Journey through Kosova

Cameron's account (16 January 1999)

The original intention was to travel to Kosova to show solidarity with the Albanian people, and to see with our own eyes what was happening. We had planned to take some "aid" however aid visa's are unobtainable to us (which is in contravention to the recent UN Agreement with the Serbian regime). So we decided to set out in a car, with the money that had been raised and take it over ourselves. We left the 1in12 Club on the afternoon of the 23rd December 1998.

26th December:

We arrived in Belgrade late last night. We had eventually found our contact (example of directions: I'll be in my garden wearing a yellow jacket). When we did make contact we received the best of welcomes - beer and good music. We had entered Serbia without much difficulty, the driving conditions and mist being more of a problem than the customs. The mist that submerged us as we entered Serbia was both a symbol and portent of the coming days. Completely surrounding us, suffocating, eerie, an all enclosing presence of menace, requiring our full attention just to keep going along a road heading in an unknown direction to us.

We spent the morning in Belgrade trying, unsuccessfully, to find a bank with some cash in it. Then we were led through some small backstreets and into a building - The Centre for Cultural Decontamination. The centre is trying to raise awareness throughout Serbia both of their own situation and what is happening elsewhere in former Yugoslavia. They are attempting to make contacts and build links with people and organisations all over former Yugoslavia. The medium being used is mainly arts and theatre, the output of events from this place is incredible. Needless to say, the Serbian Nationalists do not approve of this and the centre is not allowed to advertise in the media. As Milosovic imposes more restrictions on his own people the centre is playing a vital role in the resistance. With its cafe/bar, the centre is also one of the meeting places for the various resistance groups.

These groups may have varying political beliefs but they are all united against the government and working closely together. It is not possible for me to say how widespread the resistance to Milosovic 's fascist regime is within Serbia, however the people we met today are constantly active and inspiring. There are regular marches, demo's and actions against the regime, which in turn lead to regular beatings from the police. Recently a woman was jailed for ten days for spraying the symbol of the student resistance movement (S.R.M) on a wall.

We spend most of our time with the S.R.M group of people who are at the forefront of the fight against Milosovic.. The energy, belief and imagination of this group comes across in everything they say and do. They whisk us around the city, from meetings to parties, and houses, then do it all over again.

We meet an almost overwhelming number of people and groups, all of whom are talking, planning, phoning and exchanging ideas. At parties the noise of the conversations becomes louder than the DJ's. Everyone we talk with is very supportive about our journey to Kosova.

At the C.F.C.D people express sadness that Kosova wishes independence, but they support the right of the Kosovan people to determine their own future. We offer the centre a small donation, which is refused - it is needed more in Kosova we're told. We are also told to prepare ourselves for Pristina, it will be, we're warned, a complete culture shock. The last words from Belgrade come from the S.R.M, "we're the last generation that has the chance to change things. If we don't, that's it for twenty years. Milosovic is scared of us, we will make him feel like the minority, we will always be one step ahead.

27th December.

We arrived in Pristina (Capital of Kosova) just as darkness is falling. The journey down from Belgrade was simple. We're stopped once by Serbian police/army, but we have British passports and our visa's so after a brief search of the car they let us pass. Fortunately we cannot understand each others language, we just shrug our shoulders, and they seem amused by weirdo Brit tourists.

In Pristina we meet our contacts and are taken to the offices of "helping hands". There we are given an update of the current situation, not good. Fighting has broken out again, everything and everywhere is very tense. All plans may have to be altered at short notice.

As visitors to Pristina we're required to register with the Serbian police. The drawback to this is that we will be followed where ever we go, which would restrict our movements almost completely. The other slight drawback is that the last group of people to register were arrested there and then. If you don't register... then that is an arrestable offence. The logic of fascism, just to be here is reason enough to be arrested. We don't register, at least that gives us a chance of moving about.

We're taken to a cafe for food but before we leave, someone goes out first and drives around to find where the police roadblocks are. The seriousness of the situation is quickly sinking in. We're fed and taken to our respective houses for the night. We are made extremely welcome where we stay. Throughout our short visit here it is not only the courage and organisation of these people that shine through, but the culture of genuine hospitality. They insist on sharing whatever they have with you.

28th December.

Today we're going to Metrovica, which is a mining town. Make that an ex-mining town. Milosovic sacked all the miners, in the hope that they would leave or starve. There is fighting 10-15 km outside Metrovica and three people were shot in the town last night. The place is infested with Serbian police and army, this is what they call a tense situation.

The miners find us before we find them and straight away they rush us out of the town centre and through the backstreets to our first meeting. Its taking place in an old school building, no heating inside and many broken windows, but still in use. The meeting is with the education and cultural Union who tell us their story. When the Serb regime closed down the Albanian schools, often using violence the Albanian Teachers were determined to continue to educate their children. They had to start from scratch, no books, no buildings and no equipment. Private houses were used as class rooms, often at great risk, many teachers were jailed or killed. But they persevered, and set up an entire independent education system, which has been able to teach over 400,000 pupils over the last eight years.

Whilst we're having this meeting their are people keeping watch outside the building in case the police turn up. People here are expecting trouble. We're taken to the next meeting, again only travelling on backstreets. We go to the offices of the Council for Defence and Freedom of Human Rights (K.M.D.L.N.J), where we're given an update on what is happening here. For the last three days the police have been blocking streets, raiding houses, beating and arresting people. Today they've set up a machine gun post outside a primary school. The overseas observers (O.S.C.E) have set up an office in Metrovica ten days previously. Unfortunately the observers can do just do just that - observe, they have no powers, and the Serbian police and army know that. Already people have been beaten in full view of the O.S.C.E offices. The police showing their disregard and contempt for their UN watchers.

We're shown photographs from Shala region: 781 houses destroyed, 22 Albanian civilians, including an 80 year old woman killed, during the Serb offensives. We're shown photographs of people who were beaten by police, all ages, horrific bruising, many people beaten on the soles of their feet, cigarette burns on flesh. One boy has stitches from groin to chin, someone has tried to gut him. The photographs are shocking in themselves, what is worse is the realisation that this happens to Albanians everyday, for the simple reason that they are Albanians. The occupation forces of police and army do what they like.

The meeting ends quickly. The phone keeps ringing, bringing news of more police raids. We leave and go to a miner's house and a fine lunch. The miners explain to us their history in this struggle. From the beginning they had been in the front line of the resistance and have suffered greatly. Sacked, starved, driven out, jailed, killed, but they have continued to organise, protect and help their people. The Miners Union have and do still raise money to feed the jobless miners who have no income. During the 84/85 UK miners strike, the miners of Kosova regularly sent money to our striking miners, a point which Mr Scargill seems to have difficulty understanding. The miners make two strong points, "No more deals with Serbia, Independence is the only solution left for us". They will not give up, and one day they believe they will return to their own mines.

The Union has already convinced miners from Tuzla, Poland and Bulgaria not to work in the mines under the Serb regime. We would like to have stayed longer in Metrovica, however there is too much police/army activity it is likely that our presence here would be noticed. Our hosts advise us that because of the situation it would not be safe here in Metrovica.

We leave for Pristina, before it becomes dark. In Pristina we are taken to our home for the next two nights. We're staying with a Professor and his family, and again we're made really welcome. This family includes a 22 year old son who speaks good English, so we spend the evening talking with him about his, and his friends, own experiences, and how he sees the future.

29th December.

The temperature fell to minus 18 last night. We're warm in the house, with heating and plenty of blankets. Many people in Kosova have had no electricity, therefore no heat, for six months now. There are people who have no homes. I wake up wondering how many people froze to death last night. Today the plan is to go to Pristina University where we will meet the Dean, Professors and students. Then we will meet the Minister of Education from the Government in exile.

We talk with many people today, all of whom describe the same problems. Albanians consider education to be of prime importance to their people, with out it there is nothing to build a future with or for one of the fundamental human rights is the right to learn and gain knowledge. The Serbian regime considers the prevention of this education of this education of prime importance.

A common Serb slogan is "Don't give the pen or book to Albanians". At Pristina University the Serbs finally "released" one building back to the Albanians after much international pressure. There are three faculty's crammed into a building meant to hold one. There is no heating inside (temperature is about -4/-5). There is no equipment, it was all destroyed by police and army. Trying for new equipment is risky, it'll probably also be destroyed. No one is sure how long they will be able to use this building. The windows are regularly broken by the children of Serb teachers who live in the buildings opposite. Shots have been fired at the building. The night porters have been threatened at gun point by Serbian police. This place feels like its under siege.

The permanent threat of war disrupts plans for studying. Students are isolated from their families as some have been driven out of the country. Some students have no villages left to go back to. Lectures can only be held during daylight, its too dangerous after dark. There is no accommodation allowed for Albanian students at the University. This means the students have to travel daily - that travelling is a dangerous business. On the way to University students are stopped and searched. Books are confiscated and students have been beaten. There have been cases of students being forced to try and eat their books.

There are no pubs, or clubs, no social life. Its dangerous to be out at night. I saw a poster on a lamp post telling of the funeral of a thirty year old student. Three days before we arrived, four students were kidnapped. No one knows where they are, or what happened to them. In Kosova wanting to read and write can put you in an unmarked grave if you're Albanian. The students here feel extremely isolated, they have little contact with the world outside Kosova. They asked us to pass on their greetings to all other students. In the words of one of the students we poke with; "We are not giving up. We need education, we want the world to come and see how we are working. When you come and see, you will cry".

We left Kosova the following day. It would have been good to have stayed longer, there were other people/groups we would have liked to meet. However because of the current situation we were aware that we were putting people at risk who were with us. They were willing to take the risks, but we have a responsibility also. It was a hard decision to make and maybe not the correct one.

The Albanians still have their optimism, we were told "there is light at the end of the tunnel but it is a very long tunnel". But there is also a very real sense of desperation, the people know that the tanks and jackboots could close in at any time. Many people, young and old alike, told us that they will not leave if the Serb army attacks. They have nowhere else to go and why should they leave, this is their home, their country. They will not be forced out, instead they will stay here and die. All the people we spoke with said that independence from Serbia is the only solution left. After all that has happened nothing else would work.

Anyone who commented on the K.L.A. described them as an "unfortunate necessity". For six years the Albanians tried a course of passive resistance to the Serbian regime, that did not prevent more displaced and dead Albanians. Many of the K.L.A. are villagers who watched their homes being destroyed, their friends and families murdered. Guns were picked up in self-defence. The description in our media of the K.L.A. as "separatists" or "rebels" I find confusing. I heard no Albanians describing them like that. Stories of the K.L.A. re-occupying villages are distorted - these are the villages they were driven from, their homes. Stories of the K.L.A. trying to provoke "all out war" I find senseless. Whilst we were in Pristina the K.L.A. put out an appeal for young people to stop coming forward to join them, there is not enough arms. The K.L.A. numbers approximately 1000 people. The Serbian army in Kosova numbers approximately 20,000. With odds like those there would only be one winner in an all out war.

Bradford Aid for Kosova donated £1600 between the Miners' Union and the Education, Science and Cultural Union. A minuscule amount to what is needed. The cash was not the point. We went to try and turn solidarity from an abstract concept into a physical reality. The Albanian people need and want this solidarity. They need and want the whole world to see the conditions that they are living under. We went to see with our own eyes. I saw a people living under occupation, a people brutalised daily by their occupiers. We returned home with, I think its fair to say, the need to find answers to many more questions. I would hope to return to Kosova in the coming months. As I'm writing this, (16/1/99) I'm hearing news of yet another massacre in Kosova. At least forty Albanians butchered. I hope there will be something to return to in Kosova, and not ruins, rubble and mass graves.