Series - FotoSlovo 2025 - Category « Documentary / Reportage »
Honorable Mention
The Silence of the Blackbirds explores the uncertain future of Kosovo Serbs, a shrinking community caught between two states and two nationalisms. Sixteen years after Kosovo’s independence, Serbs now make up less than 5% of the population, often living in enclaves under NATO protection or in northern towns divided by deep ethnic tensions. While Serbia funds schools, hospitals, and salaries, Kosovo’s government imposes measures seen as efforts to integrate—or isolate—them. This photo essay traces life in these fractured spaces: divided cities, deserted villages, and centuries-old monasteries surrounded by armed police. Through intimate portraits and quiet moments, it reveals a community facing isolation, political pressure, and economic decline. The silence in these images echoes a question many Serbs in Kosovo quietly carry: will anyone remain to keep the blackbirds singing?
