Prishtina, 19 December, 2023
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, visited the exhibition “Babies of the Mall”, by photographer Korab Krasniqi and curator Vesa Sahatçiu, dedicated to children killed, missing and affected by the war in Kosovo.
In addition to being a special space of commemoration, this exhibition opened at the Ministry of Justice is also an invitation to reflect on the way we think and represent loss, individual or collective.
Prime Minister Kurti’s complete speech:
“At the bloody dead end
Where they killed the newborn baby
And her father
It took 20 years
To find his remains and give them to his mother
She just took the bones in her hand,
And brought them closer to her breast.
Did you wait for me?
Because the baby had not grown up at all
She smiled at her baby
Just before the earth was opened
And swamp her.”
These are verses by our late poet Xhevdet Bajraj, about the depth of loss, longing for absence.
We are finding this even tonight, here, in a special dimension, with the memories of children and the memories of children in war.
Honorable Minister of Justice, Mrs. Albulena Haxhiu,
Dear curator of the exhibition, Mrs. Vesa Sahatçiu,
Dear Mr. Korab Krasniqi,
Dear attendees, ladies and gentlemen,
This exhibition with the poetic title “Missing Babies” has brought us together, dedicated to the children killed, missing and affected by the war in Kosovo. He talks about “abducted children”. Like the title of the memoir on which it is based.
In addition to being a special space of commemoration, this exhibition is also an invitation to reflect and engage in discussion about the way we think and represent loss, individual or collective.
Acknowledgment and thanks for coordinating the efforts of our institutions and partners that have enabled the realization of this project.
Such events, in addition to collecting memories and sharing pain, also serve our collective memory, for the past, to never forget it.
To honor and exalt the memory of children killed and missing during the war, the Government of the Republic of Kosovo is engaged in the project for the memorial dedicated to them.
Our freedom is rooted in those who fell for freedom. The murders of children in Kosovo are the most terrible crimes in Serbia. That is why we have an obligation, for the freedom and peace we enjoy, for the justice we aim to never forget.
May the memory of all the children killed during the war in Kosovo be eternal!
Thank you.
Last modified: December 20, 2023