19 July 2010 | Staff at Kosovo’s Institute of Albanology recall golden age of autonomy and funding in old Yugoslavia – an age that has not returned since Kosovo became independent.

As custodians of more than 100,000 artifacts of importance to Albanian culture as well as a wealth of seminal books, you might expect Kosovo’s Institute of Albanology to be flourishing in post-war, independent Kosovo.

But while this august institution continues to produce works on history, linguistics and other elements of Albanian cultural life, staff complain it has rarely been so starved of funds as it is now.

The institute has also been waiting more than ten years for its remit and powers to be clarified by parliament, leaving it in a form of legal limbo.

Arben Hoxha, a linguist expert at the institute, told Balkan Insight that without an adequate legal framework, the institute could not function properly.

He also believes the centre could be being held back because the international community fears Albanian cultural dominance of Kosovo. “We shouldn’t be afraid of how others see… our identity and cultural heritage,” he said. “The institute should have its autonomy and act independently, without any government intervention or international influence.”

Hoxha added that back in the Yugoslav era, the Institute of Albanology, “just like the Serbian language Institute of Pristina, had total autonomy and enjoyed great financial support as a result of government investment”.

While the institute had more financial means and greater autonomy earlier in the Yugoslav era, the final years of direct Serbian rule were far more difficult.

On March 8, 1994, the military ousted the institute’s entire staff from the building, repeating a pattern experienced by ethnic Albanians in institutions all across Kosovo. They had to retreat to a private home to maintain their studies.

It was only after the end of the 1999 conflict that the institute moved back into its old building in central Pristina, which is being renovated.

The Serbian military is believed to have used the institute as a base during the NATO bombing campaign in 1999 and has been accused of destroying artifacts before it withdrew.

Hysen Matoshi, the director of the institute, says despite financial constraints, the organisation continues its research into Albanian linguistics, history and ethnology.

“The items we have today have been collected during research by our scientists from mountainous areas in Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Albania that have successfully kept the old traditional spirit of their ancestors,” Matoshi said, referring to the collection of artifacts.

“We’re lucky even a few of the original pieces were left untouched by the Serb military,” he added. “These play a crucial role in our cultural heritage and national identity.”

The institute’s collection of exhibits mainly comprises folklore clothing and old work tools. They also own a rich collection of research papers on the Albanian language.

Matoshi accepts that the small budget is holding back the institute’s work. “The institute is having difficulties in recruiting new staff because of the limited funds,” he said.

“The failure to implement extra projects and cultural research… and difficulties in buying new cultural artifacts are a result of not having enough [state] funds, and of not being able to pursue any other available funds because of the unregulated status of the institute,” he added.

“But having limited funds for research has not stopped us; we have not seen it as a barrier, forcing us to withdraw from the work we love, which is to continue to enrich our culture and linguistic heritage,” Matoshi continued.

Julie Kolgjini, a professor at the American University in Kosovo with a doctorate in Albanian linguistics, praised the Institute of Albanology for working in difficult circumstances.

“The staff, researchers, and professors have an important job, which they do quite well, especially given the financial constraints,” she said.

“Each year they produce a considerable number of publications, all of which contain worthwhile information on Albanian language, literature, culture and history,” she added.

In 2009, the institute published 49 research papers on linguistic, historical and ethnological issues.

Kolgjini called on the government to offer the institute political autonomy and also provide more funds. “The main source of funding should be the government, [but] the government and the various political parties should not be able to influence the stances taken at the institute,” she said. “It should be apolitical, both in regards to the positions it takes and in terms of hiring employees.”

But Nuri Bexheti, political adviser at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, which is responsible for the institute, said government was doing as much as it could in the circumstances.

The authorities had given “enormous” support to the institute, he maintained: “We’re currently funding the reconstructions of institute’s building, which is one of the biggest investments done for this institute.”

Bexheti added that he expected a law on the institute, regulating its status, to be placed before the Kosovo assembly very soon.

This article is courtesy of Balkan Insight, the online publication of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, which contains analytical reports, in-depth analyses and investigations and news items from throughout the region covering major challenges of the political, social and economic transition in the Balkans.

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