This edition of Dokufest had various reminders of corruption. The posters. The museum of corruption Panel discussions on corruption. Signs denying corrupt politicians entry into certain streets. Yet, for me, the most impactful sign of corruption was the street I walked every-day to go from my hotel room to my favorite café. It is a narrow street, half of which is blocked off by these big cement cylinders (see photo). In one of these cylinders, I read the name Xheneta. Xheneta is the most recent, and perhaps the youngest victim of the rampant corruption which exists in Kosovo. Her life was cut short when an old house, located in a historical neighborhood of Prizren and awaiting renovation, fell down and killed her. She was only 3 years old.

It is cases like Xheneta`s that make me, and I believe thousand others, angry and disillusioned with the lack of responsibility that our politicians show towards corruption cases. Indeed, this is what members of the panel on Media and Technology at Dokufest discussed on Thursday evening. Among others, they talked about the debilitating effect that rampant corruption can have on individuals who are overwhelmed with the level of injustice that exists in societies like Kosovo. Partly due to this feeling of hopelessness there exists a gap between reporting corruption and holding those who are corrupt accountable. Conny Abbel from Transparency International, in talking about this gap, said “there is a lot of exposure now compared to a few years ago, and people are angry. They think this is wrong. Yet, come election, people still vote for those who are involved in bribery. Until the public takes a stand on this, not much can be done. We need to turn anger and frustration into power and action”.

Abbel`s statement, although referring to corruption in general, related to Xheneta`s case in particular. That is, civil society members, said Kreshnik Gashi from kallxo.com at the panel on Thursday, notified local authorities in Prizren about the poor conditions of the house and the danger that it presented for the local residents. Despite these notifications, no action was taken, leading to the fatal event. For this reason, civil society activists hold local authorities responsible and have asked for them to resign. Unfortunately, however, the officials responsible for neglecting to renovate this historical site continue to hold their posts. Furthermore, while at first enraged at the death, most members of the Kosovar society are no longer involved in holding these officials accountable.

The question arises, therefore, how can the media contribute towards sustainable engagement in anti-corruption efforts instead of the ad-hoc responses which tragic events such as the above mentioned one create? In trying to answer this question, Suhad Babba from Just Vision, said that the media is key in creating a narrative around corruption cases. This narrative is important because it will either overwhelm people, or give them the tools to get engaged and challenge corruption. Indeed, this is what the UNDP believes in as well, and is trying to facilitate citizen engagement in anti-corruption efforts through the “A ke ti ftyre?” campaign. The latest UNDP campaign seeks to encourage individuals to report corruption and collaborate with Kosovo`s institutions in fighting corruption. Such a campaign is crucial for Kosovo`s further development, as well as its road towards meeting the SDGs, especially the one on Peace and Justice.

While it remains to be seen whether the UNDP campaign will be successful, it is refreshing to meet people like the three panelists (Conny Abbel, Suhad Babaa and Kreshnik Gashi) for they are a testament of human`s ability to continue fighting on the face of constant challenges. As a social worker, committed to social justice, their tireless and brave work is inspiring and a source of hope.