Seferi: Young Serbs and Albanians speak to each other in English today

As long as there is no political agreement between Kosovo and Serbia, social relations will remain imperfect — including those between young Serbs and Albanians, journalist Idro Seferi told Kosovo Online. He notes that young people today communicate with each other in English and highlights the importance of learning the languages of other communities, believing that this not only shows mutual respect but also points to a better future.

Seferi states that in Kosovo, there are numerous projects where young Serbs and Albanians who live there work together.

"There are various projects. For example, young people have learned to work with bees, they've been connected through art, music... there were also joint rock music schools. But essentially, for a long time, these projects were the only places where young people could meet — outside of their everyday environments," says the journalist.

One of the more interesting situations reflecting the current state in Kosovo, he says, is the language barrier among the youth.

"What I find interesting — since I belong to an older generation that had contact with both languages — is that young people in Kosovo now speak to each other in English. That’s very interesting to me. Sometimes they’re even from the same town. I sat with young people in Mitrovica, and they were all speaking English together. Of course, on the other hand, they should be encouraged to learn both Serbian and Albanian, because that not only shows mutual respect but also has cultural significance and points toward a better future," Seferi notes.

However, he adds that the political context remains an unavoidable obstacle to reconciliation.

"As long as there is no political agreement between Kosovo and Serbia, overall relations in society will not be under tension per se, but they will be imperfect. This also influences young people — there's intolerance, a kind of ignorance, lack of contact, or even suspicion. Trust is built by all of us working toward better understanding and respecting one another," our interlocutor observes.

He notes that changes are nonetheless happening and that the situation is not the same as it was 20 years ago.

"Young people have different interests now, although of course, there are still some who are politically burdened or involved and influenced by the current situation. But what I’ve noticed while participating in various projects and conferences is that it only takes a day or two for young people to relax and start connecting. Among the older generation, there’s a much deeper history. However, I wouldn’t want to condemn older generations, because they often had more contact — someone could at least greet you with a few words in your language. That, in itself, shows there’s a possibility for better relations," he says.

Another obstacle, he assesses, is the divided education system in Kosovo.

"When it comes to history and narratives that are highly politicized, we won’t be reaching agreement anytime soon. It’s a long and, at this point, distant process. In any case, the education system in Kosovo is divided. For Albanians, the schools attended by Serbs are considered parallel institutions. On the other hand, Serbs have very little to do with Albanian schools. Only children from other communities attend both — not Serbs and Albanians," Seferi explains.

When it comes to curricula and textbooks, the differences run even deeper.

"It’s completely different — even the events themselves are told in conflicting ways. There have been regional projects with joint textbooks, but they remain alternative and haven’t been integrated into school programs. I think that’s a topic that should be left for later. History can be told using different facts, and the reader can then decide for themselves how an event unfolded," Seferi concludes.