You might not know this, but it's actually this vibrant and growing movement (and the women leading it) that brought me to Kosovo and is central to the work that I'm doing here now!
Art and storytelling play an important role in healing, reconciliation and empowerment, so it's no wonder that both hold such critical roles in the lives of many Kosovar and in the development of society in Kosovo. The project that I'm pursuing here, which I'm currently calling Reclamation, examines and highlights the ways that Kosovar women in music, in film, in media, in activism and in academia are using art and storytelling to reclaim their narrative, one that has often been misrepresented by international media. Some news organizations have a tendency to tell tragic, one-sided stories about regions recovering from war and ignore the more complex, hidden narratives that are there.
While there are incredibly talented Kosovars taking action to tell their own stories through their work, such endeavors typically require funding. That's where international partners and NGOs come into play.
NGOs and international partner organizations have an important presence in Kosovo. They provide a lot of monetary support that allows many of the powerful work and projects that are done here to sustain themselves. Kosovo 2.0, the independent media organization where I do some guest editing, for example, was dreamed up in 2019 by Besa Luci, an incredible woman who leads the organization.
