New Kosova Report

Preamble to the Constitution

Monday, 10 March 2008

Blackbird's failed Kosovo flag entry
We regularly post about our experiences in Kosovo at Kosovo Travelogue.

Something is missing from the draft constitution.

"We, the people of Kosovo,

Determined to build a future of Kosovo as a free, democratic and peace-loving country that will be a homeland to all of its citizens; Committed to the creation of a state of free citizens that will guarantee the rights of every citizen, civil freedoms and equality of all citizens before the law; Committed to the state of Kosovo as a state of economic wellbeing and social prosperity; Convinced that the state of Kosovo will contribute to the stability of the region and entire Europe by creating relations of good neighborliness and cooperation with all neighboring countries; Convinced that the state of Kosovo will be a dignified member of the family of peace-loving states in the world; With the intention of having the state of Kosovo fully participating in the processes of Euro-Atlantic integration; In a solemn manner, we approve the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo."

Democratic. Rights, Civil Freedoms, Equality and Prosperity. Peace is mentioned twice, and Stability once. There's nothing objectionable in the entire document. It's a paint-by-numbers guide for structuring a modern nation state. The fingerprints of a thousand international advisors are all over it.

There are no grandiose metaphors:

"We, the people of Cambodia, accustomed to having been an outstanding civilization, a prosperous, large, flourishing and glorious nation, with high prestige radiating like a diamond..."

No acknowledgement of a tragic history, and no rallying cry for the future:

"...having declined grievously during the past two decades, having gone through suffering and destruction, and having been weakened terribly, having awakened and resolutely rallied and determined to unite for the consolidation of national unity..."

There are no overblown claims of historical significance:

"We, the people of Mesopotamia, the homeland of the apostles and prophets, resting place of the virtuous imams, cradle of civilization, crafters of writing, and home of numeration. Upon our land the first law made by man was passed, and the oldest pact of just governance was inscribed, and upon our soil the saints and companions of the Prophet prayed, philosophers and scientists theorized, and writers and poets excelled..."

There is no rarified language alluding to the importance of this moment in history:

"The people of Sri Lanka having, by their Mandate freely expressed and granted on the sixth day of the waxing moon in the month of Adhi Nikini in the year two thousand five hundred and twenty-one of the Buddhist Era (being Thursday the twenty-first day of the month of July in the year one thousand nine hundred and seventy-seven), entrusted to and empowered their Representatives elected on that day to draft, adopt and operate a new Republican Constitution..."

There is no attempt to describe the uniqueness of the people, the history, or even the scenery:

"We the people of Montana, grateful to God for the quiet beauty of our state, the grandeur of our mountains, the vastness of our rolling plains, and desiring to improve the quality of life, equality of opportunity and to secure the blessings of liberty for this and future generations do ordain and establish this constitution."

The Kosovo constitution was not heatedly debated by leaders whose reputations will later reach near-mythic status in the cultural consciousness. Instead, the Kosovo constitutional committee dutifully participates in roundtable discussions with community members. It receives comments on its efforts through a website. There is nothing at all objectionable in the Kosovo draft constitution. This is not the Kosovo that I am accustomed to.

In Kosovo there is no shortage of bad poetry and self-importance. In Kosovo there are shepherds dressed in counterfeit Dolce & Gabbana. There are French soldiers standing outside the bootleg DVD shops while their comrades peruse a back room filled with porn. The most popular flag in Kosovo is the flag of another nation. There are satellite dishes with their faces pointed to the sun like inverted mushroom caps springing from every balcony. The family laundry is hung there too, and a pile of firewood is stacked neatly to the side. The paint in Kosovo chips and peels, revealing bricks, or concrete, or mud and sticks. Morning is announced by pigeons; their amorous coos. Students performed elaborately staged street theater demanding the independence of Kosovo, and students perform elaborately staged street theater protesting the independence of Kosovo. There are Roman bridges, Turkish baths, Afghani drugs, Albanian guns and Danish brunches. Gods from the steppes; from Athens, Rome, Constantinople and Mecca. Commerce and theft; hospitality and backstabbing. Those people who want to leave Kosovo are the same people who would never think of leaving their families in Kosovo: it's the most common state of mind in Kosovo—to hold two diametrically opposed opinions in one's head at the same time. Run down cafes named "High Fashion" where old men and teenagers waste the better part of the day listening to techno-pop and ambient jazz. A loud explosion is heard, but no one turns around. Fireworks are thrown in joy and anger. Rocks are thrown at policemen and buses. Tires are burned at border posts. Fields are burned after the harvest. Dumpsters belch smoke all day and night. Nightfall is announced by blackbirds; their angry screams. They congregate in the trees around the Jugobanka in south Mitrovica. They cover the sidewalks with their shit. It can be very messy and bad, but it can be messy and beautiful too. Maybe that's what's missing from the draft constitution.