Students and professors of the University of Prishtina (UP) refuse to let the testimonies of the witnesses of the Krushë e Madhe massacre be forgotten

200 video interviews with 200 survivors of the Krushë e Madhe massacre, conducted by 33 students and 3 professors from UP’s Faculty of Philosophy (Department of Anthropology and other departments) during 2021-2022, have been compiled into books to ensure remembrance and prevent history from repeating itself. 

The video recordings of survivors from one of the largest massacres of the 1998-1999 war were organized into ten volumes titled "Memory of Kosovo: Testimonies of the Survivors of the Krushë e Madhe Massacre." 

As promised by the project leaders, the book volumes were delivered to the survivors of this massacre and their families on June 13, near the Museum of the Krushë e Madhe Massacre. 

The first set of ten volumes was presented to one of the survivors by Professor Arsim Canolli, head of the Anthropology Department and professional lead of the project. 

Professor Canolli stated that everyone involved in this project gathered in Krushë to honor their promise. “The families of the survivors of the Krushë e Madhe massacre, who gave their testimonies to help document the memory of the massacre, had one primary request: ‘to preserve the interviews and to return them to us,’” said Professor Canolli. 

He also explained another reason for their presence at the massacre site during the days marking Kosovo’s liberation: As we celebrate the month of our freedom, we must remember: We were right; the West was right!” explained Professor Canolli. 

Alongside him in this memory preservation project were UP professors Tahir Latifi and Shemsi Krasniqi, in addition to the 33 students. 

The books documenting this grave war crime resulted from collaboration between the University of Prishtina, the "Pjetër Bogdani" National Library, the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports, the Municipality of Rahovec, and with support from the U.S. Embassy in Kosovo.