The Battle of Kosovo- An Alternative Version

H/T Politika

According to an article which appeared in Tuesday’s Politika newspaper, “The Battle of Kosovo between Serbian and Turkish armies, whose anniversary we commemorated the day before yesterday, the killing of Sultan Murat, the heroic act of Milos Obilic and the myth which follows him to this day, received a new, Albanian version.”

Anna De Lillio’s The Battle of Kosovo 1389: An Albanian Epic is scheduled to be released on July 7, 2009. According to the publisher’s advertisement:

“The fantastic tale of Murat’s campaign in Kosovo and his assassination by the Albanian knight Millosh Kopiliq is more often presented from the Serb perspective, which extols particularly the valour of the Serbian knight Milos Obilic. By proposing an alternative narrative, The Battle of Kosovo offers a more nuanced understanding of this powerful myth of nationalism and belonging. Anna Di Lellio’s sensitive commentary explores the significance of this epic poem and of the battle more generally in post-war Kosovo in reinforcing a collective identity that emphasises resistance against foreign oppression and identifies strongly with a European, predominantly Christian culture. The Battle of Kosovo is an important addition to our understanding of the past, present and future of this complex Balkan nation as well as the broader issues of national memory and identity.”

In an earlier article about the present day situation in Kosovo a local citizen makes the comment, reflecting on past mistakes, “Once we had some sort of a freedom. One could go anywhere they pleased but now we’re in the dark. Twenty years ago we didn’t grasp some basic things, we made mistakes and that’s why we have to be in the dark now. We had wrong politics towards the world, towards this feast of Vidovdan, towards our own lives. Now we have to wait for the Albanians to make the mistakes.” Maybe it’s just me but with the way things are going we’re going to have to wait a long time before the Albanians, or anyone else for that matter, makes a mistake. They seem to find a way to place the blame on us.