On June 12th, the photo-documentary exhibition, ‘KFOR and Kosovo +25’, is at the centre of an extraordinary event being staged at Manchester’s Central Library as part of Manchester’s Festival of Libraries.

Produced by internationally acclaimed photographer, Nick Sidle, covering the period 2000-1, in the aftermath of the 1999 Kosova war, the exhibition tells an uplifting visual story of the resilience of ordinary people recovering from a period of horrific ethnic cleansing and the role of the KFOR peacekeepers in bringing the stability and security from which peace followed. Many in the Greater Manchester region supported at the time with funds, blankets, toys and other items. The story told is the human story of what happened after the war, how people rebuilt their lives under exceptionally challenging circumstances. It captures a unique period of time out of which the modern Kosova was born.

The event is being opened online by Lord Robertson, NATO Secretary General at the time of the photodocumentary in 2000-1, one of those at the centre of the decision to intervene leading to nine countries coming together co-operatively as KFOR, the peacekeeping mission, following UN Security Council Resolution 1244. He assisted with the early stagings of the exhibition at the time and has helped to bring this new exhibition into existence at the 25th anniversary of the intervention. Also opening the event is Kosova Minister for Culture, Saranda Bogujevci joining online from Kosova, a survivor of the Podujeva Massacre, evacuated to Manchester in 1999 together with her cousins. This event will bring together for the first time some of the civilians pictured in the images, who have been located 25 years later in Kosova, and others who were evacuated to Greater Manchester and made their homes here. In Kosova, the event is taking shape from the National Library of Kosova working in partnership with the National Museum of Kosova where this photodocumentary will take shape as a permanent historical exhibition in the autumn providing a longterm legacy for all those involved,

Nick Sidle’s work is often described as ‘being on the boundaries of photojournalism and art’, images are not staged or posed and that integrity of approach subsequently secured him invitations to cover other conflict zones such as Afghanistan.

This event is being presented by Heartstone with the support of Manchester Aid to Kosovo, Faith Network for Manchester and Eagle Bee, supporting the Albanian community in Manchester.

Admission is free and there is no booking required, but please come early to be secure of a place at this event.

Header Photo by ©Nick Sidle.