Voices of Kosovo in Manchester

Scope and Content

The collection contains twenty nine audio recordings of interviews with summaries and transcriptions, pen sketches, and photos of some interviewees.
The interview include:

13 Kosovars in Manchester
4 returnee Kosovars in Kosovo
1 Human Rights lawyer working in Kosovo who has represented children in Manchester
11 others involved in the humanitarian response
Other material in the collection includes copies of the exhibition panels, project files which includes the evaluation, and images of events and activities related to the project.

Administrative / Biographical History

Manchester Aid to Kosovo (MaK) produced the VOKIM 'Voices of Kosovo in Manchester' project between September 2014 and March 2016. The project recorded and preserved the story of the Kosovar community in Manchester. Many arrived as refugees in 1999, evacuated to the North West in part of a global humanitarian response to ethnic cleansing in the Balkans. Their voices have been captured alongside a selection of the many people who responded to their struggle.

The project was financed by the Heritage Lottery Fund and supported by the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Education Trust.

The project produced various outputs including the oral histories, a mobile multimedia exhibition and education resources. Additional materials and guidelines for schools and learning can be found on www.vokim.org

In 2019 Manchester Aid to Kosovo received additional funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to mark 20 years since the event of 1999. As a part of this project MaK showcased an exhibition in Manchester Cathedral and has been invited to exhibit new work, interwoven with VOKIM oral history, at the National Library of Kosovo and the University of East London.

Arrangement

  • GB3228.53/1 Voices of Kosovo in Manchester Project 2014-2016
  • GB3228.53/1/1 Project files
  • GB3228.53/1/1 Project files
  • GB3228.53/1/2 Oral Histories
  • GB3228.53/1/3 Exhibition Outputs
  • GB3228.53/1/4 Project Images
  • GB3228.53/2 Voices of Kosovo in Manchester Project 2019

Access Information

24 hours notice is required to view this collection. Material will then be accessible through Manchester Central Library Search Room, Manchester Central Library, St. Peters Square, Manchester, M2 5PD. To access this collection please contact: rrarchive@manchester.ac.uk

Acquisition Information

Transferred directly from Manchester Aid to Kosovo

Alternative Form Available

Copies of the oral histories can be found at http://www.vokim.org/ and at the University of East London
A copy of the transcriptions is also housed at the National Library of Kosovo

Archivist's Note

Description prepared by J Robson, Sep 2019. The pen sketches for each interviewee and the description of each oral history interview is drawn directly from the paperwork provided by the Voices of Kosovo project.

Appraisal Information

Duplicates have been removed from the collection.

Custodial History

This collection was donated to the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Education Trust through the Voices of Kosovo in Manchester project, conducted by the Manchester Aid to Kosovo organisation.

Accruals

As a result of the follow up project in 2019 there may be deposits of material relating to this secondary project.

Related Material

  • A transcription of the recordings is available in the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Resource Centre Library Ref: MAN/HI.3/VOI
  • 'Voices of Kosovo in Manchester' by Siobhan Brownlie - a study of 11 oral histories from the Voices of Kosovo in Manchester Project, Oral History journal, Autumn 2019, Volume 47, number 2