The 10th edition of the “Mirëdita, dobar dan!” festival has brought artists, writers, journalists and changemakers to Kosovo for three days, on May 4, 5 and 6,  through which Albanians and Serbs can create bridges through art.

The opening of the festival began with a minute’s silence and ended with the lighting of candles in honour of the victims of Wednesday’s attack on a school in Belgrade that left eight children and a school guard dead. 

The 13-year-old killer, Kosta Kecmanović, was a pupil at the school and may have plotted the attack for a month, Belgrade police reported. 

During this year’s edition of this festival, various activities will be held, such as film screenings, book promotions, concerts and debates that focus on relations between the two peoples.

Kushtrim Koliqi, director of the NGO Integra, said that despite the current bad relations between Kosovo and Serbia, the Mirëdita, dobar dan! festival is continuing its journey with the aim of creating new connections between the two countries in culture, media and civil society.

“We understand that there are deep-rooted political and historical issues that continue to create divisions between our societies, but we believe that cultural exchange and cooperation can be a powerful tool for promoting reconciliation and creating a peaceful future,” Koliqi said.

Sofia Todorovic, director of the Youth Initiative for Human Rights in Serbia, an NGO, said Wednesday’s tragedy should serve to remind everyone of important values.

“This region is connected by unbreakable ties, so today more than ever we need to stand by each other. Use this festival to ask yourselves what each of you can do to promote humanity even when circumstances lead us to a different path,” said Todorovic.

After the opening ceremony, the film How I learned to fly by Radivoje Andric was shown.

The festival, founded in 2014, is organized by the NGO Integra (Kosovo), Youth Initiative for Human Rights (Serbia) and Civic Initiatives (Serbia), with the support of the European Union, the Fund for the Western Balkans, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports of the Republic of Kosovo and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.