The memory of ordinary, everyday intercultural or interreligious relationships, in brief 

Sopina (in Serbian), or Sopi/Sopije (in Albanian), is a small village in which Muslim Albanian speakers and Orthodox Christian Serbian speakers lived a common life until the armed conflict of 1999: friends, ready to offer each other mutual support, attending each others’ weddings, exchanging hospitality and greeting each other at religious festivals.

The context in which these relationships made a difference at the time 

Sopi/Sopina is one of many villages in the country in which Muslims and Christians chose to live with each other, were able to support each other, and saw themselves as living a common life. One Serb who seeks the return of his property told Agathe Mora this (The Fates Behind the Numbers, p. 142):My property is in the village of Sopino, Suva Reka. Three of us brothers had houses downtown that were all destroyed. Mister Xh. connected all three yards into one and is using our properties. We are natives of that village… When I got married, I can guarantee that over 30 Albanians were behind the flag, where the wedding line starts. And they helped me out, I helped them out… What happened, the Lord only knows. A close Albanian friend told me “trust me, I mean you no harm. If I wish harm upon my children, I do so upon you as well. But there will come a day when either you will kill me or I will kill you.” So they knew something was up. Towards the end they were not allowed to speak to us. It was some sort of an order for sure. I tell a friend good morning, he just looks away, just nods his head. He’s afraid. He’s afraid. On June 11, 1999 we ran away en masse. Everyone left on that day. I abandoned my livestock, bees, everything. I can’t talk about that… Because even today when I remember, I… I cannot.It’s not easy to live and recreate. I came here to Kaluđerica with eight hundred Deutsche Marks, two travel bags, nothing more. One never forgets that. I live here, but I sleep and dream that I work in my village, that I have property, that I drive my tractor. Mister Xh., I fought for his house not to be set on fire. I fought so hard… We were once inseparable! My father and his father, they were so to say ‘one yard’! When Eid would come around, we would wish them a happy Eid. And they would come over to our place for Easter… Then he fled, and left a hog behind. Non-stop I would pour water using buckets over the wall. And I fed the hog and all. I felt sorry, it’s pitiful. I don’t know how he can steal my property when I did not sell it to him?! He cannot lift up the earth. A house goes down, all goes down, but he cannot lift the land and take it somewhere else. Have him pay fairly! It doesn’t have to be as much as they offered us in the past. I don’t know why he doesn’t want to buy it.

What has happened since, which makes the memory valuable 

In 1999, Serbian villagers fled. 

How might the memory be used in bringing people together in practice now? 

The Memory Bank project would like to know if this can be of use in your context, bringing students together, or promoting new initiatives that can be inspired by the cooperative life of Sopina/Sopi before 1999.

Additional context/Some additional readingAgathe C. Mora, The Fates Behind the Numbers, 2013, p. 142.