The title is not a comment on any of those pictured! Over the last couple of days we've ventured outside Gjakova and experienced both the beauty of Kosova and its beastly past.
This striking museum is at the centre of the Kosovan identity. It's in the small and seemingly insignificant village of Prekaz in the north west of this new country. It was home to Adem Jashari and his extended family of almost 60 people. With the exception of a ten year old girl, Besarta Jashari, they were all slaughtered in their homes, 5-7 March 1998.
This is Adem's home, preserved in its bullet-ridden, mortar-holed and dilapidated state after the attack.
Adem was a commander in, and one of the founders of, the Kosovan Liberation Army.
The objective of the Yugolslav army and Serbian police was to find him and wipe out his family as a warning to other KLA fighters to stop their armed insurrection. It took 5,000 armed police and army personnel for their 'successful' operation to be carried out.
The result was the opposite of what they intended, for it actually marked the beginning of the end of Serbian rule in Kosova. Other atrocities were still to come, many in the city of Gjakova where we are based, including the murder of pastor Jeton's father and 371 other Kosovan Albanians just over a year later.
Adem is buried with his family in a beautiful cemetery opposite his house. Every time a visitor approaches, 2 Kosovan soldiers smartly walk from their cabin and stand by his grave. He is a national hero in legendary proportions, with Pristina airport named in his honour.
The oldest person in the cemetery I could find was 78...
... the youngest just 4. However I'd like to tell the story of an 8 year old killed as a result of this atrocity. Her name is Blerina.
I mentioned that there was one survivor, a ten year old girl called Besarta. Besarta and Blerina were sisters. Besarta was crowded into this room of Adem's house with 10 others.
She hid under this wooden box (now in the museum) used for storing/making bread, while the other members of her family were murdered. (Ironically a reflection of her uncle Adem's portrait on the glass protecting the box can be seen.)
Besarta was psychologically abused by the Serbian authorities and amongst other horrific things asked to identify the bodies of her family. Her 6 year old sister Blerina was amongst them. But Blerina wasn't dead; she was alive and seriously wounded. Besarta pleaded to be allowed to take her sister away for treatment. This was denied and she was forced to leave the makeshift mortuary, traumatised and knowing that her little sister's life would slowly ebb away. Besarta is still alive today and was able to provide the only eye witness proof of what happened. However, to this day no-one has been charged.
Such is some of the beastly past of this beautiful country. The church we have come alongside is named The Rebirth of Kosova Church, because it is committed to bringing healing to the scars of oppression and war, in this newborn country. They deserve our full support.
We visited 2 waterfalls either side of the visit to Prekaz. As you watch this video of one of them, pray for God's refreshing and cleansing of Kosova.
