Trading with the enemy in Mitrovica, Kosovo. - RUhosting

surprised by the Albanian hospitality, the honour they treat him with and their efforts to speak English or
Serbian with him. Respondent #1 had a comparable experience with Serbs. He got a job working for a NGO
in 2000 and had to work with Serbs for the first time. He felt like a traitor and refused to speak Serbian with
them despite his ability to speak the language fluently. He chose to speak English with them instead. His
views on Serbs changed when he had to work with them, and also really fast: he went out for drinks with his
Serbian colleagues and after this he was 'ok' with them. After this he also started speaking Serbian again. It
broke the stereotypes and made him see they were just like him. He believes that within the Albanian society
in Kosovo this stereotype about Serbs is created, and kept intact because of lack of contact (respondent #1).
It must be said that these examples could be called 'success stories'. There are also many examples of people
engaging in contact across ethnic group lines but not changing their attitudes or stereotypes. Many people
even keep their incorrect view based on stereotypes when confronted with contrasting information (field
notes). Another problem is that in most cases people only engage for a certain short amount of time in interethnic
contact, such as in dialogue programs. After this contact ends they return to their own community and
under influence of the reigning stereotypes there quickly revert back to their old views (CARE, 2006).
Surprisingly, Both the Albanians and Serbs who do have good relations with the other ethnic group stated the
exact same reasons for this. The words were almost always the same “there are good and bad people
everywhere” (field notes, respondent #5 & #10). Some put it in other words: “I don't judge people based on
ethnicity”(respondent #2), or “everyone should be judged as an individual and not as a group” (respondent
#2 & #4). Still, even after many years of inter-ethnic friendships many are sceptical. One Albanian who had
worked with Serbs for the past 10 years and considers many of them to be his friends summarises his attitude
towards them in one sentence. "I don’t love them but I don’t hate them. I would never marry a Serb"
(respondent #1). A Serb from Mitrovica tells me more or less the same, he adds that his Albanian colleagues
understand the Serbian situation very well, and they make good jokes together on a national level, meaning
Kosovo/Serbia/Yugoslavia. But he believes this is an exception and not representative for the rest of the
population. Because people who work in NGOs are higher educated and more open minded in general to
begin with he says. He does not believe good inter-ethnic relations would be possible in countryside
(respondent #2).
The respondents who were just discussed are very positive examples of inter-ethnic relations, among the
most positive I have encountered. Not everyone shares their enthusiasm. Respondent #16, a Serb from
Mitrovica North who works with Albanians daily stresses with quite some emotion that inter-ethnicity or the
multicultural society does not exist. “Never in Kosovo, for the past 50 years Serbs and Albanians have
always lived segregated. Albanians and Serbs are too different to ever be friends”. Later he mentions that
there are also some good inter-ethnic relations as he tells about an Albanian friend of his who comes to him if
he's in trouble. Then he adds that his opinion about Albanians has changed a bit. Quickly he adds to that:
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