NEWBORN gives women support

This year, this monument is dedicated to women who have been successful in various fields as well as to those who have been victims of violence.

His message is: Winged Women or Women With Wings.

But what were the messages of this monument over the years?

2008: Greater Than Life Himself

NEWBORN, which symbolizes the birth of the state of Kosovo, was created at a record time within 11 days by author Ismaili Ismaili. NEWBORN was discovered on February 17th, 2008, the day Kosovo declared independence. On that day, over 150 thousand people were signed in this monument. The first to be signed were then Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu and then Prime Minister Hashim Thaci.

NEWBORN was built by a steel frame and covered with 4mm metal layers. Each letter has a height of three meters, weighing approximately one ton. This is the most visited monument in Kosovo.

From February 17th, 2008, the seven letters of this obelisk did not change the view until the fifth anniversary of Kosovo's independence.

The author of this monument, Ismaili Ismaili, tells Radio Free Europe that there were at first two ideas of how this monument would continue to be alive.

The first idea, according to Ismaili, was to preserve the signatures of February 17, 2008, preserving the monument. But since it failed to be preserved, it was thought that NWBORN would change views every year.

The reason why the view of NEWBORN did not change for five years, says Ismaili, was the authorities' neglect to formulate a clear plan and a practice for maintaining the monument.

2013: Gratefulness

In 2013, the Government of Kosovo decided that it would paint yellow, restoring the view this monument had had had at first. This color is one of the colors of the Kosovo flag.

Frustrated with that, the inventor of NEWBORN, Ismaili Ismaili, called on Kosovo citizens who joined in large numbers to paint all the flags of states that until that year had recognised Kosovo's independence.

By 2013 the number of states that had known the Republic of Kosovo was 96.

2014: Memory for the Fall

On this anniversary, NWBORN's colors were in the uniforms of soldiers of countries who have helped Kosovo free from Serbia. Each letter was painted with military clothes, identifiers of the armies of NATO states. In that form, Kosovo expressed gratitude for the sacrifice of men and women who helped free Kosovo.

The NATO Air Force's intervention against Serbia's military and police targets, which began on March 24th, 1999, marked the start of the 78-day bombings on these terms, as well as the revival of hope for Kosovo citizens that freedom was near.

2015: Speak Freely

In memory of the first NEWBORN, where people expressed their feelings by writing with permanent margins on the monument, the 2015 version was continuing to expand that idea, Ismaili says.

By “Speak freely, feel good”, citizens were free to paint whatever they wanted, except in the letter “E”, which remained black and symbolized the massive migration of citizens that year.

In 2015, according to official data from the Kosovo Statistics Agency, over 75 thousand citizens left Kosovo.

2016: Isolation

The new, thorn - covered blue sky in 2016 conveyed Kosovo's message of isolation, its inability to integrate into the European Union, as well as the global refugee issue. The thorns in the NWBORN monument were calling for the world to find a solution to these issues.

The visa liberalisation process between Kosovo and the European Union began in 2012, but has not yet been finalised.

2017: Take the walls down.

In response to all the walls around the world, as well as the wall, which was built in northern Mitrovica, near the Ibër Bridge, the NWBORN order was more innovative and direct. While much of the structure stood up, painted like a wall, the letters N and W were laid down, standing horizontally.

The wall in Mitrovica was built during December 2016 by local authorities in North Mitrovica. But, according to official Pristina, building this wall was illegal and meant dividing Mitrovica. The wall was then destroyed.

2018: Decades

In this year, Kosovo marked the 10th anniversary of independence. Write B WeWBORN's was replaced by number 1, creating number 10, after being placed next to letter O. Then the number 10 was painted gold, while other letters were painted silver.

2019: Protecting the Earth

The 2019 NWBORN was dedicated to the environment, since global warming was the current issue in the world. In this year, air quality in Kosovo's capital, Pristina, had reached an alarming level, exceeding all recommended standards.

2020: Endless Wars

2020's NEWBORN was dedicated to all victims of sexual violence during conflicts around the world. Each letter contained sentences showing the experiences of victims of sexual violence during the Kosovo war.

The number of victims of sexual violence during the war in Kosovo, according to institutions and organisations dealing with protection of this category, is said to be 20 thousand.

2021: Supporting KLA War

Citizens in 2021 have painted the monument with the palm of their hand, with one of the colors of the army, showing their support for the Kosovo Liberation Army's war.

In 2020, Kosovo's Specialised Chambers in The Hague have confirmed the indictment for war crimes and crimes against humanity against four former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders: Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veselini, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi. All are in custody at The Hague.

2022: Women With Wings

Monument NEWBORN, which is already a symbol of Kosovo's independence, this year is dedicated to women who have been successful in sports, music and film and have represented Kosovo in 14 years of independence.

But most of all, the inventor of NEWBORN, Ismaili Ismaili, says the monument is dedicated to women who continue to be abused and killed at home in front of their families.

In Kosovo, women make up the majority of victims of domestic violence.

Each year, since 2018, at least 1,000 women have been reported victims of domestic violence.