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Fluturoj, fluturoj....Thaqi

Sunday, November 18, 2007

In the last few weeks, thanks to the wonders of IPTV technology, I've been avidly following the coverage of the parliamentary elections in Kosova. I was disappointed to find out that a year after president Rugova's death, Kosova's political parties have fragmented into a bunch of small parties...

Ibrahim Rugova, the man who used diplomacy as a tool of peaceful resistance and was recognized by the world as a pacifist who wished for a peaceful resolution to the Serb-Albanian divide, is shunned today by those who are tired of promises, those who want immediate action on the region's looming independence, eight years after the war that saw my family and me, among more than a million Kosovars displaced, over twenty thousand mostly Albanian men and women killed.

His party, LDK (Lidhja Demokratike e Kosovës) , the Democratic League of Kosova, continues to use Rugova as an image to promote its values. However, there is something morbid, something sad, almost ironic, in the promotion of a dead man to a people who want resolutions fulfilled, long lists of "to do" promises held.

While alive, Rugova enjoyed a popularity comparable to few in Kosovar history. After Rugova's death, UN officials, diplomats and Kosovar politicians saw his passing away as an opportunity to move on, to move towards the much-wanted independence in a more pro-active, immediate manner. Kosovars saw this as a chance to wake up from the "dream" of independence resulting from diplomatic talks.

A year later, little has changed. Kosovars have become hopeless and desperate, to the extent that they've given the international community a deadline to settle Kosova's political status. The unheard Kosovars, Serbs, continue to reject any notions of independence, and, though I would hate for Kosova to remain part of Serbia, I can understand why they choose to boycott elections
(lack of security, allegiance to Serbia, Kosovar Albanians' anger blame on the community for the 2300 missing persons since 1998).

While watching the news on KTV (alternative and independent TV media station, comparable to B92 in Serbia) yesterday, I heard an interview with a Serbian man from northern Mitrovica, who said he boycotted the elections because he feared that if he did vote, his vote would add to the multiethnic vote count in an independent Kosova, a notion he despises, as, he said, he only believed in Kosova within Serbian territory.

The group Vetevendosja (Self-determination, alb., I wrote them about a couple of months ago here), called for a boycott on Kosovar elections, as well. The group says Kosovar parliamentary elections are simply a forum for rival groups to compete for more empty promises and useless, result-less negotiations with UNMIK (UN Mission in Kosova). Their dream came true. Kosovar Albanians, who, until 2004, saw elections as the only way of showing their discontent with the Serbian regime, are growing more and more disappointed in the electoral process, halfing the turnout at the elections this year (less than 45%), as opposed to the war years (more than 90%).

At this point, I don't know what will happen with Kosova. The preliminary results (graph above, from the Demokracia në Veprim coalition), show Kosovars want to try something new. They want to deviate from diplomacy and want unilateral independence. How productive this will be is left for the world to see. US and France are big supporters of Kosovar independence, but what of China and Russia, which both oppose Kosovar independence?

My Quebecois heartbreaker, in a heated chat we had about the future of Kosova (and Quebec, incidentally!), told me he thinks that Canada, too, plans to oppose Kosovar independence, for fears it might incite a separation of Quebec from the country.

The winning party, PDK (Partia demokratike e Kosovës), the Democratic Party of Kosova has set the deadline for independence for December 10th, a day when they will declare Kosova independent unilaterally, if the West does not do anything to support it.

Coincidentally, December 10th is International Human Rights Day.

Image credit: City of Gjakovë - Flickr-ibslim , Poster - Vetevendosje

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My last three months in numbers

Friday, November 16, 2007

I’ve had little time and motivation to write in the last few months. I feel like writing, but I really have no time. Here’s something quick to put you the know of what numbers I’ve been crunching in the last few months…

My last three months in numbers

Trips - 4 - Work and Amnesty conferences and meetings in Ottawa, small town in Quebec and Halifax

Quarrels with work supervisor - 1 - Supervisor suggested I stop interpreting for clients and focus on my job of getting volunteers for them; I said I couldn’t, as I am not like her (I meant, I had a different personality); she interpreted this as me saying she was cruel. It was a kiss and make-up sort of a quarrel…two days later.

Applications to law schools completed - 7

Number of awake-for-24-hours days/nuits blanches - 30 - Law school applications, reading course papers, essays, Latin homework

Photos of Kosova, taken by my mother - 350 - Included are photos of the ruin that once was my house

Rooms of the house painted by my brother and me - 7 - Colours included semi-dark brown, sky blue, lilac purple, banana yellow, toothpaste green, eyesore purple

Number of times contemplated leaving Facebook - 3 - I am getting strange friend requests from people I’ve never met. One of these thought I had a nice name, another is moving to Montreal (I’m not even there anymore!), someone else apparently saw me at a party…I didn’t.
Number of dates - 4 - Random tea and coffee outings

Number of fun dates - 1 - Salsa dancing on the street with most bars per square foot in North America with a funny Newfoundlander was great.

Number of good books read - 4 - Ivo Andric – The Bridge on The Drina,
Zadie Smith – On Beauty,
Bernhard Schlink - The Reader,
Ismail Kadare – Chronicle in Stone

Number of times I acted as a matchmaker for my volunteers and newcomers - 15 - Matchmaking is part of my job. Volunteers are matched with newcomers. They help them learn English, get to know Newfoundland and Canadian culture, customs, history, etc.

Number of drafts of the annotated bibliography for my Honours paper rejected - 3 - I’m working on the final version, though I think this one, too will have flaws because I apparently need reading glasses. My motherly supervisor and protégé has provided me with the number of her favourite optician, so I can see him and see about getting reading glasses because I apparently am missing out on details. Oh, and she also made me put my shoes to dry on the heater in her office because they had gotten wet in the rain.

Average number of hours spent in school/week - 9 - Four courses x 1.25 hours

Average number of hours spent at work/week - 25 - 5 hours/day

Average number of pleas my supervisor has made to make me resign from my job so I could dedicate my time to my essay - At least 10 - No comment.

Number of good music albums heard - 1 - Marry Barry – Red Eye Tonight

Number of interviews for $60.000 scholarship - 1 - I will know next weekend if I got it.