Embers | Brace (2017)
Embers | Brace (2017)
Since January 2017, a number of events have shaken Kosovo’s fragile political equilibrium. The train decorated with words reading “Kosovo is Serbia” in 21 different languages that left Belgrade directed to Pristina early this year, the Kosovan government’s decision to create a permanent army, and the release of Kosovo’s former prime minister Ramush Haradinaj have all unsettled the coexistence between the different ethnic groups that live in Kosovo.
Despite the war in the country ended 20 years ago, tensions between Serbs and Albanians have been quietly increasing in recent years. On the surface, the situation in Kosovo appears calm today, but while the country’s different groups continue to live in peace, hostilities between them remain deep-rooted.
Embers is a photographic reportage that attempts to describe today’s Kosovo, a buffer state where Nato troops maintain harmony between groups that were in conflict two decades ago. The photographic account illustrates how the isolation of the Serbian enclaves in Kosovo lies not only on ethnic issues but also on ideological and psychological beliefs that affect Kosovo Serbs’ daily life and choices. On the other side, there is the renaissance of Kosovar Albanians, which, thanks to their urban, industrial and touristic growth, boast their often idle progresses and celebrate the identity of a country that is trying to resemble its European counterparts.
Serb enclaves in Goraždevac, Peja/Peć, Kosovo. Milić Petrović, 28 year old journalist, during a live radio show. Radio Goraždevac is a Serbian media present in Kosovo. «In the days following the event of the train “Kosovo is Serbia” many Serbs in Kosovo removed the plates from their cars not to have any problems with the Albanian population».
Peja/Peć, Kosovo. Sezair Belegu, 37 years old. During the war he was a member of the UCK. In this portrait he shows a photograph when he was a member of the battalion commanded by Gen. Zahir Pajaziti. «We are tired of the politicians of all parties that continue to provoke us to destabilize the country and make their own interests».
Istok, Kosovo. Zorban Čembić, 48, caresses his cat Radmilo. «I came back to Kosovo in December 2016. It took several years for me to recognize the house from the Kosovar government. Nearby there are two other Serbian families. […] After the day in the fields I rest drinking apricot grappa with Radmilo».