Although his visit occurred before my arrival, you can check out pictures of the event at http://kosovotravelogue.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html).

Billboard dedicated to US Vice President Joe Biden

As I was stuck in traffic this past Friday evening on my way to Maxi supermarket, I even saw a replica of the Statue of Liberty on the roof of a local hotel named Hotel Victory. According to their website, it is the second largest Statue of Liberty replica in the world.

Hotel Victory

And now for the part you have all been waiting for… the joke. The following joke was told to me by a Kosovar and is said to be swiftly making the rounds throughout UN agencies and NGOs in Pristina.

A Spanish KFOR soldier was working in Prizren. Throughout the day, an elderly man assisted him. Finally, the Spaniard turned to him and said “Why are you being so nice to me? My country does not recognize yours.” The old man replied, “Yes, but Spain discovered America!”

Having traveled around Europe, I must admit that it is a new and pleasant experience to discover such a positive attitude towards my home. I laughed at this joke, as did the Kosovar and Americans who heard it along with me. But is Kosovo’s relationship with the US helping or hindering the development of the nation’s democratic institutions?

I have only been in Pristina for a few days, but already I am hearing another side to the story. People are talking, and I am listening and learning.

So stay tuned.

UPDATE: On July 5, a group of activists representing the Vetevendosje or “self-determination” movement held a protest outside of government buildings in Pristina to publicly criticize the service record of US Ambassador  Tina Kaidanow. They claim that the Ambassador has “misused her position as the most powerful international official in Kosovo” by exhibiting “totalitarian behaviour” and a bias against Albanians. Furthermore, after performing a skit in which actors portraying President Fatmir Sejdiu and Prime Minister Hashim Thaci begged Kaidanow, whose term in Kosovo is ending, not to leave the country, activists proclaimed: “Our last request: Dear Tina, since you had the ability to hurt Kosovo this much, you can help our country if you insert our politicians in your diplomatic suitcases, since they cannot do anything without you.”

The following video shows the aforementioned performance. Although an English translation of the dialogue and interviews with bystanders is not available at this time, it is still worth watching.

In a few short days I will be boarding a (17 hour!) flight to Prishtina, Kosovo and starting an exciting and unknown journey.  I cannot wait!!! I am eager to both begin my partnership with the Kosovo Women’s Network and share my experiences with YOU, the readers.

Since I joined The Advocacy Project as a Peace Fellow destined for Kosovo, I have fielded many questions from family, friends and just about everyone else (not that I mind, I have done a ton of research).  Most were unable to locate Kosovo on a map, let alone address the situation of women’s rights in the country.  The good news is that all of them were genuinely curious and expressed their interest to learn more.

Therefore, I want to use this blog to not only advocate for the Kosovo Women’s Network and the women they represent but to also help educate those not in the know on the issues. So please send in your questions, comments and topics you want to hear about and keep reading!

Oh, and check out the map!

Map of the region