Isra Shehu and Kastriot Bajrami belong to Kosovo’s new generation, a generation that did not experience the war, but continues to grow up with its memory.
Born after 1999, they have only heard about the war through family stories, documentaries, school subjects, and commemorative events organized over the years.
Kastriot Bajrami, 23, says he first heard about the war in Kosovo from his family, and later from friends and his social circle.
“Later, as a student of history, I became more broadly familiar with the circumstances of the ongoing conflict that led to the outbreak of the war,” he added.
Isra Shehu from the municipality of Kaçanik, in addition to family stories, has also learned about the war through other means.
“Although I was fortunate not to have experienced the war myself, I got to know it mostly through my family. I had relatives who stayed in Kosovo during the war, and they told me about the experiences and the terrible hardships they went through. Also, in school we often talked about days like ‘Liberation Day’, we watched documentaries about the war, or teachers told us about it,” Shehu said.
For her, the war has a strong impact because it makes her value freedom more.
“This memory unites us as a nation and shapes our identity, reminding us who we are and what our parents and families went through so that we can live in freedom,” she emphasized.
For Kastrioti, the war does not directly affect young people, but rather in a more superficial way.
“I don’t believe it directly affects the lives of young people living in Kosovo, but it does have an impact on young people whose families have emigrated, especially in a social sense,” he emphasized.
Based on a 2024 report published by the Youth Initiative for Human Rights – Kosovo (YIHR KS) authored by Bekim Baliqi, the most influential sources of information for young people about the war are the narratives of others.
“Conversations with parents, close family members, and people with direct experience of the war are the most influential sources of information about war events,” the report states.
Kastriot Bajrami also added that institutions should prioritize preserving the collective memory of the war without using it as a tool for propaganda or personal gain.
“In my opinion, the priority of institutions should be preserving the collective memory of war experiences and preventing the repetition of history, without using this memory as a tool for propaganda for personal benefit,” Bajrami said.
Isra Shehu, meanwhile, says that history should be better taught in schools and more cultural activities should be organized.
“History should be taught as well as possible in schools, visits to memorials and historical sites should be organized, and more documentaries or cultural activities should be created. It should also be spoken about continuously, especially on special days such as Kosovo Independence Day, so that history is passed from generation to generation and never forgotten,” Shehu added.
According to Vesa Qena, manager of the Documentation Center in Kosovo, if there is no shared narrative about what happened during the war and justice is missing, moving forward is difficult and unstable.
“Moving forward means building a future where the past does not hold us hostage, but serves as a memory so that these events are never repeated,” she added.
Qena said that transitional justice must take place because it is extremely important for a society.
“There are countries where transitional justice has never been implemented, and the risk is that victims, survivors, and victims’ families will no longer be around after a few generations to testify about what happened,” she emphasized.
The war in Kosovo lasted from February 28, 1998, to June 12, 1999, when the Kumanovo Agreement was signed. It refers to the Kosovo War.