Silent Witness - Serbian Life Through A Child's Eyes

Missy Loewe, Academic Dean of Washington School of Photography (middle) was instrumental in making the exhibit possible.

The exhibit opened on Friday, Oct. 9, 2009, in the Gallery of the Washington School of Photography in Bethesda, Maryland. Organized by RAS-The International Serbian Organization, and the Washington School of Photography, a premier school of photography in the Washington Metropolitan area, this exhibit presents photographs made by the Serbian children who live in the southern Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija .

Hundreds of Serbian children, together with thousands of adults, live behind barbed wires, in concentration camp conditions and in constant fear for their lives and the lives of their families in today’s Kosovo. They represent a minority in the southern province of Serbia, whose, now majority, Albanian Muslim population, after many decades of terror and destruction against everything Serbian in this Serbian province, proclaimed independence in February 2009. Despite unceasing attempts to eradicate all traces of the Serbian people and their culture, and despite the fact that Serbians are still fleeing the province in large numbers, there are families and individuals who have nowhere to go and who, in fact, are the guarantors of the future of Serbia in Kosovo. The most important of these are the Serbian children there.

They seem helpless and hopeless. However, through the generous donation of the Washington School of Photography, 9 of those children received digital camera to record their daily lives. Through their photographs, the lives of the Serbian children in Kosovo are now seen, vividly and movingly. Hundreds of the exhibit’s viewers who saw the photographs on Friday, and many more that will see them in the future, testify that these kids are not alone any more behind the barbed wires surrounding them.

At the opening reception, the guests, many as unfamiliar with the Serbian culture as they were about the life of the children there, had an opportunity to learn about the long Serbian tradition by viewing the exhibited traditional folk costumes, as well as by tasting Serbian traditional dishes and desserts, recipes for both of which were available and widely distributed.

The exhibit will remain open at the Bethesda location until November 3, 2009, when it will begin its journey, first in the US, and then abroad. The next host of this exhibit will be the city of Chicago.

If you are interested in showing this exhibit in your town, church or organization, please contact us at: rasinternational.info@gmail.com

FROM RAS:

“This exhibition of children’s photographs is a rare view into one of the Europe’s best kept secrets. Until The Washington School of Photography and RAS, The International Serbian Organization brought nine cameras and gave them to children.

Indeed, it is hard to believe that this is Europe, and that the international community spent billions of dollars, provided United Nations protection, NATO force, and now European Union force, EULEX, a virtual army of prosecutors and judges to tame the lawless Kosovo.

But in the shadow of Kosovo’s news grabbing headlines, Serbian minority in enclaves clings to the hope of survival. They have no freedom of movement, and the barbed wire tells the story of their existence. Beyond the enclaves, lies Kosovo. The children learn about Kosovo, about towns and villages their families come from, about ancient churches and monasteries. But will they ever see them again? They live from day to day, wondering what the next day brings. Food or electricity may be available, or not -— it is up to the whims of others. They are forgotten.

It is a nature of every child to hope. Their hope is the oxygen that keeps them alive.

Their pictures capture their world. And we have a chance to see it -— though their eyes.”

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NOTE FROM RAVNAGORA:

The following is a letter that Kosta Pavichevich, a dedicated Serbian-American activist, has sent to the RAS organization regarding the "Silent Witness" exhibition. The "suggestions" below are part of an ongoing campaign initiated long ago by Mr. Pavichevich to identify the Serbian people, rightfully, as "Christian Serbs". His reasons for pursuing this campaign so passionately through the years is explained below. Of all the initiatives that I have come across with regards to opening the world's eyes as to who the Serbians really are, as opposed to how they have been "characterized" by the West as well as by their enemies, this initiative of Kosta Pavichevich's is one of the best.

Aleksandra Rebic

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From Kosta Pavichevich:

To my Christian Serbian brothers and sisters at RAS,

I, as we all are, continue to be on a mission to change the negative perception of the Christian Serbian people to all of the Americans. The U.S. government has intentionally withheld all references that the Serbian people are Christians ... intentionally withheld!

The Western media has been complicit and has also intentionally withheld all references of church and monastery destruction and also withheld the reporting of heinous crimes committed by the Muslim Albanians against the Christian Serbians.

The American people still do not know that the Serbians are Christians. When I came back to the U.S. from a two week trip to Kosovo and Metohija in December 2006, I gave many informal speechs to American citizens all over the Chicago area ... 99.9% did not know that the Serbians were Christians.

Many would say to me, "I did not know that the Serbians were Christians, I just thought that they were, well, Serbians."

I would then have to explain that Serbian is the nationality, Christianity is the religion. I would then also explain that Albanian was the nationality, and that Islam was their religion.

The Americans seemed dumbfounded, almost unbelieving, in hearing that we are Christians.

I would let them know that I was born here in Chicago, and that my mother left Serbia in 1939 when she was 12 years old, and that my father was born here in America and is of Montengrin descent.

Clinton and Bush would have had a very hard time if the American people, 85% of who claim to be Christian, would have known that we, the U.S. citizens, were arming the Muslim Albanians to kill Christian Serbians ... that we, the U.S. citizens, were bombing the Christian Serbians, let alone taking Christian Serbian land in Kosovo and giving it to the Muslim Albanians!

We Christian Serbs must make the American public aware that we are Christians every chance that we get! We must!

Therefore, I most humbly request, if it is not too late, to add a few words to your heartwrenching Exhibit... and I am sincere in my humbleness.

Is it possible to change the title to:

Silent Witness - Serbian Life Through A Christian Serbian Child's Eyes

Is it possible in the first paragraph to add the word Christian, "... made by the Christian Serbian children who live in the southern Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija".

Is it possible in the second paragraph to add the word Christian, "Hundreds of Christian Serbian children, together with ..."

Is it possible in the second paragraph to write, " ... now majority, Muslim Albanian population, after many decades of terror and destruction against everything Christian in this Serbian province, proclaimed ..."

(Muslim should be used to describe the Albanians, just as Christian should be used to describe the Serbians ... therefore, Muslim Albanians ... therefore, Christian Serbians)

Is it possible in the second paragraph to write, " ... eradicate all traces of the Christian Serbian people ... the fact that Christian Serbians are still fleeing ... the future of Christianity in Kosovo. The most important of these are the Christian Serbian children there."

Is it possible in the third paragraph to write, " ... the lives of the Christian Serbian children in Kosovo are now ..."

Is it possible in the fourth paragraph to write, " ... as unfamiliar with the Christian Serbian culture ..."

Anyway, to close off this mission of mine to educate all of the Americans that the Serbians are Christians, it has been in all humbleness that I write the above. I sincerely appreciate everything that you are doing to show light on our persecuted Christian Serbian brothers and sisters in Kosovo and Metohija.

There are going to be many Americans who will go to this Exhibit ... my mission is just for them to read that these are suffering Christian Serbian children who have taken these pictures.

These changes may not be easy, nor even possible ... but perhaps these changes may be of some help to our suffering Christian Serbian brothers and sisters who are living in Kosovo and Metohija.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for bringing this Exhibit for all to see. I look forward to seeing the Exhibit as soon as it arrives in Chicago.

Respectfully, and sincerely,

Ken (Kosta) Pavichevich

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MilicaBee said:

Yes, this would be good to help people realize that the Serbs are Christian. But there is a significant Orthodox Albanian population as well. (Obviously Tito didn’t import them into Kosovo.) It reminds me of the problems explaining to people that 1) not all Russians are communists; and 2) not all Arabs are Mohammedans. Sigh.

Great points, MilicaBee. It's distinctions such as these that muddy the waters and make it easier for people to just lump everyone in the same basket. I'm pretty sure that the Orthodox Christian Albanians have very real problems with their Muslim Albanian bretheren and are treated as "enemies".

The perception that "all Russians are communists" is identical to the perception that "all Serbs are communists". Do some, or many, depending on the time period, fit the bill? Yes. Do many not? Yes. But, unfortunately, many of those that did not fit the "red mode" had to leave their homelands to make their lives somewhere else or go into exile. If they stayed, they would either be persecuted, denied rights and privileges, or executed.

Hairs can be split about whether certain peoples should be considered "Christian" given the religious or political affiliations some of them chose to align with at any given point in their history. For example, many Serbs converted to Islam, primarily in Bosnia, under Turkish Ottoman rule between the 15th and 18th centuries. But Mr. Pavichevich is addressing the big picture, especially today's "Big Picture" and Serbs, traditionally, are a Christian people, having developed a very rich and noble Christian culture as far back as the Middle Ages, and should be referred to as such.

Bottom line is that the West, including the United States unfortunately, sided with Islam against Christianity in the Balkans. By doing so they have created a monster, the reach of which has not yet been fully manifested. This is what concerns Mr. Pavichevich. This is what should concern every single one of us.

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