Swiss SRF television has recently dedicated an article to young Kosovar people living in Switzerland. The article is based on the marriages that take place every year between Switzerland and Kosovo and how families have the final say in this matter.

Dating between young people should happen quite naturally, but for the parents of these young people, this does not apply. In a street survey created by the newspaper, it is clearly seen that many young Kosovar Swiss desperately want someone with the same background.

Treasure hunting in Kosovo

There are hundreds of new marriages every year between Switzerland and Kosovo. Families want to have the last word – young people struggle.

Summer in Pristina, ‘Shacit’ are here. This is what the Kosovars of German-speaking countries are called. Cars with Swiss license plates drive on the streets – Mercedes, Ferrari, Porsche from Baselland, Zurich, Aargau – Swiss German is spoken. The ‘Shacit’ are here for the obligatory family visit to their second home and some of them are hoping to find a lifelong companion.

Nightlife: A Bride Show

In one evening, heavy bass music is booming in one of the biggest clubs in Kosovo. The light is dim, a laser light show shows a path towards the glowing atmosphere. Every minute, impeccably styled young women and men walk through nightclubs and leave behind heavy scents of perfume and deodorant.

First impressions matter, you know that. After all, they could meet their great love here. It is a wonderful sight to behold. Gabriela Tomes and Dorentina Dauti are also in the club that evening. They emphasize: just to have fun, to celebrate and dance with other ‘Shaci’.

Balance between tradition and modernity

Gabriela Tomes and Dorentina Dauti are Kosovar Swiss from Thurgau. Like many young Kosovans from Switzerland, they try to bridge the gap between the two cultures. Dating is a private matter for both of them, although they know that some of their family members see it differently. They are 23 years old, neither engaged nor married.

They are aware of the conflict in which they find themselves. “On the one hand, I want to make my family happy, but at the same time I don’t want my parents to take anything away from me there. It’s my choice who I date,” Tomes says. They have rejected previous offers for meetings. “I have other plans, I want to go to school. I just have different ideas about life at the moment,” says Dauti. They have high support for the new generation of Swiss Kosovars. A generation in turmoil trying to find a middle ground between conflict zones.

‘Shacit’ love each other

But not everyone is so determined. The street poll shows that many young Kosovar Swiss desperately want someone of the same background. This is what the family demands, but this is what they want for themselves. For them, it is more important that the tradition continues, that the future wife responds to the ideas of her parents, knows the cultural customs of Kosovo and speaks Albanian with her grandparents.

For Tomes and Daut, on the other hand, it is clear that they will decide for themselves who they will marry, no matter if their parents are happy with the choice. Anyway – this question has time. At the moment other things are more important, like club dancing and studying after the summer.