http://dwp-kosovo.info/ en felber@forumzfd.de Copyright 2012 2012-02-07T15:00:15+00:00 http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/playgrounds_between_facts_and_fiction._international_theatre_workshop/ http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/playgrounds_between_facts_and_fiction._international_theatre_workshop/ International Theatre conference PLAYgrounds between facts and fiction: New plays and theatre forms, will take place between 16th - 19th of June 2011 in Pristina, Kosovo. Theatre currently plays an import role in finding new ways of aesthetical presentation and new possibilities of perception for the audience. Especially the documentary theatre has been rediscovered and developed further by different theatre makers, working at the border between theater and reality. The recent events on the Balkans is full of history, memories, broken biographies, that has a wide impact on the theatrical work of contemporary directors and playwrights. Since 1990 they are not only confronted with new languages, new social realities, new nations, but also with mechanism of forgetting or eliminating history on one hand and with the re-writing of historical narratives and national myths on the other hand. The stage becomes a medium to find new artistic ways of expressing and dealing with these challenges. The first day of the conference is focused on the Balkan region, presenting different plays and projects dealing with the changes, transformations and sometimes traumatic experiences of the breaking apart of Yugoslavia and its social, economical and cultural aftereffects. The second day concentrates on different forms of documentary theatre from all over the world, on the role of historical and social reality in drama, but also in literature and visual arts. Besides the panel discussion and presentation of specific projects the conference will be accompanied by stage readings. The main focus of the conference is to present new plays from the Balkan, to discuss about them, but also to bring together theatre makers and experts from different countries to reflect on the function of theatre, on new ways of artistic expression and possible playgrounds for them. 2012-02-07T15:00:15+00:00 http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/new_politics_of_solidarity_through_cultural_and_knowledge_production/ http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/new_politics_of_solidarity_through_cultural_and_knowledge_production/ A collaborative program between Qendra Multimedia (Prishtina), CZKD (Belgrade) and Center "Grad" (Tuzla) Twenty years after the collapse of Yugoslavia, the political class of the newborn states has continued to promote social values inherent to the violent nationalistic ideology. This code of oppression has marginalized the influence of individuals and groups who believe in culture of otherness and are committed to values of equality and solidarity. One of many ways in counteracting this ideology of isolation and hostilities would be to reaffirm the above values that could be tracked back to the libertarian tradition of the shared past. To deal with the past is very delicate endeavor today. One of the reasons is the abuse of the painful past for political purposes. Those born in the eighties and the nineties of the last century, as well as the very young one have been taught to see neighbors as enemies, other cultures as a threat to their own identity. The matter is how to create new codes that would open their minds and feelings; raise their interest for the shared cultural heritage and modernization that occurred in time of Yugoslavia; strengthen their ability to tackle with challenges of transition to democracy and global market economy. Young people and their parents have a right to know in order to be able to choose and take responsibility for their life of today and in the future. People in Belgrade or Tuzla have rare or no opportunity to hear intellectuals or artists from Prishtina talking and performing on issues that concern shared past and today’s day life. Young people in the Balkans deserve to learn more about each other and to work together to create a broader cultural space for their books, exhibitions and performances. Artists, cultural workers, educators and activists are hostages of nationalistic codes and information. The endeavor is to give rise to ideas and institutions based on solidarity and differences without negations. The Project is framed by three topics: 1. Affirming the anti-fascist struggle and modernism from WWII to date: towards new spaces of equality and solidarity; 2. The memory of unity and brotherhood through oral history: towards artistic imaginaries of new solidarity; 3. Continuities and discontinuities of solidarity reflected by artists: forms of solidarity embedded in social ownership, annihilated by violent transition and re-examined under corporate rules. 2012-02-07T14:53:48+00:00 http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/view_from_my_window/ http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/view_from_my_window/ Qendra Multimedia and the partner organisation AAC Kulturanova from Serbia are working together on a program entitled “View from my Window”, which deals with the history of Serbia and Kosovo. Part of the program will be a theatre play that will aim to introduce new oral history methods in such a way where ordinary young people from Kosovo and Serbia are telling their life stories to each other: stories from the past and from the present, told from a subjective perspective. In this way, a theatre play will reflect relations between Albanians and Serbs, their differences and their similarities. Jeton Neziraj and Minja Bogavac will write the play and it will be published in Albanian, Serbian and English. The play will be performed in Kosovo, Serbia, Macedonia, Albania and in the EU countries. Besides theatre play, the outcome of the program will also be a historical website platform covering the period 1960-2009, with testimonies/interviews and two exhibitions, one in Prishtina, Kosovo and another in Novi Sad, Serbia. 2012-02-07T13:44:52+00:00 http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/networking_memories/ http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/networking_memories/ The feeling of yugo-nostalgia faces the feeling of hate among the countries of ex-Yugoslavia. This is a feeling manifested with specific melancholy when travelling to neighboring countries – whether to the seaside, mountains, to visiting relatives; or when experiencing a connection with ex Yugoslavia brands: Sarajevo burek, Peja and Skopje Beer, Bambi, Krash, Lepa Brena, Yugoslav Radio and Television Network… Generations of young people born between 1983 and 1990 have grew up listening to the stories told by their parents – how they travelled miles and miles without passports, stories about travels to Trieste to buy a suit for a prom night, or travels from Belgrade to Zagreb just to have a cup of coffee. However, the generations mentioned have never been Tito’s Pioneers, nor did they attend any of Youth Work Actions – none of them lived the story of meeting their life lover on a Youth Work Action, with whom they will spend the rest of their life. What makes young people feel so nostalgic regarding the memories and reminiscences which, in the fact, do not belong to them? This project deals with these generations – these generations are our target groups, our sources and inspiration. The project authors – the creative team, also belong to these generations and they do understand the subject personally and intimately. It is extremely important to emphasize that the project objective is to build a new and a better future by using these memories. Thus, the reason for selecting this period is neither due to its glorification, nor a wish to emphasize the opinion of a better or worse political state at the time. The reason solely lies in its symbolism that this period represents. After turbulent separation, the hate between the nations and countries prevailed. Almost fifteen years later, the hate still survives and has been grading up ever since the brake-up. Within such an atmosphere, regardless of tendency, neither cultural nor art efforts succeeded to overcome past events. Thus, this project objective is to strengthen cultural organizations’ cooperation within the region, as a major link of the mutual work of the citizens – not only within the art field, but at all other areas. The aim of the project is not to mourn over the past, or bring back some past political system, but the remembrance of common feelings and memories on a pure, human level. This is very much needed for overcoming the conflicts and achieve a reunion and tolerance, or to quote the last Green Megahertz Show, we do wish to create the atmosphere and a new space in the region “where cultural and tolerant dialog would be opened, in which even contrary stand will be taken, but without bitterness and a priori judgment”. What do we want to achieve? Results of the project include interactive production of a theatrical play on “borrowed memories” about Yugoslavia by youth in Kosovo, Bosnia and Serbia. This is accompanied by a memory museum, a feature-length documentary film, a methodology companion and a proactive web community. The memory museum The memory museum will be a gallery type exhibition and its goal is to give a ‘museum value’ to the intimate memories of common citizens, in the form of an artistic installation in an exhibition space. The spaces and the terms of the gallery will be designed with the goal to make the memory museum become a part of the city life and a public event. More precisely, the opening of the exhibition will be held in the form of a public event, and its long-term duration in one of the exhibition spaces of the town, will make it a part of the city cultural life. “The citizens will bring all the objects, tastes, flavors, sounds packed in a baggage, a box, a purse, a hat… – something that will, together with the content, represent to them a home, belonging, identity”. The Theatre Play On daily bases, the play writer implements the discussion sessions with a group of young citizens, those born between 1983 and 1990. As mentioned before, they are our sources. Their memories will be the base to play writer text for the plays. The actors casting follows, at which, the actors from the last two years of studies will be invited. Two objectives are achieved by this – actors are also belonging to the generation mentioned and a chance will be given to young actors for their first professional involvement. Borrowed memories – a methodological guide The third activity will be the creation of ‘Borrowed memories – a methodological guide’ that summarizes the method used in the light of the experience, the lessons learnt and the practical capacities acquired. The ‘guide’ will be written by the three young professionals that have followed the implementation of the plays and of the memory museums with the help of the activity directors and of the staff of the organizations.This guide will be a capital of knowledge for the network and a way to spread best practices in the region. Documentary movie The fifth activity will be the shooting of a professional documentary on the project. The documentary director will follow the implementation of the whole project and work ‘shoulder to shoulder‘ with the team of professionals. The documentary will be projected in each country and also other cultural organizations will be invited to the projections. The documentary will have the double purpose of spreading information about the activities realized and the results achieved and to create, trough the events organized for the projections, a meeting point for other cultural organizations and for possible new members of the network. The Documentary film will be named Borrowed memories and, as an additional activity of this project has the main goal to tell the story on Yugo-nostalgia using the language of film. The source of the material for the play and the memory museum within this project shall be the experience of young citizens, participants of the workshops held in each country. This source can be significantly expanded by using the characteristics of film as a medium. Film camera shall explore the exteriors of the city where the project is currently being conducted. In that way, the city itself – not only its citizens – becomes the source: its architecture, infrastructure and the past visible and perceivable in the streets generally. In parallel, the camera becomes an extra participant of the workshops, acting interactively with the others. 2012-02-07T13:35:02+00:00 http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/street_poetry_art_deconstructing_memories_and_identities1/ http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/street_poetry_art_deconstructing_memories_and_identities1/ From 10 to 14 December 2010, forumZFD organized the workshop “Street Poetry Art: Memories and Identities” in Gracanica. The workshop gathered young Serbian poets and artists to explore Street Poetry Art along the topic of memories and identities. The aim was to deconstruct memory discourses in Kosovo, to challenge them by the means of street art and to install the art works in public spaces. The workshop was led by Ivan Tresoldi, street poetry artist from Milano, Italy. The workshop was part of forumZFD’s project line to include the Serbian minority into dealing with the past in Kosovo. For more information, contact: Jane Felber, felber@forumzfd.de Watch more here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHaRazDysw0 2011-01-25T12:59:22+00:00 http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/kosovo_roma_oral_histories_project/ http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/kosovo_roma_oral_histories_project/ "This project was implemented between January and July of 2003 in several Kosovar Roma communities. It started long before that. In November of 2001, we conducted a random interview in Gracanica to see what it would yield. We picked the mother of the middle-aged blacksmith next door, who we’d paid to weld iron bars over our windows. His mother, on sunny days, would slowly walk outside her small, well-kept home, to sit in the sun. She brought a small stool with her and placed it on the edge of the dirt road that ran up to the unused railroad tracks and the Serb homes beyond. On every sunny day I exchanged greetings with her on the way to or from work. Adem Osmani interviewed her. She was almost 90 years old- she was sharp and lucid, she cracked jokes and occasionally she smoked a cigarette. She revealed to us a world none of us knew about; the woman spoke of growing up in Pristina’s Moravska Mahalla in the 1920s, when the Serbs were rare and the Turks were still the elite of the town. She spoke of the smells, the languages, the Turkish markets, the politics, and her best friend who she played with despite the fact that they shared no common language. She learned Turkish in order to better play dolls with her. She talked about Italian officers and the German occupation forces; she spoke of Roma traditions that we’d never seen or heard of- not even from the Roma we knew around Gracanica. She was not the inspiration for this project; she was confirmation that it was worthwhile. (...)" 2010-08-19T10:12:28+00:00 http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/places_of_memory_-_memory_of_places/ http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/places_of_memory_-_memory_of_places/ Places of memory – Memory of Places – invited young people from Usti nad Labem (Czech Republic), Kosovo and Germany to take part in an exchange and art project on dealing with the past. From 7 to 14 May the group went together to Usti nad Labem and Terezin in the Czech Republic and Dresden in Germany. Afterwards they continued their explorations in Prishtina. During these 13 days they dealt intensively with the topic of remembering the past in the three countries Kosovo, Germany and the Czech Republic. The project took place in places that have experienced several tyrannies and violent clashes. In this three countries the group visited monuments and discussed with historians and artists who work on the topic. In Kosovo they were exploring on forms of institutionalized memory. What complicates and prevents to deal with the past and to memory the war? Discussions with representatives from politics, civil society and with victims were held, about what forms of public remembrance, they favour. Partners: Collegium Bohemicum (CZ), Technische Universität Dresden 2010-02-05T08:52:34+00:00 http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/the_history_of_kosovo_of_the_1960s_and_1970s/ http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/the_history_of_kosovo_of_the_1960s_and_1970s/ The website “The history of Kosovo of the 1960s and 1970s” has been created by Qendra Multimedia, Prishtina. It was developed in the frame of the project “Kosovar history laboratory”, which took place from March until July 2009. www.kosovarhistory.com presents the history of the 1960s and 1970s in Kosovo in a new way. It presents it through short videos in which Kosovars tell about how they have experienced these two decades. The contemporary witnesses, who have been interviewed, tell about their family life at that time, their education, the working conditions, the process of modernization, about living together with other ethnic groups and important political events. The project started with a training for students in the method of Oral History. Subsequently a selected group of students conducted a total of twelve interviews with Albanians, Roma and Turks in different places in Kosovo. The aim of the website is to create a more vivid and personal access to history in Kosovo and to give new insights to the history of this place. 2010-02-05T08:46:13+00:00 http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/youth_forum_theatre_and_dealing_with_the_past_in_kosovo/ http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/youth_forum_theatre_and_dealing_with_the_past_in_kosovo/ This project takes the forum theatre approach to introduce the topic of dealing with the past (dwp) to youth as well as to open public discussions amongst youth on these topics. The project will include trainings and workshops on dwp, memory work and the forum theatre approach for 20 young artists (from Artpolis and Ghetto Theatre). Based on these discussions, the young artists will write a play on dwp together with a professional scriptwriter. Artpolis will perform the play in 3 municipalities (mainly Albanian), and Ghetto Theatre in 3 municipalities (mainly Serbian) around Kosovo. After each performance, discussions will be opened for the youth audience on issues expressed in the play. 2010-01-13T10:55:34+00:00 http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/transitional_justice_in_kosovo_discussion_paper/ http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/transitional_justice_in_kosovo_discussion_paper/ On 2 July 2009, KIPRED presented the discussion paper "Transitional Justice in Kosovo", the aim of which is opening of the debate on this issue in Kosovo. The introductions in the conference were held by Mr. Hashim Thaci, the Prime Minister of Repulic of Kosovo, Ambassador Knut Vollebæk, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, Mr. Alberto Perduca, Head of Justice EULEX and by Mr. Lulzim Peci, KIPRED's Executive Director. The paper was prezented by Mr. Ilir Deda, KIPRED's Reserach Director. 1. Introduction 2. Transitional justice – the concept and its main mechanisms a) Criminal prosecutions for international crimes b) Truth commissions e) Remembrance and memorialization f) Regional experiences 3. Background on the Kosovo conflict 4. Transitional justice in Kosovo 4.1. Main stakeholders and policies 4.1.1. International Stakeholders 4.1.2. Local Stakeholders 4.2. Main documents 4.3. Mechanisms for dealing with injustices and abusers 5. Conclusions and Recommendations 2010-01-08T08:54:27+00:00 http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/recom/ http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/recom/ In the post-Yugoslav societies war crimes committed by the other side in the conflict are often talked about, even more often exaggerated, while the authorities continue to relativize, minimize, or justify the crimes committed against opposing sides in the conflict. Identification and solidarity with members of the same community accused of war crimes is very strong, while members of other communities suspected of committing war crimes are accused arbitrarily. Victims are being forgotten and the public only hears about them during state sponsored ceremonies. The fate of 16,252 missing persons is still unclear and a number of gravesites are still undisclosed. There is no political interest to establish the facts about the events of the past, and the much-needed pressure of the free-thinking public is still missing. The Initiative to create RECOM is a civil-society-driven process for the creation of an interstate and independent commission mandated to investigate and publicly disclose the facts about war crimes and other serious human rights abuses in the past committed on the territory of the former Yugoslavia, including the truth about the missing. So far, 487 members joined the Coalition, the Humanitarian Law Center is one of the initiators. 2010-01-06T13:25:31+00:00 http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/recom_consultations/ http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/recom_consultations/ HLC Kosovo is coordinating consultations for the RECOM idea which are organised by several organisations. Background: - In the post-Yugoslav societies war crimes committed by the other side in the conflict are often talked about, even more often exaggerated, while the authorities continue to relativize, minimize, or justify the crimes committed against opposing sides in the conflict. - Identification and solidarity with members of the same community accused of war crimes is very strong, while members of other communities suspected of committing war crimes are accused arbitrarily. - Victims are being forgotten and the public only hears about them during state sponsored ceremonies. - The fate of 16,252 missing persons is still unclear and a number of gravesites are still undisclosed. - There is no political interest to establish the facts about the events of the past, and the much-needed pressure of the free-thinking public is still missing. ()(www.korekom.org) 2009-12-24T15:13:08+00:00 http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/restauration_of_hadum_mosque_in_gjakova/ http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/restauration_of_hadum_mosque_in_gjakova/ CHwB works to preserve cultural monuments endangered in various ways. Working with cultural heritage can help vulnerable groups recover their sense of dignity and empowerment, which in turn can increase the possibilities for reconciliation and fight against poverty. ChwB Kosovo has been working on the restauration of mosques, churches, hamams, private buildings and on municipals development plans. The restauration of Hadum Mosque in Gjakova, which was heavily destroyed in the 1999 war, is one example (in cooperation with te Islamic society of Gjakova and UNESCO) . 2009-12-23T09:42:33+00:00 http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/memory_project/ http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/memory_project/ The Memory Project is a psychosocial project which operates under Office on Missing Persons and Forensics - OMPF. The Memory Project it is an effort to commemorate missing persons in a permanent and non-politicized way, and always tries to follow the line which will show that all ethnic groups in Kosovo have undergone similar experiences of loss. The project itself encompasses several proposed initiatives which have been realized in several phases of the Memory Project. The initial phase included the "Theatre Initiative" and "Forum Theatre". The Memory Project incorporates its main initiative "Oral History Interviews", the main objective of this initiative was to create a resource centre - the archive with a library of video testimonies of family members of missing persons. This oral history initiative gave the unique chance or the opportunity to the family members of missing persons to talk and tell their personal experiences, individual experiences and or of their community or region where they came from. www.ks-gov.net, email: fatmire.shala@ks-gov.net, fshala81@gmail.com 2009-12-17T17:59:33+00:00 http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/ulpiana_archaeological_youth_camps/ http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/ulpiana_archaeological_youth_camps/ In Ulpiana, every summer, young Serbs, Roma and Albanians are learning about their common historical roots, digging for cultural artefacts at a multi-ethnic camp. The participants also learn archeological techniques and visit many heritage sites. More information: Kemajli Luci, kemaluci@gmail.com 2009-12-17T01:12:07+00:00 http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/conference_transitional_justice/ http://dwp-kosovo.info/en/PROJECTS/conference_transitional_justice/ On Tuesday 27 May the Kosovo Institute of Journalism & Communication in close cooperation with OSCE organized the follow-up glocal seminar on Transitional justice followed by panel and audience discussions. The keynote addresses were delivered by Mr. Hashim Thaçi, Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, and Ambassador Knut Vollebæk, High Commissioner on National Minorities of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE, The Hague). Kosovo premiere of the documentary RULE OF LAW- Justice in Kosovo was also screened followed by a panel discussion with Susanne Brandstaetter, director, Momčilo Arlov – Programme Coordinator / Centre for Civil Society and Albin Kurti, Self-deter mination movement. In Rule of Law, Susanne Brandstätter accompanies Claudia Fenz, an international UN judge appointed to Kosovo, into a local courtroom, where she has to get to the bottom of what happened in a brutal case: six Kosovo-Albanian men are accused of stoning a Serb man and his elderly mother to death. 2009-12-15T19:50:30+00:00