I came home late one evening from work and could barely suppress my tears. I had just seen two children 18 months of age malnourished and about the size and weight of a 9 monther. Their parents in the same malnourished state. Their eyes dead and lifeless. In 1999 I was asked to be one of a group of GPs to care for refugees our government took from Kosovo following the attempted genocide by the Serbs. Unhesitatingly I said yes and worked a number of evening clinics after my regular consulting and some weekends. These pitiable traumatised people really had little need for formal doctoring and more nourishment, warmth and care. Fortunately the government setup at the Portsea Army camp which is where they were housed was also replete with all the appropriate allied health to expertly cater to those needs. It was one of my and my country’s better moments and we should all be proud.
Twenty five years on and I am here. This is a country of 2 million of which over 90% are Albanians. Amazingly only 3% were ever Serbs but that minority was in power and persecuted and brutalised the Albanian majority for year until Milosevic decided to attempt a genocide on the Muslim majority. In 1994 an impotent UN force stood aside in Rwanda. A year later the same happened with UN and NATO forces being passive witnesses in Bosnia. Third time lucky, Bill Clinton did not respond passively as he did in the past. NATO responded with airpower defeating the Serbs and restoring sovereignty to the Kosovars.
Newborn is a word that is used a lot here. Declared and recognised as a country in 2008 it is the youngest nation on earth. The capitol Pristina is a small city with little of historical consequence to see. The centre of town consists of a series of tree lined squares with statues and murals depicting some of the notable Kosovars from the past. For me the quirkiest feature here is Bill Clinton square at the end of Bill Clinton Blvd with a large statue of the man himself beaming down on all.
Prizren is the second city of Kosovo and is the historical and cultural hub of Kosovo. It is pretty and has a whole lot more history and attractions than Pristina. This is a pretty little independent country. Despite their tragic past they are succeeding economically and more importantly, as a tolerant multiracial society.
