Kosovo South Side

Once upon a time, in the country far far away, there was a land of great battles and numerous heroes. The land was thirsty for blood through the centuries. It still is. Medieval knights turned into modern fighters, who do not respect the code of honor or any other codes. The land turned into a space empty with human soul, and hatred prevailed like the darkest magic of them all.

When i tried to tell this fairy tale to a child from far far away, he wasn’t convinced! He believed in fairies, wizards and the hero who always shows up at the end to save the day. There must be a ray of light in all this darkness. What is with happy endings and happily ever after, he asked? I didn’t know the answer. When i told this story to a child from the coast, he knew it very well already. He got used to living in constant danger, surrounded by dark magic and modern fighters, who are shooting in the middle of the day, building barricades and throwing bombs at each other without a good reason. He wasn’t thinking for too long about the story. He asked me if i have a chocolate.

The elections brought new sense of instability for everybody living in this turbulent region. Nobody could tell what the new day will bring to the coast. Will the child from Kosovo ever be able to live happily ever after with his neighbours, without thinking about great battles from the past, or having to pay his due to thirsty land of his ancestors? And the child from far far away, will he ever stop believing in heroes from fairy tales? Will he ever really understand?

I didn’t have any of the answers. The only thing i had was a tiny piece of chocolate hidden somewhere in my pocket.

text by Marko Risovic