12.07.2022
A unique feminist festival celebrates a decade and tries to do what is not done enough in Serbia or Kosovo – to openly oppose the war ● Gilad Sade visited the festival and spoke with the organizers, who say: “There are those who try to separate us – but there is no place for that”
Click on the link to see the article in the original text: https://www.zman.co.il/325230/
13.06.2022
Youngsters from Prishtina and Fushë Kosova brought the forum theater performance “Let us change!”.
Artpolis – Art and Community Center within the Kosovo Coalition for Reconciliation, presented the play in the Amphitheater of the Railway Station of Fushë Kosova, on June 13, 2022.
The event takes place in the school premises, where a boy from Roma community is bullied by his classmate, while the teacher does not react. She continues the lesson by ignoring what is happening in the classroom. But not everyone is racist because Drini has a friend who protects and empowers him. Dea is also ridiculed by society but that does not stop her from being on the right side and fighting for equal rights.
“Let’s change!” comes as a call to fight racism and prejudice. United to change the world.
Cast: Blerza Krasniqi, Driada Gashi, Laurant Gashi, Lorea Dauti, Resul Krasniqi.
Mentor: Ismail Kasumi
Youth performance “Let us change!” is implemented by Artpolis – Art and Community Center within the framework of the Kosovo Coalition for Reconciliation and the support of European Union in Kosovo, under the project “Transforming conflicting perceptions through increased civic and community engagement in Kosovo”.
26.05.2022
Artpolis – Art and Community Center within the Kosovo Coalition for Reconciliation, presented Forum Theater Performance of young people: “#MeToo”, at the Cultural Center “Rexhep Mitrovica” in Mitrovica, on May 26, 2022.
High school students and teachers were present to follow the performance and then discuss the topic addressed sexual harassment.
Under the sounds of the flute was presented an ordinary day in the Azemi family, where the patriarchal mentality limits the space and the opportunity to express oneself and to be free in thoughts and actions.
…“He was staring at me from top to bottom all the time, and it was not enough, he even started to touch me!… I’m the one to blame! I’m the one to blame for not being able to leave! Did he act like that just because I was dressed that way? What’s wrong with how I was dressed? He cannot justify himself for this act because how we dress doesn’t justify any man’s desire to touch a woman or a girl! “…
Cast: Eriona Hoti, Lendita Humolli, Refik Tupella and Sonila Pllashniku
Flute: Erika Sinani
Mentor: Ismaili Kasumi
Master of lights: Mursel Bekteshi
Youth performance “#MeToo” is implemented by Artpolis – Art and Community Center within the framework of the Kosovo Coalition for Reconciliation and the support of European Union in Kosovo, under the project “Transforming conflicting perceptions through increased civic and community engagement in Kosovo”.
04.05.2022
Djurdjevdan was especially in the focus during the 90s of the 20th century, entering the vicious circle of isolation which unfortunately has been present to this day. We live and survive the third decade, while Djurdjevdan sparks great interest with the Gorani just as well as with other nationalities and communities, precisely because of the beauty and authenticity of this tradition. Therefore, you can imagine what this isolation meant for the Gorani who traveled on foot to Thessaloniki, Sofia and Istanbul and even further east and west for hundreds of years before the wars in the first half of the 20th century.
Gorani and Stereotypes
As every community, Gorani have teachers, doctors, surgeons, athletes, engineers, writers, lawyers, judges, economists, journalists, etc. However, all this was not sufficient to break the stereotypes that Gorani are only good candymakers, chefs, and not so good politicians. It takes a bit more than a willpower, little education, from high school diplomas to PhD diplomas of dubious origin, to be a good politician.
Yugoslav Shepard Dogs, Food and Climate
Once famous for the Yugoslav Shepard Dogs, good quality sheep and cow meat, milk, cheese, and candies, Gorani were represented by the successful athletes and professionals in other fields as well. Despite of the difficult living conditions and harsh climate and despite various unjust expropriations for tourist centers, hotels, green energy, and such, to this day they managed to stay in their centuries-old households.
Certainly, an enigma or what sparks imagination of some is a celebration of Djurdjevdan or Gorani Memorial Day on May 6.
It is being marked from the 3rd to the 10th of May in Gora. Unfortunately, gathering was not possible for the past two years due to anti-covid measures. However, no one knows for certain how far back this festival goes. It involves folk festivals, young people gatherings, traditional fairs organized for young people to meet either for the sake of marriages or to meet family and friends. This date is also practiced more or less in the entire Gora region, encompassing thirty villages and settlements in total, 10 of which in Kosovo, 9 in Albania and 2 in North Macedonia.
In Gorani villages in Kosovo: Restelica, Rapča, Dragash (also municipal center), Vranište, Radeši, Ljubovište, Vranište, Leštan, Brod, Zlipotok, Globočica, Mlike, Kukaljane, Kruševo, Bačka, Dikanc, Orčuša, Krstac (19 villages). Albania: Šištvac, Borja, Zapod, Pakiša, Orgosti, Crnjeljevo, Košarište, Orešek and Okčiklju. (9 villages), and Northern Macedonia: Urvich and Jelovjan (2 villages).
Weddings and Festivities Season
This is also the date for weddings and festivities that start on Djurdjevdan and last until mid-August, when nature comes to life. They end immediately after and then the snow arrives, which, with the help of the mountain wind, dresses Gora in a magnificent winter wedding dress. Apart from language, the Gorani community is characterized by a special tradition, tangible and intangible cultural heritage, folk poetry, prose, short stories, and love stories.
Folk Costumes and Brides
The costumes that future young brides prepare during the long mountain winters for themselves, loved ones, but also wedding guests, are diligently decorated with symbols of spring, sun, sky, and floral motifs. Costumes also vary from village to village.
The bride wears this costume for the first and last time on their wedding day, which they wear throughout the whole ceremony that can last last up to 30 days or longer, with joy in the mountain villages.
And after the wedding, she will prepare the next costume with her daughters and the design will be significantly different, but basically the essential colors remain the same.
Shepherd’s Day
Djurdjevdan represents the date for grazing cattle in the mountains. While in the last couple of decades, after the opening of factories and with development of tourism, football is much more present, which does not mean that wrestling, boxing, or other individual sports have been forgotten.
Sports in Gora
The Gorani also had those who made a notable contribution to the most important of the unimportant things in the world. While the older generations remember that a special football tournament was organized on the occasion of Tito’s birthday or Youth Day in the municipal center, and that it was something that gathered people together with the famous Pelivani wrestling tournament.
Football was something that unites, bearing in mind that football is something where multiethnicity adds value, and the best football player is always “ours”, regardless of origin, religion or skin color, and the players see each other as a family.
So, there are Partizan and Red Star fans from Belgrade, Dinamo from Zagreb, and Hajduk from Split, Sarajevo and Željezničar from Sarajevo, etc. But also, other European and Asian football teams.
While the real hits are stories and anecdotes about football players of the former Yugoslavia: Beara, Sušić, Jusufi, Vokri, Šekularac, Savićević, Džajić, Šuker, Prosinečki, Pancev, Boban, Halilhodžić… they are very popular in coffee and teahouses where everyone gathers, regardless of age and where they remember with admiration and sometimes with sadness their relatives or neighbors who left a mark in the world of sports, such as the late football player Fahrudin Yusufi, or young Miralem Sulejmani, and in other group sports Zufer Avdija and Deni Avdija, Daniel Sinani and many others. Of course, the constellation of those who failed to shine is getting bigger, but it is a different story that is less interesting.
And last but not least
Unfortunately, for decades, out of ignorance, malice, or material gain, some have been trying to count blood cells and portray Gorani through various negative stereotypes, imposing collective guilt for this or that. They try to indoctrinate them under the influence of regional powers, and / or religious or interest groups and never for the benefit of the people or the state. Despite all the difficulties of life, the Gorani challenge this fate with their optimism, customs, perseverance and Gorani way of life and their worldview.
Reason for Appropriation?
Probably one of the reasons for the appropriation of Gorani and significant interest in their origin is the geographical position they have been creating since they are known, and it is known that they do not have an army and live in an area that has harsh conditions for most of the year, which takes to love to survive.
The Gorani Language?
Apart from the language / speech (which is obviously South Slavic in origin despite efforts to present it differently), some authors claim that Gorani were mentioned in Roman (Byzantine) records without pointing where exactly. Various low-grade and extremely politically coloured seminar papers (read: diploma, master’s or doctoral thesis) at foreign universities in countries in the region claim that Gorani are Turks, Bulgarians, Vlachs… and the list goes on.
The truth is that Gorani are only Gorani and it is enough for them
As for the alphabet during the period of Turkish rule, the official one was the Arabic version of the modified Arabic letters for the Turkish Empire, so called Arabika. The language was Gorani, that is the alphabet that was then officially in use, while after their withdrawal from the Balkans, in this area Azbuka came into use and the language in schools was Serbian, while somewhere in the 1980s the Latin alphabet came into use. By the way, until the time before the Balkan wars, there were even manufacturing workshops and rifles…
In any case, as far as language is concerned, Gorani speech in everyday life differs from village to village in relation to some words, but in essence this does not make communication difficult. Of course, as in all smaller ethnic communities, there are many great, most beautiful, richest, strongest, greatest writers and the like.
However, everything that Gorani identify with is mostly the result of folk tales and songs, while in the last thirty-something years until today, there is a trend of newly affirmed political pseudo-intellectuals and quasi-historians who have identity problems for one reason or another, strengthened by political positions, trying to secure a place in textbooks and something that will be their epitaph.
The total number of Gorani is unknown. It is a well-known secret that during the last census in Kosovo in 2011, there were great misuses and arbitrary censuses. While it is expected in the upcoming census that phenomenon to be significantly reduced. By the way, the number of Gorani in Dragash, in Kosovo, in the region and the world exceeds 40 thousand. It is a well-known fact that Gorani are still mostly present in the countries of the former Yugoslavia, but also in the neighboring countries of Europe, America and Asia, and that borders are the main challenge in the life of Gorani.
Fatir Berzati is the editor-in-chief, but also a journalist in the editorial office of the news agency Kosova.info in South Slavic languages, since the establishment of the editorial office, with offices in Pristina and Prizren. Long-term civil society activist, mechanical engineer by profession and a member of several international and domestic organizations and the government working groups, with a focus on human rights protection, economy and international cooperation with participation or partnership in dozens of EU projects over the years.
15-18.04.2022
18 girls and boys from the Albanian and Serbian community were part of the Forum Theater Program training held on April 15th-18th, 2022 in Durrës/Albania.
Mentored by the artists Zana Hoxha and Edlir Gashi the participants had the opportunity to learn many things about the theater, stage movements, body language, and above all communicating through forum theater performances.
This time in Durrës, the ambiance was different from the other times, creating a safe space for relationships, new acquaintances, while also learning about new culture of this place.
The participants managed to enjoy the beach during the activities (meditation, training and entertainment), and building close relationship with nature and each-other. To break the barriers of judgments while reflecting on their lives, were able to share honestly their experiences with each-other.
The cultural diversity was one of the most important point of the training, where participants were encouraged to speak in their native language, offering simultaneous translation, so they could exchange their culture, and experiences.
What made this training even more special was the youth diversity. They were different ages and professions: students, teachers, businessmen, policemen, lawyers, ages 16-31.
The training ended with the ceremony of discovering “the secret friend”, and the certification of the participants.
This activity is supported by the European Union in Kosovo through the project “Transformation of Conflict Perceptions through Increased Civic and Community Engagement in Kosovo” implemented by Artpolis and the NGO AKTIV as members of the Kosovo Coalition for Reconciliation (KCR).
15.04.2022
NGO AKTIV, in cooperation with members of the Kosovo Coalition for Reconciliation, organized a conference “Past, Present, FORUM OF THE FUTURE – State of Reconciliation in Kosovo”, held on the 12th and the 13th of April 2022, at the Civic Energy Center in North Mitrovica.
At four panels, 15 experts from various fields discussed the topic of reconciliation from the perspective of the media, civil society, security and the position of Kosovo’s smaller non-majority communities, in the presence of representatives of the diplomatic community, media, civil society and youth from different ethnic communities. Representatives of the media, civil society and human rights experts said that it was necessary to build reconciliation through direct dialogue of all communities, with the active participation of institutions.
The conference was opened by the Executive Director of the NGO Aktiv, Miodrag Milićević, who initially asked whether the entire society had done enough in the process of reconciliation between Serbs and Albanians, but also other communities, in Kosovo.
„The expectation of many of us today is that as a society we are sufficiently able to face all the problems that burden our communities, and that we have enough strength and a high degree of commitment to overcome many challenges we face as a society for more than two decades”, said Milićević.
As he assessed, without the support of political and public representatives, the international community, civil society and the media, full normalization of relations cannot be achieved.
Goran Avramović, a journalist of Radio KiM, Xhemail Rexha, president of the Association of Journalists of Kosovo, Tatjana Lazarević, editor-in-chief of the KoSSev portal and Besa Luci, editor-in-chief of the Kosovo2.0 portal, spoke at the first panel.
The journalists assessed that the media are not a serious obstacle to reconciliation, but also that they do not make a great contribution in that process. They pointed out that problems from the angle of the national narrative are most often reported, while stories about citizens and their everyday problems are less present in the media.
“The role of the media is not to work on reconciliation, but they should not work on deepening differences,” it was assessed.
At the second panel, Nora Ahmetaj, founder and director of the Center for Research, Documentation and Publications, Marigona Sabiu, director of the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, Darko Dimitrijevic, journalist and executive director of the Center for Minority Rights, and Milica Jakovljevic, a project manager of Community Building Mitrovica, spoke about the role of civil society in the reconciliation process.
The panelists assessed that the progress in reconciliation was noticed on an individual level as people communicate in different ways, as well as among certain groups, such as the business community that has been cooperating for a long time, and the non-governmental sector. It is estimated that the most problematic is the political level.
“It is a level that makes decisions and opens the way to general reconciliation, but there is no progress for now,” the participants said, adding that “however, there is a little progress with the fact that two sides have started to discuss the problems”.
The panelists pointed out that the reconciliation process had begun, but that the whole society was not involved. They pointed out that NGOs contributed the most to reconciliation, but that it did not go far.
The issue of the connection between the security situation and the reconciliation process was analyzed by the participants of the third panel, with Dušan Radaković, Executive Director of the Advocacy Center for Democratic Culture, Bekim Blakaj, Executive Director of the Humanitarian Law Center of Kosovo, Aferdita Sulaj Shehu, Executive Director of Community Building Mitrovica and Igor Marković, Senior Researcher and Project Manager NGO AKTIV.
The panelists assessed that security incidents and the political situation make life and reconciliation between communities, primarily between Serbs and Albanians, difficult, while political elites contribute to tensions with their narratives.
“We need to invest in peacebuilding, especially today when we are witnessing great instability on the continent of Europe,” the panelists said.
The participants in the fourth panel were civil society representatives of the Turkish, Roma, Ashkali, Egyptian and Gorani community. Fatir Berzati, activist and editor-in-chief of Kosovo Info for South Slavic Languages, Gorani Community in Kosovo, Sejfi Kodra, translator, political expert and activist from the Turkish community in Kosovo, and Mimoza Gavrani, policy expert from the Regional Cooperation Council on behalf of the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian community, spoke about the position of these communities.
The panelists assessed that more needs to be done in order for smaller communities to feel free. It was pointed out that these communities are especially sensitive because they encounter various stereotypes, although there are good legal solutions that guarantee them all their rights.
“It is very important to involve smaller communities in the process of reconciliation and building the future. We need to restore trust in institutions. Smaller communities want to be part of initiatives related to reconciliation, peace and stability,” the CSO representatives stated.
17.03.2022
“Tackle the existing stereotypes and prejudices in Kosovo”
NGO AKTIV invites all student/youth groups from of all ethnic backgrounds to propose youth cooperation initiatives that will be supported through the project Transforming Conflicting Perceptions through Increased Civic and Community Engagement in Kosovo and implemented by student/youth groups.
Within the framework of the project, and after the production of the Index of Ethnic Stereotypes in Kosovo (a consolidated record of documented stereotypical characteristics that influence ethnic relations in Kosovo) and The introduction of mutual language learning in Kosovo: A tentative Roadmap (paper addresses the issue of the language gap existing between Kosovo Albanians and Kosovo Serbs), students will be offered the opportunity to propose and implement activities based on the problems identified by the studies.
Students are invited to propose grass-root youth cooperation initiative that will be supported through this project and implemented by student/youth and members of the Kosovo Coalition for Reconciliation (KCR).
The best initiative will be selected and supported with a grant of up to 5,000 EUR. This initiative will be implemented by KCR in close cooperation with student/youth groups. Under this call one (1) initiative will be supported.
The types of activities that may be supported by this call are as follows:
The following types of activities will not be supported:
Application Procedure
All initiative proposals should include:
1) A description of the applicant(s) (one or more), including basic background information (CVs of all applicants), a short motivation letter and a copy of Kosovo ID;
2) An outline of the project, including:
3) A brief (two to three sentences) overview of the estimated expenses that will be incurred by the activities.)
Please fill in the application form attached to this call.
The KCR will support and implement a limited number of initiatives (1) that may last up to two (3) months in duration and that will have a maximum budget of 5,000 Euros.
The deadline for the submission of project proposals is 25.03.2022.
Applications should be submitted to:
You can get receive information via email igor.markovic@ngoaktiv.org or by calling +38349614908 and + 381642585592.
04.03.2022
Solo photography show of Adon Pajaziti has been on display in North Mitrovica and Pristina for the last six days. Visitors were able to see the works of the young Prizren artist from February 24th to 27th, at the Civic Energy Center in North Mitrovica, and from February 28th to March 2nd, at the Monet Gallery in Pristina.
The exhibition was a presentation of the Prizren region’s nature, as well as of everyday lives of the Bosniaks, which shed light on social diversity and natural beauty of the southern part of Kosovo. At the same time, Pajaziti’s short documentary “The Wealth of Nature” was screened at both introductory events with the aim to visually explain urgent need to preserve the environment and to acquaint the public with the species of birds which inhabit Kosovo.
Upon the introductory ceremonies, the exhibitions were open to the public view.
These events were also an opportunity to promote Kosovo Reconciliation Coalition’s work and goals, among both the visitors and the media which reported on the event.
This activity was supported by the European Union in Kosovo through the project “Transforming Conflict Perceptions through Increased Engagement of Citizens and Communities in Kosovo”, implemented by the NGO AKTIV, a member of a broader Kosovo Reconciliation Coalition (KRC).
NOTE: All the visitors were required to present proof of vaccination with at least 2 dozes and the activity was held in accordance with the Guidance on Protection Against Covid-19, published by the Ministry of Health and the Draft Law on Prevention and Control of Covid-19 Pandemics.
01.03.2022
“Tackle the existing stereotypes and prejudices in Kosovo”
NGO AKTIV invites all student/youth groups from of all ethnic backgrounds to propose youth cooperation initiatives that will be supported through the project Transforming Conflicting Perceptions through Increased Civic and Community Engagement in Kosovo and implemented by student/youth groups.
Within the framework of the project, and after the production of the Index of Ethnic Stereotypes in Kosovo (a consolidated record of documented stereotypical characteristics that influence ethnic relations in Kosovo) and The introduction of mutual language learning in Kosovo: A tentative Roadmap (paper addresses the issue of the language gap existing between Kosovo Albanians and Kosovo Serbs), students will be offered the opportunity to propose and implement activities based on the problems identified by the studies.
Students are invited to propose grass-root youth cooperation initiative that will be supported through this project and implemented by student/youth and members of the Kosovo Coalition for Reconciliation (KCR).
The best initiative will be selected and supported with a grant of up to 5,000 EUR. This initiative will be implemented by KCR in close cooperation with student/youth groups. Under this call one (1) initiative will be supported.
The types of activities that may be supported by this call are as follows:
The following types of activities will not be supported:
Application Procedure
All initiative proposals should include:
1) A description of the applicant(s) (one or more), including basic background information (CVs of all applicants), a short motivation letter and a copy of Kosovo ID;
2) An outline of the project, including:
3) A brief (two to three sentences) overview of the estimated expenses that will be incurred by the activities.)
Please fill in the application form attached to this call.
The KCR will support and implement a limited number of initiatives (1) that may last up to two (3) months in duration and that will have a maximum budget of 5,000 Euros.
The deadline for the submission of project proposals is 15.03.2022.
Applications should be submitted to:
You can get receive information via email igor.markovic@ngoaktiv.org or by calling +38349614908 and + 381642585592.
11.02.2022 –14.02.2022
Many young people from different communities living in Kosovo responded to
the call for training, but only 16 of them were selected to participate and
receive basic theatrical techniques lessons in the culturally diverse city of
Prizren.
Education on theater and human rights, acting, relaxing games, discussions,
physical exercises, improvisation, and many other activities completed the 4
(four) days of training. Walks and companionship between them, even after
training were an integral part of these days. Forum Theater, as a special form
of theater, aroused interest among the participants, because they realized that
this is the best way to raise awareness and address issues of social
importance.
“When I speak, now I will look at the other person as a public, so that
I can be understood more easily.”
“I would have changed the duration because this is a small
companionship but the beginning of a great friendship between us.”
“I liked the tolerance and understanding for each other, the peaceful
space we created, the opportunity to be yourself and express the emotions you
did not know you had through different characters.”
“I have learned above all what a theater forum is, many acting skills,
that it is not necessary to speak to say something.”
These were some of the impressions and evaluations from the participants of
the training.
Meanwhile, the participant Fatmir Menekshe says: “Forum Theater Program
Training ‘was one of the trainings that I applied with great pleasure and I
attended with great passion. Apart from learning new things about acting,
theater and forum theater, I socialized with young people who were enthusiastic
about art.”
This activity is supported by the European Union in Kosovo through the
project “Transformation of Conflict Perceptions through Increased Civic
and Community Engagement in Kosovo” implemented by Artpolis and the NGO
AKTIV as members of the Kosovo Coalition for Reconciliation (KCR).
NOTE: This activity was conducted in accordance with the “Manual
for protection against the spread of COVID-19 virus” published by the
Ministry of Health, as well as the “Draft Law on Prevention and Combating
the COVID-19 pandemic”.
#artpolis #kcr #aktiv #eu #thbe
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