By: Jeta Abazi

If monuments provide insight into a society’s history, values and aspirations, then Prishtina’s are as confusing as they are fascinating. From brotherhood to NEWBORN and Skanderbeg to Mother Teresa, journalist Jeta Abazi tries to make sense of the sculptures that dot the checkered landscape of Kosovo’s capital.

Abazi’s documentary “Capturing History” aptly opens with the unveiling of former U.S. President Bill Clinton’s bronze statute in Pristina. It’s a somewhat awkward moment as Clinton lays eyes on his 3.5-meter likeness, which might have more in common with an oversized teddy bear than the man whose military intervention drove Serbian forces out of Kosovo in 1999.  

The Clinton statue’s contradictory elements set the tone as Abazi examines other Pristina sculptures. George Skanderbeg’s imposing figure befits his heroic status among Albanians, yet it is also sunken. The communist monuments erected in the name of unity and brotherhood now symbolize the oppression of a bygone era. And why is Mother Teresa so easy to miss despite being located on Pristina’s main pedestrian thoroughfare, which also bears her name?

As for NEWBORN … you’ll just have to watch.

--Nate Tabak