Monographs
The ’90s in pieces
K2.0 brings forward five longform articles that delve into the defining moments of Kosovo’s 1990s — a decade of repression, resilience, and resistance. Through personal narratives and historical insights, this series explores the underground economy that kept communities afloat, the foundations of the parallel state, the silent and loud acts of defiance, and the enduring power of solidarity. These stories shed light on the struggles and strategies that shaped Kosovo’s path toward freedom and statehood.
‘The music is so good that it doesn't need jazzing up’
Joe Boyd and Andrea Goertler talk sevdah, saze and the Gjirokastër Folk Festival.
The EU’s hypocritical approach to immigration
Bridges are built for some, while obstacles mount for others.
JOURNALISM HUB FELLOWSHIP – FIFTH CYCLE
K2.0 brings you four articles as part of the fifth edition of the Journalism Fellowship program.
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: JOURNALISM HUB FELLOWSHIP 2025
We are launching the sixth cycle of K2.0’s Fellowship Program.
Foundations of Kosovo’s parallel state
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Kosovo in the ‘90s: an economy for the darkest hour
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‘Today we march, every day we fight’
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Resistance in impossible conditions
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The silences and noises of a decade
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The '90s in pieces
This series is published in collaboration with the INTEGRA nongovernmental organization and with the support of the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. The views and opinions in these articles do not necessarily reflect those of the donors.
JOURNALISM HUB FELLOWSHIP – FOURTH CYCLE
K2.0 brings you five articles as part of the fourth edition of the Journalism Fellowship program. These stories highlight the harsh realities of those who are silenced, oppressed and excluded.
The unseen harassment tax
In literal terms, a harasser comes at me physically, but it's really my focus, attention and sense of freedom he walks away with.
Kosovo’s foreign policy amid global uncertainty
Will a new government rise to the challenge?
Lithium mining in Republika Srpska threatens Majevica
The green transition relies on lithium, but at what cost?
Human rights failures undermine Kosovo’s democracy
Political malevolence blocks LGBTQ+ equal rights.
‘Independence is here. Now it’s freedom’s turn’
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Daring Youth
23 articles from across Kosovo bring the everyday and often unknown efforts of young people in Kosovo to the surface. They highlight their youthful enthusiasm — a drive fueled by a sense of responsibility, discomfort with silence and injustice. They share a willingness to instigate change, engage more deeply with the world and ask critical questions. Divided into five sections, the narratives in this digital zine draw attention to an important truth: the youth is here, watching and reacting to what is happening around them, at school, at home, on the street, in their minds and in the country.
How strong are Kosovo’s cyber defenses?
Security institutions have taken positive steps, but much work remains.
What is happening to all the dogs?
The municipality’s attempts to reduce the stray dog population bring more questions than answers.
Preliminary election results 2025: in context
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Electoral competition among Serb parties
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Trump and the 90-day wait
Kosovo grapples with suspension, reduction or freezing of U.S. aid.
Longing and searching
On the National Day of Missing Persons, K2.0 will begin to publish a series of five stories, taken from the book “Hijacked Childhoods.” This book, published by ForumZFD in Kosovo and the Resource Center for Missing Persons, brings together the stories of 12 people of different ethnicities, whose loved ones and family members were killed or disappeared due to war. Discussions about how to deal with the past often risk turning into mere political and technical debates. Through our work at K2.0 and with such collaborations, we try not only to change the direction of this discussion, but also to enrich it. We hope to bring people’s experiences and daily efforts to the forefront of these discussions, to first find inner peace and then justice.
Serbia’s students fight for rule of law
An infrastructure tragedy has opened the door to mass protests.
SWEAT Monograph
In this monograph we explore the issue of labor in contemporary Kosovo and the broader region from multiple perspectives. Forms of labor are always changing, but the sweat, either literal or metaphorical, that is extracted from workers remains the same. We ask: why sweat?
Parties' pledges to the social protection system
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What do political platforms say about gender justice?
K2.0 analyzes political parties’ pledges.
What can we expect from the second Trump administration?
Forecasting how nominees for key foreign policy roles will engage with Kosovo.
Energy security: political party pledges
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Cultivation
Music, language, films, heritage... What do our cultural expressions say about our culture? What narratives do they reflect and establish? What are the circumstances that make them possible or impossible to exist? In “Cult-ivation,” we speak about culture that has reached crowds, and we explore the environment that allows them to grow.
Life could be better
My first trip outside the Balkans made me realize how essential the freedom to explore truly is.
From fear to the magic of Brussels
A journey that began with stress and ended with beautiful memories.
Consumerism is redefining our holiday spirit
Mass consumption overshadows holiday celebration.
Conversation and film: "On the Way" by Samir Karahoda
Venue: Hub 2.0
 Date: December 23, 2024
 Time: 18:00
Arbër Qerka-Gashi: A multitude of narratives can be explored on the platform
Balkanism founder talks about launching first print edition.
Elections 2017
K2.0 scrutinizes Kosovo’s political parties and their specific approaches to key issues, including: education, employment, gender equality, air pollution, culture, sports, LGBTI rights, corruption, health insurance, and the army. To our insightful coverage, we add analysis and perspectives, as well as blogs from our readers.
My first time on a plane after visa liberalization
Everything we dreamed of and more.
What does the new European Commission mean for the Western Balkans?
Kaja Kallas and Marta Kos offer a possible new path forward.
Film as a counterbalance to despair
Director Samir Karahoda speaks and revolts through film.
Nothing is as distant as it once was
After a long wait, we can finally see just how big the world is.
But still, it’s magical to be above the clouds
After my first trip, my life took a different path.
Human Rights – Third Edition
K2.0 brings you the stories from the third cycle of the Human Rights Journalism Fellowship. These intimate and often heart-wrenching stories shed light on the harsh and violating realities of those who are devalued, excluded and abused in Kosovo, on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, and more.
The human rights committee must not harbor homophobia
Bigotry without consequence in the Kosovo Assembly.
Reading Han Kang from the Balkans
Patriarchy and state violence, from South Korea to Kosovo.
An art exhibit generating ‘epistemic friction’
Along the Balkan Route, everything flows.
The Mitrovica bridge debate reveals organized hypocrisy
State sovereignty is not as clear-cut as it may seem.
Breastfeeding and all that comes with it
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Forgotten by the system and left in the hands of family
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People Missing
K2.0 explores the tales of the missing and the day-to-day realities of those left behind. From forced disappearances in past wars and regimes to modern day manifestations — when official accounts are absent, questions and pain remain.
Advancing social goals through public procurement
How can governments promote employment opportunities for people with disabilities?
Growing up as an immigrant child in Italy
How does it feel to grow up in ‘double absence?’
Arash Azizi: Public opinion doesn't mean shit if you're not organized
Writer and historian discusses protest in Iran, elections and organizing resistance.
Inclusive education is just words on paper
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Mike Jackson was no ‘champion of liberty’
The leaders of NATO’s 1999 intervention were not moral examples.
Education for Life
Education is the bedrock of any society. But is it all about the grades? Or is what we’re learning — and how we’re learning it — equally important? Is education just for the classroom? Or can we learn without even realizing it? Much has been made of Kosovo’s poor educational results. But how are citizens being educated for life?
Call for blogs: Your first time on an airplane
We want to hear about the first time you traveled on an airplane.
Surviving a massacre
This publication was produced with the support of forumZFD. The contents are the sole responsibility of Kosovo 2.0 and do not necessarily reflect the views of forumZFD.
Albania’s communist regime targeted gay men
Addressing the past while dealing with the present.
The war persists even after the war
This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of Kosovo 2.0 and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
Health
K2.0 puts Kosovo’s health system under the microscope, focusing on some of its most fundamental problems and challenges ahead. From public vs. private care, to overpriced medicines (that may or may not work) and fundraising for your own survival... What are Kosovar citizens really dealing with when their health is at stake?
Can language bring Albanian and Serbian communities together?
This publication was produced with the support of forumZFD. The contents are the sole responsibility of Kosovo 2.0 and do not necessarily reflect the views of forumZFD.
An alternative dictionary of post-war terms in the Albanian language
This publication was produced with the support of forumZFD. The contents are the sole responsibility of Kosovo 2.0 and do not necessarily reflect the views of forumZFD.
The alternative archive
This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of Kosovo 2.0 and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
Unveiling the myth of the 1389 Battle of Kosovo
This publication was produced with the support of forumZFD. The contents are the sole responsibility of Kosovo 2.0 and do not necessarily reflect the views of forumZFD.
Belongings that were lost during the war
This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of Kosovo 2.0 and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
‘Our emotions are natural, but they're also flexible’
By Catriona O’Sullivan | 30 september 2024
Human Rights
K2.0 brings you the stories from the first cycle of the Human Rights Journalism Fellowship. These eight intimate and often heart-wrenching stories shed light on the harsh and violating realities of those who are devalued, excluded and abused in Kosovo, on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, and more.
‘They denied us our rights. Enough is enough’
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Shaunak Mahbubani: When outsiders tell a story, there's often a flattening of complexity
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What does the US election mean for Kosovo?
A view of Harris and Trump from Prishtina.
The minimum wage increase and tax changes: How does it work?
K2.0 explains the key implications.
Health insurance: What, why and when?
K2.0 breaks down the key implications of the draft law.
Human Rights – Second Edition
K2.0 brings you the stories from the second cycle of the Human Rights Journalism Fellowship. These intimate and often heart-wrenching stories shed light on the harsh and violating realities of those who are devalued, excluded and abused in Kosovo, on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, and more.
Hassan Haidar Diab: I was a journalist, but with the mind of a warrior
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Luka Popović: With visa abolishment, I think traffic will take off
Popović’s uncle, an aviation photographer in the 1970s and 80s, documented everything from changes in flight attendant wardrobes to a concert by popular singer-songwriter Arsen Dedić on 1979 JAT flight to New York. Photos courtesy of EX-YU Aviation News.
Lebibe Topalli: Our murals oppose the gloom of concrete
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Albanianism as an instrument of Islamophobia and division
Muslim Albanian identity should not be discouraged.
Željko Stanetić: Vojvodina remains a testing ground for nationalism
Filmmaker and activist details the lives of unwanted refugees.
Birgitte Stærmose: We talk about war and peace, but not the aftermath
Danish filmmaker discusses co-creating "Afterwar" with young street sellers of peanuts and cigarettes.
A glimpse into Dokufest’s National Competition
Four Kosovar filmmakers speak about their art.
Kosovo X
K2.0 reflects on 10 years of Kosovo’s independence, wallowing in the nostalgia of 2008 and imagining the dystopian possibilities of 2028. We see how geopolitics has shaped Kosovo, and how the independent state has shaped its civil society, and society at large. What has been created for athletes, artists and the youth? Are we more equal? Is Kosovo secular? Can anyone escape?
What are European values, anyway?
The EU ignores its founding principles when they are inconvenient.
International connections in the fight against femicide
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Yugo-nostalgia overlooks Albanians
Anti-Albanian sentiment persists, even in diaspora communities.
Mendim Rugova: Summers will be longer and winters will disappear
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Eight years in the light (and shadow)
Violation after violation, the wall of social injustice rises.
‘What is seen cannot be unseen, and there’s serious power in that’
Voices in support of Palestine.
‘In shared spaces, love is not just an abstract concept’
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LGBTI rights
K2.0 uncovers the processes of coming out, embracing a different gender, facing intersexuality, and overcoming prejudices. We look at the history of the LGBTI movement and the people fighting for equal rights in Kosovo and the region, and assess what the legislation is missing to protect LGBTI rights once and for all.
(Not) everything in the world is about sex
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Same person, different mornings
I started to take an active role in determining what affected me and what didn't.
What will you be when you grow up?
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Representation, not administration
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Local Elections 2017
K2.0 dives into the local ahead of the October 2017 municipal elections. What do our local municipalities do for us? How can they engage citizens to make them proud of where they live? What are the challenges that they face? And what do citizens do — both good and bad — when their municipalities don’t function as they should?
Can we turn kitchen leftovers into life?
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Audiobooks for Kosovo’s visually impaired community
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What does it mean to be an activist?
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Sports
K2.0 explores Kosovo’s new sporting existence in a post-recognition age. We take a moment to celebrate, looking back at the first successes of this new era. We assess the transforming landscape of Kosovar sport, examining its infrastructure, its leaders and its finances. We meet future stars and question what impact recognition has on others. Come and play.
Ron Haviv: There needs to be a different reaction to war imagery
The photograph I think is the most representative of all the conflicts here, because there was this idea of erasing the identity of the other.
Back in my day…
Parents and schools are unprepared for the challenges that come with the growing use of TikTok.
The making of queer history in Kosovo
Local activists, individuals and organizations fight for human rights for all.
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers reflect Kosovo’s relationship with the West
A dispatch from the trial of Thaçi, Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi.
Do electric cars have a future in Kosovo?
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EU voters are normalizing the far right
The left is failing to attract disaffected voters.
When xenophobia and environmentalism converge
Will a rising far-right lead to more eco-fascism?
The past, now
The past is inescapable. Especially when there are crimes there. K2.0 looks at the post-war period across the Western Balkans: How victims have struggled for justice and been failed by institutions; how politics, education and commemoration have struggled to escape the poison of the ’90s; and how reconciliation seems as distant as ever.
Between gender and profession
When it comes to the challenges of journalism, gender cannot be overlooked.
From the windows of cell 35, Block C in Dubrava prison
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'We were here and we will always be here'
Category: Documents
 
 Blert Morina’s journey to change his name and sex marker
Sensationalist media coverage dehumanizes Edona James
Clickbait articles are unethical and harmful for the LGBTQ+ community.
Who’s afraid of unmarried mothers?
Gendered disinformation has plagued the debate about Kosovo’s IVF draft law.
Why do the 2024 EU elections matter for the Balkans?
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Are Kosovo and Serbia in a cold war?
The war-mongering and victim narratives leave Kosovo and Serbia behind.
Nicholas Tochka: There was no blueprint for how to manage culture in a socialist society
Ethnomusicologist talks Ardit Gjebrea, cultural production in Hoxha’s Albania and saxophones.