A viewer wrote that Albanians from Kosovo did not need to get involved in what was happening in Albania. The comment wished both sides well, but said that Kosovo’s Albanians should not interfere. I reacted strongly because I reject the idea that their concerns have nothing to do with us.
The identity behind my response
In the video, I insisted on identifying as Albanian. I objected to using “Kosovar” as a separate national identity that cuts us off from Albanians in Albania. That is my position on belonging: being from Kosovo does not make the lives of people in Albania irrelevant to me.
My practical appeal was for solidarity. I spoke about supporting people, including online, rather than telling them to solve their problems alone. I also distinguished helping from going out to commit vandalism. The point of my response was concern for one another.
Context: identity and citizenship
Editorial context: This is a personal argument about Albanian identity, not a legal definition of Kosovo’s population. Kosovo’s Constitution describes the republic as a state of its citizens in Article 1 and a multiethnic society comprising Albanians and other communities in Article 3. Shared Albanian identity should not be read here as a claim that every citizen of Kosovo is ethnically Albanian.
Original social post · 2026-10-22