Rita Ora poses in traditional dress to celebrate Kosovo Independence Day in striking shots from her Big music video

• The singer, 30, was born in Pristina in what is now Kosovo and wore traditional clothing to mark the annual celebration on Wednesday 
• Kosovo is the second youngest country in the world and the youngest in Europe, declaring its independence from Serbia in February 2008 
• 98 out of 193 United Nations member states and 22 out of 27 European Union states recognise Kosovo, while the government of Serbia does not
• Rita was born to Albanian parents in what was then Yugoslavia, with her parents leaving the region due to the persecution of Albanians
• The star previously spoke to Vogue Arabia about what it was like for her family to arrive in London and start a new life just a year after she was born 

Rita Ora celebrated Kosovo Independence Day on Wednesday as she posed in traditional clothing to mark the annual occasion.

The singer, 30, took to Instagram and shared a series of snaps in the garment, which she wore for her recent Big music video.

The musician was born in Pristina, in the former Yugoslavia, to Albanian parents, who relocated to London a year after Rita was born due to the persecution of Albanians.  

Rita’s striking outfit consisted of a black long-sleeved dress with gold embroidery and a pleated hemline.

Celebration: Rita Ora celebrated Kosovo Independence Day on Wednesday as she donned traditional clothing to mark the annual occasion

The hitmaker also wore a white shirt with matching tights along with an extravagant red and black headpiece.

Rita also wore dark blue boots with a faux fur detail and bright red gloves as she posed alongside several other women in traditional dress.

Alongside the snaps, she wrote: ‘Happy Independence Day Kosova!!!’ along with a message in Albanian reading: ‘Congratulations on 13 years of our Kosovo independence!’

Kosovo is the second youngest country in the world and the youngest in Europe, declaring its independence from Serbia in February 2008.

Independence Day: The singer, 30, who was born in Pristina in what is now Kosovo, took to Instagram and shared a series of snaps in her garment which she worre for her Big music video

Rita wrote: ‘Happy Independence Day Kosova!!!’ along with a message in Albanian reading: Congratulations on 13 years of our Kosovo independence!’

98 out of 193 United Nations member states and 22 out of 27 European Union states recognise Kosovo, while the government of Serbia does not.

Rita was born to Albanian parents in what was then Yugoslavia, with her parents leaving the region due to the persecution of Albanians.

The star previously spoke to Vogue Arabia about what it was like for her family to arrive in London and start a new life just a year after she was born.

Recalling the event, she said: ‘They left behind their whole lives and had to start from scratch when they arrived in London as refugees.  

Dress: Rita’s outfit consisted of a black long-sleeved dress with gold embroidery and a pleated hemline

Outfit: The hitmaker also wore a white shirt with matching tights along with an extravagant red and black headpiece

Childhood: Rita was born to Albanian parents in what was then Yugoslavia, with her parents leaving the region due to the persecution of Albanians

‘But protecting us was their main priority and I count my blessings every day that they did what they did.’ 

Explaining why her parents chose the city, Rita said: ‘They chose London because dad loved the music and the culture, but even still, as you can imagine, adopting a new life was extremely difficult.’

Rita went on to explain what life was like growing up in London and claimed that she found it ‘tough’ due to the amount of prejudice that surrounded refugees.

She revealed: ‘I was often called a refugee in a derogatory way, however, I had lots of foreign friends and we all had a great time connecting through being different.’

The Hot Right Now hitmaker previously told how she was bullied as a child because of her background while growing up in London.

Family life: Rita previously opened up about her experience as a refugee after ‘escaping persecution’ as a child in Kosovo (pictured with her mother Vera)

Writing on Instagram last year, Rita shared: ‘Let’s give people an incredible environment to be a kid in and grow in. When my parents decided to move to England from Kosovo it was hard.

‘I remember I had to see and witness certain things just so I could fit in, just so the refugee girl can cooperate with the girls in the skipping rope game in the playground (that’s what I used to call it!), but when I was in that park I was free.

‘Racism, how immigrants and refugees are treated! We can’t be justified by the colour of our skin or where we are from, we are one race.

‘The human race. Anyway I love you guys, that’s just my 2 cents. I hope you smile today. Give kids a place to feel free in. Thank you. Yours forever Rita.’ 

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