Nine years have passed since the end of NATO bombing that closed the final chapter of the Balkan wars. Winter is bitter cold and the white blanket of hoarfrost covers Pristina, Kosovo’s capital. The freezing cold at the end of the year appears to contrast the current hot political background. The international and local political agenda is cadenced indeed by a series of crucial events for Kosovo’s future. On 17 November political elections were held and the new government came into power. The final decision about Kosovo’s status is also a debating point these days. The declaration of independence was initially set up on 10 December. Yet, history would remember another date: 17 February 2008. Cold and political fervor marks the life of Kosovo’s people with its various ethnicity. Here tradition, respect, strong blood ties and sense of belonging are in full view. Serbs and Albanians, the two main ethnic groups in Kosovo, are seeking ways to express their seemingly irreconcilable religious, cultural and linguistic differences. They have different daily routine and religious calendars. Most people would consider such variety as treasures, a fruitful phenomenon in a country, but here in Kosovo it is still a sign of division. Kosovo is a recently independent state, recognized by a quarter of the world’s governments. It is an ex self-governing province of Serbia, a territory roughly as big as the Umbria region in Italy
by Raffaele Coniglio
