We went there, descended into the mine pit, and from the archives I recalled, but I also remember it myself that I had many emotions, too many… because they have locked themselves in for Kosovo. Not to forget that news of all kinds was being published. We were all eyes and ears interested in the decisions that were about to be taken for Kosovo, and there was news of all sorts. So we were falling prey to news that today we would call fake news.
[…] I sent my message to the miners, the message that the students stand in solidarity with them, that we are with them. And I remember that… even the archives reminded me of that, that I cried there because it was very touching. We realized that some of them were really in poor health.
When I returned, I remember this very well, I took the word again as a woman, as a young writer, as a student of the University of Prishtina. I quoted Anne Frank, who said the following, ‘A terrible ending is preferable rather than an endless terror.’ We sent out our message to the miners that we were with them, and they thanked us for that. And really, it was a profound and powerful moment.
Nerimane Kamberi was born in 1967, in Presevo, Serbia. She received her PhD from the Department of French Language and Literature at the University of Prishtina, and she is known for her work as journalist, translator and writer. She is a recipient of the Hivzi Sylejmani Prize for the Best Young Adult Book in 1989, and decorated with the medal L’Ordre des Palmes académiques [The order of Academic Palms] in 2019. Ms. Kamberi is a professor of French Literature in the Department of French Language and Literature at the University of Prishtina. She is a mother of two and lives with her family in Pristina.