During March 2016 three of our Tourism master students, Gian-Luc Angiolini and Hannah Lee (MSc Tourism Management) and Oliver Te-Chang Liu (MSc Tourism Management and Marketing) along with Dr Avital Biran have travelled to Kosovo. This was part of a co-creation project aiming is to foster conflict transformation (reconciliation) by facilitating engagement with a plurality of narratives, nurturing empathy and recognition of the cultural heritage of war via contemporary gaming technology. This is an inter-disciplinary project involving BU staff and students from a range of different departments and research areas (transitional justice, sociology, anthropology, game design and tourism) as well as students and staff from the University of Pristina, Kosovo and a local NGO.

Following an intensive preparation workshop acquainting students with conflict transformation theory, and the pertinent cultural, historical and ethical issues of Kosovo, we headed for a week-long field trip in Kosovo. Once we had arrived in Pristina (the capital city of Kosovo), participants were split into different groups with diverse academic backgrounds and were tasked with different “quests” to explore the city and the heritage of Kosovo (revolving around issues like street art; transitional justice and traditions; politics of memory; gender and national identity). This was followed with visits to some of Kosovo’s main cultural and war heritage sites, such as Gjakova, Prizren, Mitrovica and Prekaz. After thoroughly researching the country, considering the massive potential it had to offer concerning its fascinating cultural heritage and history of conflict, and reflecting on their own visit experience, participants were charged with the task of designing a “serious game” for post-conflict sites which could help to bring about conflict transformation.

Summarising their experience, Gian-Luc notes: It was really exciting for all of us to be involved in real, meaningful research. However, it wasn’t all work and no play, we had some fun too! We were based in Pristina, which is the largest city in the country and has about 200,000 inhabitants (slightly larger than Bournemouth). It is certainly the heart of the country and is a central spot for political thinking, an active student life and a developing international community. Even on our strict time budgets, we were still able to indulge ourselves in some well-earned rest and cross-cultural socialising with the students of Pristina, even after our tiring days of research. Well we did deserve to treat ourselves a little bit! We all worked hard and felt as though we achieved a lot, both academically as well as developing a positive link between BU and the University of Pristina.