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By:
Col. Mehmeti
- June 25, 2021 23:43
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"Only 1 has returned to the house", is the conclusion in the form of a call with which the 104-page catalog on the archaeological exhibition "Dardania Antike", which was inaugurated on Friday afternoon, closes. At the inauguration ceremony - in the presence of foreign diplomatic representatives, as well as KFOR officials - the catalog was appreciated as a rich narrative about the country's archaeological treasures, but also as a reminder of the fate of the artifacts taken from Serbia under the circumstances of the invasion. Prime Minister Kurti, as he described the non-return of the artifacts as a violation of international conventions, said that for this issue they can also turn to the judicial institutions if necessary.
In the first years after the war, the international administration in Kosovo was quietly pushing the request for the return of the artifacts that Serbia had robbed from the funds of the National Museum of Kosovo. After negotiations, in most cases barren, the head of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) at the time, Michael Steiner, managed to return from Belgrade the "Goddess on the throne", the 6-year-old terracotta figurine. And hundreds of others continue to stay in the museums in Belgrade all day today.
"Only 1 has returned to the house", is the conclusion in the form of a call with which the 104-page catalog on the archaeological exhibition "Dardania Antike", which was inaugurated on Friday afternoon, closes. In the showcase with blue meringue, the "Goddess on the Throne" is also exhibited, which usually does not have a place in the exhibition. And there, also the book of reverses for 1.247 archaeological and ethnological artifacts that are kept in Serbia.
"Dardania...", a joint publication of MKRS and the National Museum of Kosovo (MKK), the catalog with authors Arben Hajdari and Milot Berisha comes as an informative and explanatory narrative for the exhibition with the same title that was prepared on the occasion of the first ten years jubilee of the state of Kosovo.
As a permanent exhibition, its repertoire of artefacts and ecofacts covers a span of about 8 years from the Neolithic era to the late Middle Ages.
"The exhibits, after being selected by the curators of the collections, some of them have been restored and conserved, while some replicas fill the gap created by the receipt of 676 exhibits from the National Museum of Kosovo in 1998 (during the war) from the National Museum of Serbia . These exhibits have not yet been returned despite the continuous requests of Kosovo's institutions", says the preface of this catalog.
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At the inauguration ceremony - in the presence of foreign diplomatic representatives, as well as KFOR officials - the catalog was evaluated as a rich narrative about the country's archaeological assets, but also as a reminder of the fate of the 676 exhibits taken from Serbia under the circumstances of the invasion.
With a short address, Ajet Leci, director of MKK, assessed that this catalog is important for the history of Kosovo. According to him, some of the exhibits were taken by the Serbian invaders during the last war and never returned.
"For this reason, based on the documents it possesses, the National Museum of Kosovo on May 19 of this year has made an official request to the institutions of Serbia that the archaeological exhibits be returned to the country of origin, because they are being kept unjustly in Serbia," he said. said Leci, who has shown that international organizations that deal with the protection of cultural heritage have been approached for the same issue.
Canolli: "A catalog that cites objective recognition"
The professor of anthropology, Arsim Canolli, while talking about this catalog, said that the archaeological exhibition has been "broken and the soul is tired", because a large part of the artifacts have been held hostage in Serbia since June 1999.
"Only one has returned home. But this should be the main word and call that we have to make every day until those artifacts are returned to the Museum", said Canolli.
Speaking about the newly published catalog, he said that it provides a chronological narration of the holding of the "Ancient Dardania" exhibition, based on scientific references, but also adapted as a text for the reader and ordinary visitor.
"The exhibition 'Ancient Dardania' presents the profile of the Illyrian-Dardan culture, the findings of which are few, but this is precisely where the fragmentary aspect of the exhibition lies, which seeks beyond the trace, the sign of the artifact, towards the Illyrian-Dardan civilization under the layers of Romanization and acculturation others", said Canolli.
According to the professor of anthropology, this catalog is not to invent and fantasize, but to stimulate the archaeological imagination towards research, knowledge and objective scientific interpretation.
"The catalog is a narratological record, a book that provides even greater information than an exhibition," he added.
Kurti: "Preserving heritage - constitutional obligation"
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, was also present at the inauguration. As he greeted the participants, he said that by protecting the cultural heritage, the collective memory is maintained, the feeling of belonging is provided, the network of solidarity is consolidated and the development of the country is helped.
"Cultural heritage is among the most powerful formative sources of identity", said Kurti. "It strengthens our connection to history, develops a sense of ownership and care for values, and fosters responsibility towards the generations that will come after us."
The head of the Government of Kosovo has reminded that the preservation of the millennial cultural heritage, as a common obligation of contemporary society for future generations, is defined in the Constitution of Kosovo.
"Today we are promoting a very important part of this cultural wealth of our state: our archaeological heritage represents the totality of material culture created by humanity in the past, which increases our understanding of the knowledge, structure, activity and culture of the societies of ancient".
"Non-return of artefacts - violation of conventions"
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While he emphasized that the archaeological exhibition "Dardania Antike" presents a rich archaeological repertoire of an 8-year history, Prime Minister Kurti pointed out that this archaeological treasure continues to be incomplete.
"Perhaps the most important part of our archaeological collection is not found here, nor in the National Museum, nor in other public museums. "Hundreds of artifacts from our archeological collection and hundreds more from the ethnographic collection are today in the museums of Belgrade," he said.
Although twenty-three years have passed, he continued, an important part of Kosovo's cultural wealth is being unfairly kept in Serbia. According to him, in the judgments of the Hague Tribunal, the destruction of hundreds of monuments in Kosovo has been described as a crime against humanity.
"The judges have concluded that these destructions were not accidental nor collateral damage, but part of a plan to attack the identity, culture and history of Albanians".
Prime Minister Kurti further underlined that the signed reverses were not respected by the institutions of Serbia and, according to him, "not returning cultural property to the country of origin is a crime against humanity".
"Therefore, we are taking this issue to international forums, both professional and intergovernmental, as well as judicial ones if necessary", he added.
"Kosovo - an example of community rights"
Until recently, the debate on the state of Orthodox churches in Kosovo has been frequent, Kurti has emphasized that the state and citizens of Kosovo have given a lot to this cultural heritage in the country.
According to him, so far millions of euros have been invested in the restoration of damaged churches, while a special unit within the Kosovo Police takes care of their security.
"It's been 15 years since there have been no incidents with ethnic or religious motives in cult institutions. What happens are cases of theft, with the lowest percentage in Orthodox churches. Kosovo has one of the most advanced systems in the world in terms of protecting the cultural rights of the community", said Kurti, among others.
In the following minutes, a short video was broadcast with some of the exhibits that were stolen from the National Museum of Kosovo, which is being held in Belgrade. Through four projectors, where the images were changed from one to the other, according to Vjollca Ali, director of the Department of Cultural Heritage at MKRS, "it is intended to create a deliberate dizziness" for a part of the archaeological artifacts of the National Museum of Kosovo.
Soon after, the prime minister of Kosovo was symbolically presented with a symbolic replica from the Neolithic findings of the Vinca culture in Fafos, Mitrovica.
"A panorama of hikers"
At the end of the ceremony, Arben Hajdari, one of the co-authors of the catalog, said that this museological narration aims to become an important mediator between the visitors and the Museum.
"Besides this, the catalog exhibition is creating a panorama of the hikers who passed through the territory of Kosovo from the prehistoric period to the 15th century", said Hajdari.
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Otherwise, the archaeological exhibition "Dardania Antike", in the National Museum of Kosovo, has been prepared on the occasion of marking the first jubilee decade of independent Kosovo. Opened on February 23, 2018, this exhibition, until the end of that year, was visited by a total of 30 visitors.
