previous next

RELATED VIDEO CNN's Kasra Naji reports Kosovo children are showing signs of war trauma through their artwork (May 22). Windows Media 28K 80K CNN's Tom Mintier reports on Kosovo refugees: Each refugee's face tells a different story with the same ending (May 22) Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K  ALSO: Missing Kosovo men turn up amid new surge of refugees NATO unleashes heaviest strikes yet on Yugoslavia

May 22, 1999
Web posted at: 7:45 p.m. EDT (2345 GMT)

TETOVO, Macedonia (CNN) -- As art imitates life, so it does death. In a Macedonian refugee camp, ethnic Albanian children who have been forced to flee Kosovo hauntingly illustrate atrocities taking place in their home province.

A refugee school administered by the United Nations at the camp has put together an exhibition of the students' work. The drawings and paintings reveal grisly scenes: attacking soldiers, burning houses, dead bodies.

One artist depicts his 79-year-old uncle, his body riddled with bullets.

Arcim drew a Serb policemen shooting his father in the neck. His home is ablaze. NATO Apache helicopters hover overhead, too high to help. The 12-year-old said he wants to become a Kosovo Liberation Army fighter to avenge his father's death.

Others recreated similar scenes of death and destruction. Selveta explained one of her works: "Burning houses in the village, and Serb tanks attacking them so we have to run away and spend our lives in other peoples' homes."

Dafina drew a forest, where she hid for almost a week after Serb soldiers kicked ethnic Albanians out of her village.

"There was nothing to eat or drink," said the young artist.

Serb forces have reportedly intensified attacks against ethnic Albanian rebels and civilians in Kosovo since NATO began airstrikes against the Serb-dominated Yugoslav federation in late March.

Correspondent Kasra Naji contributed to this report.

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.