Over 90% of Kosovars are Muslims. Many don't accept non-hetero individuals. But society changing. Now, the country has its first LGBTQIA+-bar.
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00:00There's only one queer bar in all of Kosovo, and it's in the center of the capital, Pristina.
00:07It's quite popular with Kosovo's LGBTQ plus community, and it does good business, particularly
00:14during special events.
00:16The Bubble Bar is part of our series, Small Projects, Big Changes.
00:22We didn't know if Kosovo was prepared to accept something like this, so we said, let's try
00:26and see if we can open the bar and keep it going.
00:31Lent Mustafa took that courageous step in 2022, opening the Bubble Bar in the heart
00:37of a largely Muslim neighborhood surrounded by mosques.
00:41What challenges did Lent Mustafa, his team, and his patrons have to face?
00:50We decided to have police outside the door for the first five nights to keep an eye on
00:54the situation.
00:56But there weren't any problems.
00:58The bubble was never attacked, and so far nobody's been attacked inside the bar.
01:03Now this space belongs to us.
01:07We're in the center of town and have no problems with security.
01:14All that might happen in the bubble is that someone passes by and makes a remark, or shoots
01:19a nasty look or a joke.
01:22But that doesn't hurt us.
01:23Absolutely not.
01:26Several drag queens called Pristina home.
01:29One of them is Diva.
01:32The man behind the queer facade, who'd rather not say his real name, runs a hair salon.
01:38By day, he works here as a makeup artist and hairstylist.
01:42By night, he often transforms himself into a drag queen.
01:50Challenges exist.
01:54Every minority who tries to speak out for a certain cause will run into obstacles.
02:00We experience confrontations in daily life, but we can't let them discourage us from pursuing
02:04our path.
02:05There are many challenges, just the question of where we can perform, for example.
02:14Some evenings, the bubble bar functions as a kind of variety theater.
02:18It's a place where everyone, whether hetero or queer, can enjoy an entirely new feeling
02:24of freedom.
02:31I can totally be myself here.
02:33And I'd like us as a society to open up more, so theoretically, one day I could go to the
02:38bubble naked and feel the freedom that we are always seeking.
02:46I come here because I feel really good and relaxed, but I also come for the many great
02:50performances by various drag queens.
02:59Diva the drag queen arrives for the big show.
03:02Expectations are high, so she takes all the time she needs to get into costume.
03:11Everything has to be perfect for the appearance.
03:18I've been doing drag for years and still experience these strong feelings.
03:22Every time I go on stage, it feels like the first time.
03:28To Diva, drag means becoming a queen for a moment during these evening performances.
03:35She loves the time in the spotlight, which gives her the freedom to live out that part
03:39of her identity.
03:47And that's exactly what the bubble bar stands for.
03:56I firmly believe that in a democratic country like Kosovo, we must learn to live together.
04:03There's religious tolerance and ethnic tolerance, and the LGBTQ community has its place here
04:08too.
04:09Most of us were born here.
04:10We want to live here.
04:12This is our space.