2024, the Generation 11 students gathered not in the seminar room but in the busy hallways of the Vienna Airport. Excitement could be felt as we arrived at our destination, Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, which was calling us for a much-awaited field trip as part of the course “Human Rights in Post Conflict Situations”. The students prepared themselves for this exciting trip by attending lectures and completing assignments, in addition to the critical lens and specialized courses they have undertaken over the past three semesters. This allowed them to make the most out of this experience and to better understand the complexity of the history of Kosovo.
On our first day, the mayor of Pristina, Përparim Rama, welcomed us with open arms and shared insights about this vibrant young capital city, setting the basis for this educational trip. We also learned immediately that the name Pristina holds true to its essence, as one of our local group leaders shared with us Pristina stands for ‘the city of rapid changing seasons’ in the local language. As we arrived, we saw locals enjoying their coffee outside while taking advantage of the spring-like weather. Despite this pleasant welcome, the very next day, the city was covered with a fresh layer of snow with freezing temperatures.
The experience of this trip proved to be challenging because of the numerous amounts of meetings the students got to take part with valuable institutions and individuals. Out of the many briefings, we were lucky enough to hear from President Vjosa Osmani and the Prime Minister Albin Kurti, where students got the opportunity to raise critical questions.
However, not all of our days were politically focused, since we also got the opportunity to listen to grassroots activists, passionate journalists and vibrant artists in Kosovo, such as Igballe Rugova and Adelina Tershani from Women’s Kosovo Network, Veton Nurkollari, manager of Filmfestival Dokufest. In addition, the trip highlighted the diverse initiatives for social justice and human rights in Kosovo by taking us into well-known international organizations like UNWomen, UNHCR and UNICEF and NGOs like Advancing Together and Save the Children.
A day trip to North Mitrovica was also included in the trip. This city in the north of Kosovo is divided between the Kosovar Serbians and Kosovar Albanians physically and ideologically separated by a bridge. Even though the tension between both sides of the bridge was palpable the organizations we met not only made us feel welcomed but also provided valuable knowledge on their day to day activities with us. One of the very enjoyable meetings we had was with Mitrovica Rock School and New Social Initiative that aim to close the gap between Kosovar Albanians and Serbians youth in the city.
For many students, the Kosovo trip emerged as the “cherry on top” of their time at the Vienna Master program, an experience that will forever shape their perspectives and professional trajectories.
Marijana Grandits – the Senior Advisor and the Coordinator of the field trip to Kosovo.
A big thank you to Mohammad Abou Chucker for contributing with the stunning photos to this article!