A statue of the Serbian emperor Dusan. Screen grab from the video below.



The recent erection of a statue depicting Dusan, the Serbian emperor who ruled over Macedonia and conquered Albanian regions in the 14th century, has riled the Macedonian Albanians of Skopje, the country’s capital. The monument was attacked and severely damaged just days after it was installed. Our Observer views the sudden installation of this statue as an act of political provocation.

The year 2010 saw the launch of “Skopje 2014”, a massive campaign to set up new monuments around the capital. The ongoing projects include the “civilisation bridge” over the Vardar River, which will be decorated with 29 statues of important figures that marked the country’s history. However, though the list of statues had already been confirmed, their number suddenly jumped up to 37. Among the eight additional statues, that of Tsar Dusan caused quite a stir. It was installed in early December and subsequently attacked by members of Macedonia’s Albanian minority (which account for 25% of the population) in the early hours of Sunday morning. According to local Albanian media, this group included ministers and executive officers of the DUI Albanian party, part of a coalition government that is led by the Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE).

Amateur video showing Emperor Dusan's statue.



Emperor Dusan (1308-1355) raised the Serbian empire to its apex of power and influence, but he is not close to Albanians’ hearts—not unlike the many other Serbian leaders that annexed primarily Albanian regions over the centuries.

These eight new statues have been very controversial, particularly because the organisation that ordered the installation of these additional monuments remains unclear: none of the three overseers of Skopje 2014 (the national government, the city government, and the city centre government) have claimed the decision as their own—nor have they denounced the move.

The aim of Skopje 2014 was to attract tourists and increase Macedonians’ sense of civic unity by rallying them around common historical references, thereby legitimizing the country, whose very existence remains controversial. Macedonia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, but Greece still rejects the use of the name Macedonia, which is also the name of a Greek region. Bulgaria also rejects Macedonia’s independence, claiming that Macedonians are actually Bulgarian nationals.