By Alba Cela
After the 2001 Ohrid Framework Agreement the Macedonian example, that is what the successful resolution of the emerged conflict was named, served as a reference point every time minorities were mentioned in the international conflict arenas. Indeed the agreement granted the necessary rights to the significant Albanian community living in Macedonia which, according to official statistics, makes up slightly more than 20 percent of the population. Important changes in language and education policies, coupled with more representation in politics and police forces calmed down the fighting factions and avoided a new bloody turmoil in the fragile Balkans. An observation of daily life in Skopje, the lively capital of Macedonia, inhabited by around half a million people, shows that the picture might not be that rosy and that there is significant room for improvement in the relationship between the two major ethnic communities.
The stone bridge
The Albanian quarter lies immediately on the other side of the Stone Bridge, which in itself is an impressive white stone, multi-arched, Ottoman structure that could illustrate Andric’s “The bridge over the Drina.” As in the book, the bridge is the symbolic boundary between the two major communities. On the Albanian side lies the magnificent old bazaar where history and religious diversity have marked the place with a special magic ambiance. Old water 観me-s (water taps), traditional mosques and small bazaar style stores form a labyrinth which is a pleasure to cross. One hears Albanian and Turkish spoken more frequently than on the other side where the majority of the communication is in Macedonian. The divided city is manifested with a subtle mistrust between the two communities which informally and in friendly tables do not hesitate to admit their fears and insecure feelings towards the other side.
Internal fears and tensions
“The Macedonians feel that they will be overwhelmed demographically and not only,” our tour guide tells us. “The birth rate frequencies are very different- he laughs,- in a decade we might be looking at a situation of 50/50.” A representative of the Association for Democratic Initiatives in Macedonia addressing a conference on minorities in South Eastern Europe describes the feelings between the two communities as conditioned by a mutual fear and tension. “Macedonians feel that the Albanian community is getting unfair privileged treatment after the Ohrid agreement. The focus has been placed on ethnicity fo job allocations. The redistricting of administrative zones such as that of Struga has led to a decrease of Macedonian urban population and an inflow of Albanian rural one. Problems still go on in the education field when Albanian and Macedonain study in different shifts and do not know each other. Two generation are being brought up polarized. With the introduction of religious classes this is bound to get worse.”
It seems that other communities -Macedonia is after all a multi-ethnic and not a bi-ethnic state,- are left unsatisfied from a solution that addresses only the most numerous sides.
A beautiful little capital of their own
Macedonia is justified in having one of the greenest capitals in the region. The city of Skopje has a plentitude of public spaces gracefully adorned with quiet urban art and a lot of parks. The castle overlooking the city looks fascinating under the special night-lighting. A huge lighted cross placed on the hill above the city seems to be an awkward monument in a multi-religious community.
The bar-filled river bank and the blooming Makedonya Street host a very young crowd enjoying the April evening. The city museum is marked by the old clock which stopped at in 1963 when a devastating earthquake shattered most of the buildings. Now it hosts a collection of historical coins and traditional costumes that tell the history of the town in a colorful fashion. Another important site is the place where the house of Agnes Bojaxhiu, or as known to the world Mother Teresa, was born. An Albanian by origin she spent her life professing faith and charity throughout the world and has been proclaimed a saint by the Vatican.
