The work focuses on a family from Kosovo seeking asylum in Germany. They belong to the ethnic group of Ashkali, who form an ethnic minority of
approx. 1% of the Kosovo’s population among the Albanian Kosovans majority. Similar to Roma and Balkan Egyptians they live in their villages and
cities, predominantly in Eastern Kosovo, like Ferizaj, where the portrayed Family comes from. All but a few of the Ashkali people in Kosovo are
unemployed and although they are not persecuted, they are mobbed and discriminated by the Albanian ethnic majority. Mistakenly they are often
considered as Roma. However they don’t consider themselves as such, nor do they speak the Romani language, but they speak Albanian and they
are Muslim as well as the Albanian majority in Kosovo.
is limited to the asylum seekers'
hostel and the surrounding
area to emphasize the isolated
nature these people are kept in.
Firstly, they are isolated from
the majority population in their
own country;
secondly as refugees they are
also isolated in Germany.
status they have in Germany they cannot leave Leipzig. The parents aren’t allowed to work in Germany or visit German language courses, the children however
can go to school. They spend their days and months monotonously doing the same routine such as visiting the immigration office or more often just being bored
and isolated from the city. They are waiting and hoping to be granted asylum, get their own place to live and a chance to go to school and get a job.
where they lived for one year.
The chilrden did not visit school,
since it's not the priority for the parents.
Now they've moved to Serbia.
The journey continues...