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By:
Besarte Elshani
- February 18, 2023 09:00 AM
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The object itself, a monument of cultural heritage, is a unique testimony of historical turns. The most important meetings used to be held there. In 2002, President Ibrahim Rugova christened the former headquarters of the League of Writers of Kosovo, of the Presidency and not only, "The House of Independence". It bears his name since 2007. In the space of 84 square meters, with the exhibition "Peaceful resistance and state building 1989-1999" unfolds the decade until the statehood of Kosovo
Artifacts of the museum "House of Independence - dr. Ibrahim Rugova" are not whatever. History does not convey many of them to new generations and this museum tries to shed light on a chapter of historical turns. There is the decade that Kosovo went through in state building.
The exhibition "Peaceful resistance and state building 1989-1999" with curator Shkumbin Brestovc is a historical unfolding through photographs, explanations of movements and political moments and the state of society, along with key historical events when Kosovo was one of the two provinces of the former Yugoslavia.
On ordinary days, there is little movement in the museum on "Enver Zymberi" street in the capital. The plaques placed on one part of the fences of the one-story building inform about the name of the institution and the schedule of visits, which are not the most comfortable, without heating during the winter. However, the information that is provided from there evokes emotions and turns back the time, even for a generation that does not belong to that time.
The "House..." managed by the Ministry of Culture and a monument protected by the state, proof of the initiative to preserve and unfold the not only political legacy of the president.
Newspaper articles and illustrated blogs present historical facts as an introduction to the history of Kosovo for younger generations and international visitors. Special focus is given to President Rugova, who had baptized the object as a museum with the name "House of Independence" in 2002. To this designation, former president Fatmir Sejdiu had also attached the name of Ibrahim Rugova in 2007, a year after his death.
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"Kosovo Independence..." with newspaper reports on the historic day
Writings in which President Rugova expressed his criticism of Serbian aggression, Serbian media campaigns against him, the death of the president and political developments during that period are presented in frames that are part of the exhibition "Peaceful Resistance and State-Building 1989-1999" ". Its author, Shkumbin Brestovci, said that the concept of the exhibition was the story through illustrations and facts, without insisting on a certain interpretation. The exhibition was opened in December 2020 on the anniversary of the founding of the Democratic League of Kosovo.
"I considered it important to present all the actors, all the participants, without leaving anyone aside and without trying to make someone more protagonist than the other", said Brestovci.
According to Brestovc, the exhibit materials provide a concise summary of the facts. Real adventure and quite difficult and with a lot of responsibility, he has considered the whole process. He addressed the call to the public to donate the historical materials they possess to the museum for the purpose of further enriching it.
"The largest part of the exhibition is occupied by the peaceful resistance of the 90s, in fact the museum was founded in her honor. However, considering that the general knowledge about the history of Kosovo is very lacking, I have considered it reasonable to present the historical context. This was done through a chronology of historical facts from antiquity to the 20th century," said Brestovci.
The narrative there inscribes dates, events, turning points in the memory. The poisoning of more than 7 people in 1990, most of them high school students, the closure of Radio and Television of Pristina and the only newspaper printed at that time "Rilindja", the attacks of Serbs on education, the killing of intellectuals, discriminatory laws and more, are some of the events that make up the chapters. "In the period March 19 - December 6, 1990, about 7.000 people were poisoned with the military poison sarin. This poisoning started 3 days after the end of the school segregation process...", it is written inside the text accompanied by a map of Kosovo, which shows the places where the mass poisoning of students is located.
Photographs of the massacres come as evidence of how brutal and merciless the Serbian aggression was. The image of the Albanian-Albanian border stone takes place there together with information about the Rambouillet Conference, the composition of the General Staff of the Kosovo Liberation Army, the operational areas, the battles, until the end of the war and the liberation of Kosovo. Other political events, such as the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia, the establishment of the Democratic League, the announcement of the Constitution of July 2, 1990 before the Assembly of Kosovo and that of September 7 of that year in Kaçanik, according to which Kosovo was declared an independent and equal entity of the Federation of ex-Yugoslavia, they enrich with data this not distant, but historical period for Kosovo.
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Ibrahim Rugova is remembered as the architect of independence
Other exhibits - such as the pencil, glasses, books and scarf of President Ibrahim Rugova - were in the museum and were sent to the National Museum.
Bekim Gashi, in charge of the museum "House of Independence - dr. Ibrahim Rugova", announced their return on May 23, the anniversary of Rugova's election as the first president of Kosovo. Fehmi Agani's pencil and Xhemajl Mustafa's phone bag were also there.
"For about 10 years, this building has served as the presidency, government, assembly, so all important decisions for 10 consecutive years have been made in this building and for the importance it had, which was destroyed by Serbian forces in 1999, President Rugova e baptizes in 2002 with the name 'House of Independence', while it also receives its attached name in 2007, a year after his death by former president Sejdiu. So, 10 consecutive years of work and commitment to our nation building have started in this building", said Gashi.
Last year, according to him, the museum had over 1200 visitors. Their number had decreased during the pandemic when it was closed for a while with the instructions of the central institutions.
"The museum is frequented by a large number of visitors, mostly during the summer, of course also the coming emigrants. It is also visited by the international factor, by influential people in foreign policy", he said.
The image of the Declaration of Independence of Kosovo also occupies a place in the museum. 109 MPs unanimously declared Kosovo an independent, sovereign and democratic state.
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"Reporting House" as a museum for 1998-1999
The building served as the office of "KosovaFilm" until 1988, then it was given to the Writers' Association of Kosovo when Ibrahim Rugova was elected its president. After a year, the Democratic League was founded in this building and for 10 years the building served as the Presidency. It was an important object for the political scene in Kosovo, which is why in 1999 it suffered damage from Serbian forces.
