Ruairi O'Connell

The Kosovo Question

No - not 'that' Kosovo question; that one was answered on 17 February

There is another question that anyone who has spent time in Kosovo will have heard. I was at a modern dance workshop last weekend (I wasn't doing the dancing...) when I heard it again. The workshop was held by two US 'cultural envoys' , two modern dance instructors working with various dance groups in Kosovo, including the National Ballet. At the end of the session, one of the audience asked the envoys what I call the Kosovo Question - "how do our (in this case) dancers compare internationally?"

This gives a real insight into Kosovo. Kosovo's population under Milosevic (and commonly throughout the twentieth century) was surpressed, isolated, and often struggling to make ends meet from day-to-day. The first casualty of this was Kosovo's cultural life - be it the arts, media or sport. As Kosovo begins to make use of the new opportunities since 1999, people here naturally want to know how they compare. This stems in part from the natural pride of a brand new country, in part in reflection of a desire to learn and develop. But it also betrays a certain need for affirmation, and confirmation that Kosovo is on the right path. Again, after such isolation, this is understandable.

And, for the record, the US visitors were impressed by the technical skills of the Kosovo Ballet.

Posted at 14:22 09 May 2008 by Ruairi O'Connell  |  Comments[3]