The Lost Frames of a Nation’s Memory

Alban Bujari’s war photos captured history’s rawest moments. Now, Kosovo risks losing its visual memory, not to time, but to neglect, inaction, and institutional failure.

In the final weeks of his life, Alban Bujari stood in a dimly lit hall at Reporting House, surrounded by images he had captured decades earlier, scenes of horror, resilience, and history in its rawest form.

“Now everyone can see what I saw,” he said, reflecting on the moments he had frozen in time.

This account, taken from a Reporting House Facebook post¹, highlights the importance of their work in preserving history. However, while Reporting House has done very important work, much more must be done to safeguard Kosovo's photographic legacy. What if these moments were lost? What if the record of Kosovo’s most defining era faded, not due to the passage of time, but due to neglect?

(First Image – Alban Bujari at Work) Alban Bujari, one of Kosovo’s first war photojournalists, documents the destruction of civilian homes during the Kosovo War (1998-1999). His work remains a crucial testimony to the crimes committed during the conflict. (Second Image – Alban Bujari in the Field) A rare image of Alban Bujari in action, capturing the horrors of war while providing vital documentation of Kosovo’s suffering. His camera was a weapon of truth in one of Europe’s most brutal conflicts of the late 20th century.

Bujari, one of the first local war photojournalists, dedicated his life to documenting the atrocities of the Kosovo War (1998-1999), ensuring the world bore witness to the systematic persecution inflicted upon Albanians by Serbian forces. His images, published in Time, The Guardian, The Independent, El País, S…