Latest Views from Kosovo
Kosovo’s Vetevendosje Keep Faith in Graffiti
The Self-determination movement may have gone from street movement to the third largest party in parliament – but they have no intention of relinquishing one of their most powerful weapons.
Albanians Pack Up in Kosovo’s Troubled North
While Albanians are leaving the Serb-run enclave of northern Mitrovica, fearing the endemic violence, Serbs in the rest of the country feel increasingly nervous about their own future.
Sljivancanin Turns His Prison Days Into Print
A new book by the man behind the torture of Croat prisoners in Vukovar in Croatia sheds fresh light on how former mortal enemies in the Yugoslav wars get along behind prison walls.
Abeja: Half a Century Grooming Pristina
In his 50 years tending to Pristina’s hair, Abeja has mastered styles ranging from “punk” to “Tarzan”, coiffeured three generations of the same family and picked up 300 God children.
Closing Time for Pristina’s Watchmaker
One of the capital’s oldest watchmakers is set to close when the shop is bulldozed as part of a municipal project to craft a new central square for Pristina, but the craft will live on.
Artists Long to Escape Kosovo Ghetto
Artists hope that long-promised visa liberalisation with the EU will help end their enforced isolation from European culture.
Music Falls Silent in Kosovo’s Schools
Chronic shortages of cash and instruments have left Kosovo’s few dedicated music schools in a semi-ruined state, while music classes of any type at all in many ordinary schools are just a memory.
Islam in Kosovo Proves no Bar to Alcohol
Kosovars are overwhelmingly Muslim - but research by Balkan Insight reveals that a stiff drink remains a part of many people’s lives.
Kosovo Turns Back the Clocks
Clock towers, a central feature of Kosovo’s Ottoman cities, are making a comeback, with three built in the last three years, but these latter-day replicas are not to everyone’s taste.
Health is Divisive Matter in Tense North Kosovo
In the ethnically mixed Serb-Albanian villages around Mitrovica, life runs on parallel lines - and that includes going to the doctor.
Lone Gay Bar’s Closure Leaves Kosovo Gays Bereft
This abrupt opening and closure of a pioneering gay-friendly venue in Pristina has highlighted the embattled status of this maringalised community.
Archivists Revive Fading Sounds of Old Kosovo
An online archive of traditional music aims to encourage broadcasters to play more folklore tunes - but supporters of the genre fear it may not suffice to revive its waning popularity.
Kosovars Seek Cures in Old Foe Serbia
Kosovo Albanians are increasingly turning a blind eye to politics and history and are travelling to Belgrade for medical treatment.
Alone in Belgrade: Serb Capital’s Last Albanians
Only a handful of Kosovo Albanians now live in the old Yugoslav capital and – with a lack of suitable marriage partners from the community – the remaining youngsters are pondering their options.
Trepca Miners See Light at End of Tunnel
Workers in Kosovo’s old industrial powerhouse hope for a bright future as the government prepares to inject private capital into the state-owned business.
