Identification - Part III

November 28 was Flag Day. Albanian Flag Day. All over the Albanian land the Albanian flag was celebrated: in Albania, the Albanian parts of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and in Kosovo. The attached video was sent around here in Kosovo. I never saw something like this. Did you? Unwahrscheinlich, unbeschreiblich! The game took place in Tirana, but it seems that the flag was made in Prizren (in Kosovo - the disputed province of Serbia).

Identification - Part II

On the 25th of June I wrote about the competition for a flag for Kosovo. In the mean time there has been some progress. The rest of the world doesn't notice that since all international media coverage on Kosovo is about the negotiations between USA, Russia and the EU on its final status. But behind this diplomatic veil the contours of a new country slowly become visible.

Late June the working group on the symbols of Kosovo met to evaluate the submissions for Kosovo’s flag and emblem. 972 Proposals were recieved. The working group decided to delay the opening and screening of the submissions for flag and emblem for a week, to allow for those sent by mail to reach Kosovo (the proposals from the Kosovar diaspora). On the anthem, it was decided that there would first be a competition on the music and possibly one on lyrics at a later stage.

The music for the anthem seems to be ready. The rumour goes that it has been decided that the anthem will not have any lyrics. They could not find away around what language to use: Albanian or Serbian. So the Kosovar anthem seems to become an anthem that you can only humm. Like the first verse of the German one.

Since a few weeks the draft law on the use of state symbols circulates here. Since it is status related (only a country can have such a law) it waits at the parliamentary secretariat to be approved when the status is settled (read: after Kosovo has declared its independence). It is no secret anymore that this will happen soon. Some political analyst expect it even before Christmas.

The plot thickens.

Brotherhood and Unity

Here in the Balkans lives an endangered human species. It is called the Yugo. A Yugo is a person who grew up in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and who still has good memories about that time.

Yugos are the opposite of Schatzies (see this blog 30/08/2007). They are educated, urban and political moderate. They are nostalgic about Tito's time, when they could travel without visa, were able to consume like Europeans and were a force to be reckoned with in almost any sport. But - most of all - when they had an identity that was widely accepted and respected.

Yugos among each other have a lot of fun recalling memories of Tito's time. Typical "Yugostalgia" is the TV show “Allow us to address you”. This show was aired every Sunday morning on the national channel (the one and only TV channel). It was about the newest developments in Yugoslav army. Every time the show would close with the following line: "All of you can sleep tight tonight because we are here to protect you." That line does not only sound funny and naïve nowadays, but also sarcastic in hindsight (Serbia used the Yugoslav army to fight the other republics). On Sunday evening the series “The written off” was aired. It was about urban partisan resistance against 'zee nazees'. The series became cult for the Yugos. Nowadays it is re-aired in some ex YU countries. There is even a techno remix of its tune.

Last month, the tragic death at the age of 26 of a pop singer from Macedonia - Tose Proeski - brought the Yugos together again. His voice was widely appreciated across the politically divided Balkans. He was mourned and commemorated in ALL former Yugoslav countries including here in Kosovo, being it more discretely and only by those who still dare.

With his death Yugoslavia got buried a little more. Sad, very sad.

Birthday abroad

Today I am getting 38. Outside it is snowing. It is my first birthday with snow! Such a nice present, snow in autumn: ocre yellow, terra cotta, bordeaux red and pale green topped off with a lot of white. Beautifull.

Last night I had a party. My first birthday party abroad. It was good! I had prepared food, bought a lot of drinks, decorated my house and selected nice music. About 15 friends/colleagues showed up despite the drizzle. I even had a visitor from the Netherlands (Lucas)! We drank a lot (one bottle of wine per person). And we danced a lot.

The picture shows me balancing a glass of raki on my head. The Kosovars were much better in this game of course... Maybe because my head is more slippery?

The Decentralization Division

Last Wednesday we had a retreat with the whole Decentralization Division. We went to Batlava Lake and enjoyed ourselves a full day with several team building activities, a quiz, folk dancing and a long and alcohol drenched diner with live music. The picture shows a great deal of my colleagues after the folk dance session.

Standing from left to right: Dardan Dula (Kosovar Albanian), Arian Dragacina (Kosovar Albanian), Eranda Aliu (Kosovar Albanian), Marie-Astrid Huemer (French), Jose Arrazia (Spanish - Head Property Section), Lumnije Aliu (Kosovar Albanian), Michael Schuetz (USA - Head Local Good Governance Section), Mehriban Gashi (Kosovar Albanian - my personal assistant), Nensi Jasharaj (Kosovar Albanian / Montenegrin), folk dancer I, manager folk dance group, flute player folk dance group, folk dancer II, Me, folk dancer II, III and IV & Jasmin Gojani (Kosovar Albanian / Croat). Sitting from left to right: Florin Llapi (Kosovar Albanian), Ylber Veseli (Kosovar Albanian), Juliane Hertweck (German), folk dancer IV, Dardan Rexhepi (Kosovar Albanian), folk dancer V & Victoria Jennett (Northern Irish).

Not on the picture: Paivi Nikander (Finish - Head of the Decentralization Support Section), Jonuz Bytyqi (Kosovar Albanian), Maddalena Dali (Italian), Edis Arifagić (Bosnian), Biserka Ivanovic (Croat Serb), Albert Zylfiu (Kosovar Albanian) & Wolff-Michael Mors (German). Wolff-Michael made the picture.

Portrait (September 12)

Albanian land

Mid August Su visited me (see first picture). We visited Tirana and the Albanian Alps. While travelling we realized how much curiousity we shared: so many things were interesting! We had to stop the car almost every half hour to take a picture. We know eachother for 26 years now (... my God!), but this was a surprising revelation for both.

We roamed the Northern half of the country: from Elbasan to Tirana to Shkodra to Kukkes. In the Northern Albanian mountains a heatwave was suffocating the already barren landscape to the extreme.

The second picture shows a football field in the middle of nowhere. The third shows what's left of the biggest water reservior in the region...

Fuck Balkan

Early August when I arrived in Europe again - during the trip with my parents - I was struck for the first time by the diversity of the population. Here in Kosovo the population is for 90% Albanian, 8% Serbian and 2% RAE. This latter minority consists of Roma, Ashakali (a Roma split-off) and Egyptians (they also do not know where they came from). The majority of the minorities live in enclaves. Mainly in the country side. That means Pristina is mono ethnic (= 100% Albanian). If you do not count the expat community ofcourse...

Europe is different nowadays. The personnel behind the counter in my hotel in Vienna was one day Colombian, one day Indian and one day Serbian. In the hotel in Alpnach the waiters were Spanish, Korean and "Ossie-German".

I couldn't refrain from asking an English waiter where the Swiss were. He replied that they were behind the curtains in the back. Counting money...

That sums it all up: it is the result of simple supply and demand. Most Europeans have become too rich to be willing to do low skilled labour. They don't care too much since they have cheap Polish plumbers and kebab snackbars that are open 24/7. The immigrants are better off too. The money they make balances off their inconveniences. The only losers are the unskilled European workers.

The picture shows what some locals in Alpnach think about this development. As if the 'jugos' didn't have enough to cope with lately...