October 10 2003

UNMIK ON AIR

When Mitrovica meets Mallorca

(Sputnik Kilambi and Zoran Culafic)

Hello and welcome to UNMIK ON AIR with Sputnik Kilambi

This was a dream trip for some of Mitrovica’s most underprivileged children – poverty and deprivation know no ethnic boundaries as the mixed group of kids aged 8 to 12 found out during a fabulous 2 week holiday in Palma de Mallorca, one of the most coveted holiday spots in Spain. The initiative was the brainchild of Miguel Roque, a former UNMIK police officer stationed in Mitrovica and Sonia Blaha, until recently, the untiring Public Affairs official in Mitrovica.

This was a labour of love, says Blaha, it took plenty of determination, long hours and solid work to get the project off the road.

Sonia Blaha: I have done sizeable projects but this one was one of the most demanding ones, particularly preparing the documents, passports and visa, finding the donors, getting the kids together, getting the signatures, authorizations, it took approximately 5 months of relentless work and so on, I don’t know if I’ll do that kind of project again right away, but I hope they will keep in with this, that’s where the future of Kosovo lies.

25 children still starry-eyed from the VIP treatment they received in Spain – a free two week stay in a 4 star hotel in Palma, daily outings and activities including a visit to a submarine, Civpol officer Israel Larracuente who accompanied the children to Palma.

Israel Larracuente: They practically got the key to the city, there was a day when they had a festival, just for the children in the town, they were stars everywhere they went, they were recognized, they were in the newspaper 5 times, they were on TV at least 3 times, people in the hotel were grabbing them and hugging them and kissing them, they were like royalty, they shared that together, not as two parts, they shared it as you know, here we are Kosovo, we are being recognized.

There was some trepidation at the beginning – getting such a mixed group together, Albanian, Serb, Turk and Gorani and convincing both the parents and the children that such a trip was possible and desirable. We made it clear from the start, says Officer Larracuente, that there would be no pairing off on ethnic lines.

Israel Larracuente: We told them right away, its going to be 1 from one group and one from the other- there was some crying, there was some stamping of the feet, some refusals, and I told them you know, this is what the trip is about, you guys have to learn about each other. We had a little project where we had them sit down on the first day and write something about their room mate, I told them not to put their names on it, and of course the obvious came out, they’re Serbian, they’re Albanian, we did it again 4, 5 days after, well she snores, he’s funny after they got to know each other, they were just regular children, it was great.

We catch up with a mixed group of parents and children at the UNMIK Police HQ in Mitrovica –police stations are not generally the most conducive places to be in, but today, the atmosphere is relaxed, and even joyous, as the children catch up with each other again, this time on home ground.

CUT: It was very nice there and I’d like to go there again but even in Kosovo it’s nice for me because it’s my place here. Surely I’ll continue to be friends with them here.

CUT: I didn’t know it was going to be so nice. I never thought we’d visit such places…And there I was sleeping with my friend Arta and it was super even if we did not know other’s language, we talked in English.

CUT: the most interesting thing for me was the fact that we were with Serbs, we played together and everything was fine, all of them are my friends, and I cried when we said good-bye

CUT: It was fantastic to make friends and go to Spain and I hope we will go there again.

In the face of such enthusiasm, it was difficult for the parents to say otherwise – but the holiday in Mallorca has obviously touched a chord with the older generation as well.

CUT: I was afraid a bit of the flight of the airplane because the children were traveling for the first time on such a long trip. I was glad that the children are together; I used to live in the southern part and never had problems with anybody. I’m glad the children made friends and that they will continue to be friends. I’d make friends as well if I could, I’d like to go where I lived for 20 years and see my neighbors.

CUT: We have been internally displaced for the past five years in Mitrovica; this was the very first time that someone did something for my kids to go somewhere else we really have a hard life it was nice for them, I wasn’t afraid because I grew up in Srbica they organized it very well, the translators and the police officers I’m very glad my son went with them.

Gzima Zejneli, the Albanian language assistant who traveled with the kids says the experience has changed her outlook.

CUT: I was really excited there were no differences Albanians, Serbs, Turks, Goranis for me all the children were the same and for my colleague translator too.

The trip was as much about de-demonizing the other and breaking through stereotypes as about getting to know another country and another culture. For Officer LARRACUENTE, whatever doubts he may have had about dialogue and ethnic harmony were definitively dispelled by this trip

CUT: There was a time that they played a soccer game against kids from Spain, and on the Kosovo side, there were kids obviously from the Serb side, Albanians, but they played as a team and at the end, we all cheered Kosovo, Kosovo, they didn’t say Albanian, they didn’t say Serbia, they all cheered Kosovo, so they became a unit, they became one, they forgot about Albania and Serbian, they were playing for Kosovo.

That does it for this edition of UNMIK ON AIR. Thanks for listening.