Journalists: The Declaration of Independence - The Greatest Event We Have Experienced

Fifteen years ago, on the most important day for Kosovo, on the day of the Declaration of Independence, journalists, in the most unique way, filled with excitement, have conveyed the message to citizens, for all the atmosphere ruling in Pristina, found it, making even those cold days of February 17, 2008, warm the hearts of Albanians wherever they were.

The event had received the attention of many local, regional, but global media.

How some of the journalists remember, on the day of Kosovo's Declaration of Independence, and with what they were loaded with that day, in various stories about Radio Kosovo, journalists interviewed as the Tireci Enter, Alma Lama, Milaim Shefkiu and Violeta Hyseni-Kelmendi, speak with excitement about the experiences of that day.

Kosovo's February 17th 2008 declaration of independence was the crowning of a long and difficult journey for all Kosovo citizens. This major event, 15 years ago, has left unmarked traces for the entire Albanian nation.

The reporters are the ones that every step of that day, through their reporting, have taken to citizens. Radio Kosovo that day, there has been live broadcasting of the programme for 24 hours. With reason, the grand event of that day was best followed. In every corner of the country, the radio has had its own journalists covering the clock and bringing any outside emotion to radio waves. One of them is Radio Kosovo reporter Enter Tireci, who was commissioned on that day of February 17, 2008, to report on every detail and information from the Parliament. 15 years later, she experiences this day as the first time.

Kosovo's February 17th 2008 declaration of independence was the crowning of a long and difficult journey for all Kosovo citizens. This major event, 15 years ago, has left unmarked traces for the entire Albanian nation.

The reporters are the ones that every step of that day, through their reporting, have taken to citizens. Radio Kosovo that day, there has been live broadcasting of the programme for 24 hours. With reason, the grand event of that day was best followed. In every corner of the country, the radio has had its own journalists covering the clock and bringing any outside emotion to radio waves. One of them is Radio Kosovo reporter Enter Tireci, who was commissioned on that day of February 17, 2008, to report on every detail and information from the Parliament. 15 years later, she experiences this day as the first time.

We journalists who worked that day were privileged, except for the fatigue we experienced. One day of mixed emotions has been because many of us have not had close loved ones who would like to be part of that day, and on the other hand it has been a tremendous joy. I was committed to reporting from the media center located at “Grande Hotel”, because there was a huge interest in foreign media, besides ours, and there was no other room for journalists to get information at any moment about what was happening. That morning was a cold day, with a little snow, temperatures below the minus, but it shot down the sun, as if it had warned an extremely good day for us. We came early to work, we got homework, I was assigned to cover all developments in the Kosovo Assembly and all the statements coming from there”.

As expected, at 15:39, Kosovo was declared an independent and sovereign state. The “was a mixed emotion between work and mood”, says Tireci.

The motion of declaring independence is thrilling even today how we have experienced it, it has been a good moment, so special and all that we had dreamed of, that day, that news, we journalists have not been able to deliver, because ties have been direct and the Kosovo Parliament session has been broadcast live. But on the way back to the radio at Square “Zahir Pajaziti” has been filled with people, the square here in front of us has been full, very, very surprised I've come out of Grand's building to start with Radio, seeing all the crowd of people what parties they've done on the ground. What a special thrill! I remember a group of boilers coming and dancing in front of Grandy, and it was a spontaneous party. I've been crying coming to work. It was really a very mixed emotion, a moment that we all waited for after all we've been through”.

Kosovo's Declaration of Independence had taken note in the mother state, Albania. Through the “information window Top-Channel”, then journalist Alma Lama, has conveyed every minute the information, emotions and developments of that historic day to the Albanian nation. In her confession to “Radio Kosovo”, Lama says she has been in the race with herself, time and media, to convey any Kosovo development in Albania.

I was a journalist at the time that I reported on “Top Channel”, and I was in a race both with myself and with all the media to report the most interesting things that happened in Kosovo, as under the festival how that day of independence was expected for political issues that accompanied the declaration of independence. There was a race, which would be the flag of Kosovo, which would be the anthem, when the independence day was being proclaimed as celebrated by different citizens as expected, so I ran, to be everywhere in all of Kosovo, to reflect the most dignified of what was happening at this historic moment. Independence Day has been very exciting, a cold day, an extraordinary cold, but it seems to me that the whole world had landed in Pristina, Albanian, foreign media, all of this to make you realize that this is a day without end, was the crown of all that had happened over a century. ”

Reporter Lama stresses that her mission has been, to reflect Kosovo better in all dimensions.

“After the moment of declaring independence from the Parliament, I am directly linked to “Top Channel” and I have said for the first time, I consider myself not neutral as a journalist because I am Albanian and this is a very big day for Albanians. Even when I go to Albania, there are people who know me and remind me of how they have recognised Kosovo through me. Of course, times have already evolved, media co-operate and ties are now bigger, but “Top Channel” was the only one here who had a kind of window to see Kosovo. ”

Meanwhile, journalist Milaim Shefkiu, who worked for the Kosovo News Agency “Kostovalive”, who at the time issued programme and news in three languages, speaking of Radio Kosovo, February 17th of 2008, recalls it with mixed feelings. Journalist Shefkiu says this is the biggest event he has ever experienced in his life.

As journalists, we had a burden of responsibility to report in real time about what was happening, and second as citizens we had waited for years for the declaration of independence. From six o'clock in the morning until the evening hours, we have been active to report every event. We, as journalists at the time, were in the country to report on political events that were constantly taking place there, to see the atmosphere. I believe that we've been the generation of journalists that we're going through, we're experiencing something that no one else has ever experienced, and today, I think journalism is a noble trade and one of the greatest events I've ever remembered is this big event that I've ever experienced and that I keep feeling it.

In those days of a February cold but warm in everyone's heart for the ongoing event, journalist Shefkiu says that fatigue could not even be mentioned.

And at the moment of the declaration of independence, I've been in the square looking at the atmosphere of what's going on, now that I'm back, I think that we journalists have done the best job there is. Of course we've celebrated that day, but we haven't felt that much because we wanted to show others to celebrate. We've been the bridge between institutions and citizens, even those citizens who haven't been able to be in the square. Emotions are mixed, and we're the generation that we've experienced that event. ”

Kosovo's Declaration of Independence is very much followed by international media. The journalist, Violet Hyseni- Kelmendi, was then working as a BBC correspondent. In the confession to Radio Kosovo, she says a team of correspondents, not just from the BBC, had been mobilised to help, and to make special missions for Kosovo's declaration of independence.

“Already knew in advance that the 17th would be the date when Kosovo's independence was officially announced, and celebrations for this day had begun even earlier. My main task at the time was to report how Kosovo's declaration of independence was being experienced. It was one of the challenging moments for us as journalists as well, because we had to refrain from emotions, so that we would not express it in some form of joy for Kosovo's independence, and for what Kosovo was definitely breaking away from both de jure from Serbia and would be internationally recognised as the newest state in Europe, but on the other hand, we had to maintain professional reporting standards, so to report in a neutral manner and also report on reactions coming from the Serbian side for declaring independence”

That day, citizens were celebrating wherever they were, and in journalistic experience it is the best experience I could have as a journalist, says journalist Hyseni-Kelmendi.

“The Square was filled with many symbols, people buying national symbols, red and black flag for celebration, men, women, children, elders, young children from all ages, smiling even crying waiting for a declaration of independence. It wasn't enough to hear just what politics said, it was the voice of the citizens what needed to be heard, and that was my duty that day. I remember it was a very cold winter, the temperatures were somewhere minus 10 degrees Celsius, of course we moved, but it was a colder winter than it was when we were marking the 15th anniversary of independence”

Despite fatigue, excitement and successive reporting, journalists say that what never forgets their memory is the experience of the Declaration of Independence, historic events for our country.

This grand day, they call it the crowning of all freedom and independence efforts. They stress that the whole holiday has passed without incident, setting a good example -- that as a people -- it deserves its freedom and independence.