Oral history interview with Fatso Bogujevci

Interview: 1 hour 11 minutes 32 seconds

Fatos Bogujevci speaks of an innocent childhood with his extended family in the bustling town of Podujeva, close to the Serb border in NE Kosovo, enjoying visits to his relatives in the countryside. As a child, he became aware of developing problems. His father and uncle lost their jobs as electricians at the power station and he witnessed the escalating presence of Serb police and the military in his town. On March 28th 1999 an armed, uniformed, Serb unit, responsible for ethnic cleansing, entered Podujeva. The unit forced Fatos and all the women and children in his family into the corner of a secluded garden. They were all shot, together with their close friends the Duriqis. Left for dead, five Bogujevci cousins, including Fatos, survived. After the Liberation of Kosovo the children were found and medically evacuated by the British Army. Fatos attended a Catholic Secondary School in Trafford and went on to college and university. Along with his young cousins, Fatos gave evidence in Belgrade against the unit responsible for the massacre of his family. He and his cousins have received the Anne Frank International Award for Moral Courage. Fatos married Aulona, also from Podujeva, and lives in South Manchester. He is an artist and employed as a graphic designer.

In this interview Fatos talks about his life before the war as a child in Kosovo and when he first noticed changes due to the war. Fatos describes the massacre of his family which he and four other children survived in Podujeva, Kosovo. He describes being taken to Prishtina Hospital for treatment. He describes the Liberation of Kosovo, meeting British medics, his medical evacuation with his cousins and recovery in both Manchester. Fatos talks about giving evidence in Belgrade against the Serbs who massacred many members of his family and the outcomes. He discusses the Bogujevci // Visual History exhibition.