FATLINDA
KOSOVO
26 YEARS
"You cannot
create real progress if you build walls – instead of bridges."
When Fatlinda was growing up in the calm chaos that Kosovo was at that time, the other kids from the neighborhood used to play at her house in Gjilan. They came to her, not because Fatlinda played by the rules. They came to her, because she was leading the game.
Born in 1998, Fatlinda is “a child of the war” as she puts it. Rather than entering this world in a peaceful moment in time, she spent the first months of her life surrounded by existential uncertainty. During her formative years, Fatlinda was imprinted by the many changes in her region, experiencing different periods, circumstances, and forms of governance.
When she reached the age of 10, Kosovo had declared its independence and had been accepted as a sovereign state by most of the international community. Growing up in this exceptional political environment, Fatlinda was aware of human rights, gender issues, poverty, and social struggle this young society was facing. But it wasn't until she turned 16 years of age that she felt the urge to share her perspective as a young woman living in Kosovo.
Together with friends, she made a documentary about a three-year-old girl who was killed while playing. The roof of one of the many neglected houses in the region collapsed on her. The film struck a chord. It visualized a generational trauma. A nation broken by war. An innocent new generation trying to rebuild it, but still dealing with the catastrophic effects inherited from the past. The short film was a tremendous success and got selected by film festivals in Switzerland and Slovenia amongst others. Fatlinda wanted to see their accomplishment on the big screen, yet soon, she found herself facing a wall that others had built to keep her out. Without a Visa, she couldn't travel.
It was not until she was 20, trying to travel to a study visit that she fully grasped the significance of what it really meant to be Kosovar. Fatlinda was obliged to wait for several hours at the sideline of the border before entering Bosnia and Herzegovina, observing other peers of a similar age and origin simply presenting their ID's and travelling freely. Waiting patiently with 13 different documents tightly tucked into her soft hands, she came to understand that people tried to convince her that she was less of a citizen, just because she was an Albanian girl from Kosovo. But Fatlinda did not feel less. It was then that she made a pivotal decision: She decided she would take action.
Today, Fatlinda studies international relations and diplomacy at the Paris Lodron University in Salzburg. She has been involved in various NGOs and initiatives, both formal and informal. She co-founded an NGO to provide young people with a platform to organize and connect through festivals, conferences, and workshops. She is curious to see how the application to join the European Union will unfold and is grateful for the Berlin Process. When asked about her own future, she says that she would rather not be in politics, or need to worry about it, but she knows, she must - and wants to inspire others to be part of this movement.
It pays off. A substantial change for the better came when the Council of the European Union officially approved that Kosovars could travel without a visa in the Schengen area beginning from 2024. Hence Fatlinda was right there in April in Strasbourg when the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (PACE) recommended that Kosovo be invited to become a member state with a strong majority of votes in favour. After witnessing this success, Fatlinda returned home, where it's up to her and her peers to build that bridge from the legacy they have been given, to the future they want to see.
