Giving young Kosovo Albanians a face

Uprooted from Kosovo or Albania they have lived in Switzerland for many years. Torn between the ‚here’ and the memories they don’t know who they are. Expected to adapt quickly to Switzerland they must not lose touch with their homeland. 

Lon, Emmen/LU/CH, 2004

How do they behave in Swiss society? What are the problems, prejudices and the stereotypes that they face? My portrait series aims to give these young Kosovo-Albanians a richly nuanced face that subtly shows how they tick. It is about an identity created from growing up in the tension between two cultures. 

Iller, Mentor, Albert and Lon, 4 Kosovo-Albanian Secondos (L-R), 2004

There are an estimated 188'000 people from Kosovo living in Switzerland. This is the third largest ethnic minority after the Germans and Italians. Their general reputation is bad. According to the statistics of Canton Aargau/CH, in 2003 on fifth of all crimes were committed by people from Serbia or Kosovo. 60% of Swiss prison inmates are from the Balkans. Some insurance companies now refuse new cover to people from certain East European countries because of their high accident rates. 

Kosovo-Albanians Halim, Betim and Fatmir in the Grünau Quarter,
District 5/Zurich/CH, 2004

The invisible pressure: to grow up and find their identity.
 

Posing in front of a BMW 325: «In the car you are the boss.
No one tells you what to do.», 2004

Church is irrelevant. Some are Catholics the others are Muslim. But their true religion is loyalty: one for all and all for one. Family loyalty is also very important. This is probably the biggest difference to Swiss society where men leave home at eighteen and begin an independent life. 

One for all and all for one, 2004

A flexible identity: Every day Albert shows up freshly-showered and with a different new hairstyle. His hair is sometimes spiked with gel or combed forwards, sometimes with a parting and other times without. But he always keeps the blond highlights. 

Mirela and Saranda:
clean, cook, wash and iron for their father and brothers. 2004

Uran, Kebab stand Orion in Emmenbruecke/LU/CH, 2004

Grünau Quarter, District 5/Zurich/CH, 2004

Fatimir, 2004

«Giving a face to young Kosovo Albanians»
This work with young Kosovo-Albanians was done in Zurich/Vertigo, Emmen and Emmenbrücke/Luzern in Switzerland in 2004. Shot on analog film with a Mamiya, middle-format camera, it was first published in ‚Das Magazin’ of the Tages-Anzeiger Zürich, CH. Various exhibitions followed. In 2005 „Building site Switzerland: Migration and Transculture“ – Toni-Areal Zurich. In 2006 „Preview – A brief survey of 20th Century Switzerland“ in the Swiss National Museum, Zurich and „Migration: Building site Switzerland“ – an exhibition of the Cooperative Migration Museum Switzerland and Integration Basel. The Young Kosovo-Albanians in Switzerland series was bought by the National Museum in Zurich as a work set.

Words and Pictures by Francisco Paco Carrascosa Zurich/CH (Some text from: DasMagazin Nr. 39/2004, Federal office of Statistics Switzerland)
 

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