Friday, May 21, 1999 Published at 09:52 GMT 10:52 UK
Children's tales of horror
Arseme Deder describes his father's death
By Orla Guerin in Macedonia
Children caught up in the conflict in Kosovo have been telling of their experiences in paintings and drawings.
One 12-year-old boy recorded the final moments of his father's life.
He tells us he wants the world to know what the Serbs did in Kosovo. He draws things no child should see.
Ozman is a Kosovo Albanian teacher forced to flee for his life. He persuaded Arseme and 130 other children to record their suffering.
Their simple drawings tell the story of shattered lives. Arseme's are among the most vivid.
It was then, Arseme said, they took his father away. In the distance, he heard him being shot. Later, relatives found his mutilated body.
"I went to the field where they killed my father. If I had lifted my head a little, I would have seen him," Arseme said.
"I am glad I didn't. If I had seen him, I would have died, too."
Some are the work of young refugees, just nine years old. They have left not only their homeland, but also their childhood behind.
For many of the young victims of the war, words are still too difficult. Only in paintings and drawings can they reveal the horror of what has happened to them and their families.
The exhibition is their silent testimony.