Mitrovica past and future

Caption:
Mixed Community North Mitrovica

Kiko Mehmeti
Community Activist
(Interviewed in the mixed "Microsettlement" in North Mitrovica in Albanian by Gerald Knaus.)

Answer: I can say that we are multi-ethnic families are Albanian and Serbs and Bosniaks. and we don't have any kind of problems.

Question: So between the neighbours what?

A: The relations between the neighbours are very good.

Q: This is how Mitrovica was before the war?

A: Yes, this is Mitrovica was before the war.

Q: And what it could become again.

A: I hope so..

A: These are mixed. This is a Serbian house, this is Albanian house, Albanian house,.Serbian, Albanian...But they are empty and nobody comes back.

Zeqir Rushiti
Shop owner
(Interviewed in Serbian in his Shop, in the "Microsettlement", (Mikronaselje))

I am happy that, in the three years I've had this shop, I never had a single incident, and it was a difficult time. There were some problems in the beginning, but with help from KFOR, I as representative of Albanians and Neno Maric as representative of Serbs managed to organise multiethnic meetings -- with four Albanians and four Serbs. There were some difficulties in the beginning, but later it got better and better each day. Relations between neighbours are very good here. Everything is good if we don't talk about politics. When it comes to politics, everything falls apart.

Tioslav Lazarević
Manager at Trepča
(Interviewed on Partisans' Hill North Mitrovica, in Serbian.)

Trepča can now be an example for Kosovo -- how to build a future that is leading to Europe and the world. A person who is not an extremist, who is not a criminal, who is not afraid of his conscience, will have no problem living next to another man. We cannot talk about love, but we can talk about common interests to co-operate and work together.

Štrajk Bend - (Strike Band)

(Recorded on rooftop rehearsal in North Mitrovica)




CREDITS

ESI Research Team
Duška Anastasijević
Kristof Bender

Additional ESI Research
Rreze Duli
Eggert Hardten
Verena Knaus
Besa Shahini

ESI Executive Producer
Gerald Knaus

Translators
Dijana Tomić Cox
Sokol Gruda
Merima Krijezi
Genc Lamani

Voice-over
Roy Skelton

Sound
Eric Woods at the End Studios

Camera
Nikola Majdak

On-Line Editor and Assistant Producer
Morrigan

Producer
Chris Langdon

Rafet Prekazi I love Mitrovica very much, I was born here, my grandfather was born here. I made my football name here, he also before me. I can't love New York, I know it is nicer then Mitrovica. Serbs should also love Mitrovica, not this part or that part - all of Mitrovica. ...Berlin was Berlin 10 years ago, but it is nicer now.

Since this was filmed ...

Violence in March 2004 led to the death of six people in Mitrovica. Violence spread to the whole of Kosovo, to Belgrade and Nis.

ESI published a "Proposal for Mitrovica". It advocates: * full return of property and people * an economic development strategy * and a change in municipal boundaries

Meanwhile, the economic situation continues to worsen.

----ENDS----

This documentary was produced with the financial support of
the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and the Lessons Learned Unit of the EU Pillar of UNMIK.

Copyright ESI 2004

www.esiweb.org

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Mitrovica
• collapse
• Trepca
• multi-ethnic
• Mixed-Community

[TheIllyrianWarrior88]

@dirtyinspector Why your LYING when serbs start colonizing Kosova since 1913 when great powers gave Kosova from Albania newborn state, yeah sure there were few serbs that lived before but they were so low in numbers....The Serb agression started exactly from 1913 till 1999 but even nowadays in north mitrovica is still alive by garbage left from milosevic people....Fucking criminals of Balkans who doesn't respect any peoples live.

[docrock66]

Добар видео свака част, ред је да се људи навикну и да живе заједно једним успешним и нормалним животом.

[MrSuecolo]

ju jeni shumë të veçantë në zemrën time shumë

[MrSuecolo]

Q Viva Mi Cosova Rica!!

[rssandra]

it's stupid, albanian people speak there, it's a propagand

[AnanasJRf]

wuta07, hy dont you try paying attention to what he's saying before going on your schitzo rampage ? He said himself that he was Albanian - REPRESENTATIVE, even. And plenty of Albanians his age speak Serbian.

[massterb]

it's time that albanians and serbs to live together only we the youth of kosovo we can change the Kosovo without any diffirence.

I

[bulbulcujka]

Sjj80, dodji da me zakopASS.

Ti si americki pas>ASSmerica Qeni.

Ali, prvo da te pitam: zasto vi Shqiptares sa Kosova ne mozete da idete u Albaniju?Zato sto vas nece.Jer, za njih ste vi prostaci, divljaci ,,SRPSKI COBANI,,.

I sad divljate tu.

Ali, jednog lepog dana ASSmerica ce da ti LIPSHE...kao bivoljica...

[gjylymsere]

KomandantsDjursicic! Wtf are you talkin about? Bin landen LOL! Everybody knows he was a cia-agent, working for us goverment, his family is one of the wealthiest familes, his family and bush family own are big weapon industry, Please get your fact straight be4 you speak so ignorantly! 911 was an inside job you dumb serbs! By the way Kosova is Albanian! Mitrovica shall become stabil again! Peace

[sovi91]

kosovo is for kosovians...