Kosovo map

Kosovo map

Kosovo in Balkans

Kosovo in Balkans

Presentation:

WHY THIS BLOG ? The population of Kosovo is mainly made up people of less than 30 years (with an average age of 28 years), thus the question of youth is central. Unfortunately, Youth of Kosovo doesn't have a lot of opportunities to travel around Europe, and thus young people are quite isolated. There is a lack of information about this Youth. It is thus a question of breaking the insulation of the young people of Kosovo with Europe and vice versa. How are the young people of today located? Which place do they occupy in Kosovo and how do they project themselves? What kinds of interests they have? What kind of problems they are confronted to? Which plans for the future for the young people? Which advisabilities of partnerships in Kosovo are there?

GENERAL INFORMATION: Kosovo is a territory in becoming and in rebuilding, the phase of transition which it crosses in an after-war context, has fundamental consequences on youth. Around 70 % of the 15-24 years’ people are touched by unemployment (the general unemployment rate is 47%). But youth, thanks to its importance demographic but also to its commitment in voluntary work , represents a dynamics for Kosovo.

Service Volontaire Européen au Kosovo


«La jeunesse, c’est le facteur-clé de l’intégration européenne»

Partir à l’étranger en Service Volontaire Européen était un souhait profond depuis longtemps. Je me reconnais dans ses valeurs : démocratie, interculturalisme, développement, engagement, citoyenneté européenne. Pourquoi dans les Balkans ? Parce que c'est une région qui sort de la guerre et qui se reconstruit. Elle fait partie de l’Europe, mais on l'a connait peu. Le Kosovo est devenu pour moi une évidence majeure car c'est un territoire en devenir où il y a beaucoup à faire.[1]

Passé le long chemin pour trouver une structure d’accueil dans les Balkans (manque de visibilité du tissu associatif et d'information sur la jeunesse), le contact avec l’Agence de la Démocratie Locale du Kosovo (ADL) basée à Gjilan/Gnjilane, a été établi par le biais du Salto Youth SEE[2]. L’ADL est notamment le « point info contact » du Programme Jeunesse en Action au Kosovo. Ses actions permettent de développer la démocratie locale et la société civile en travaillant sur le terrain.
Ce projet de SVE est centré sur la jeunesse, qui n’est pas la grande priorité des leaders politiques actuellement, mais qui est pourtant une question primordiale. Le Kosovo c’est 2 millions d’habitants (majorité Albanaise, minorités Serbes, Roms, Ashkali, Égyptiens, Gorani, Turcs), où 50% de la population est au chômage, et où 60% de la population a moins de 30 ans. C'est un potentiel dynamique majeur, et les jeunes restent optimistes malgré le peu de perspectives d’avenir. Pour mieux informer l'Europe sur la jeunesse et la culture du Kosovo, je réalise des reportages écrits et photographiques sur la vie associative et culturelle locale, destinés notamment aux jeunes et aux associations européennes souhaitant développer des partenariats avec le Kosovo. Par ailleurs je participe a la mise en place d'activités culturelles francophones dans les lycées. En étant intégrée à la communauté locale, j’apprends beaucoup. L’échange entre les cultures, entre les gens, je le vis au quotidien. C'est une expérience humaine forte. Et je ressens chaque jour le sentiment d’appartenir à l’Europe, souvent bien plus qu’en France..!
A travers ce volontariat, je peux aussi m’épanouir dans mon domaine de prédilection, l’image et la culture plus généralement, puisque j'ai une licence d’audiovisuel et que je suis passionnée par la photo.
Ce SVE m'a permis de réfléchir à mon avenir : l’année prochaine je tente un Master de Politique et gestion de la culture en Europe.

Bonne lecture à tous!


Clara, 22 ans, SVE au Kosovo nov.2006/sept.2007

Pour contacter l’Agence de la Démocratie Locale du Kosovo :
Rruga Madelin Olbrijt 23
60010 Gjilan/Gnjilane
Kosovo – UNMIK
Tel/Fax: +381 (0) 280 255 39
E-mail : centre_gjilan@yahoo.fr




[1] La guerre au Kosovo a eu lieu entre fin 1998 et juin 1999; jusqu'à présent le Kosovo est administré par la MINUK (United Nations Mission in Kosovo). Les négociations sur le statut sont en cours.
[2] Salto Youth South East Europe, Resources Centre : www.salto-youth.net/see

vendredi 20 avril 2007

Cinema in Kosovo : DOKUFEST

DOKUFEST, the International Documentary and Short Film Festival
Prizren, KOSOVO.


A KEY CULTURAL EVENT AMONG BALKAN AND INTERNATIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHIC FIELD

The DOKUFEST, the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Prizren (Kosovo), is growing more and more since the first edition which was set up in 2002. Launched by an enthusiastic group of friends, this attractive festival has created a real dynamics in Prizren, and it’s now more than 60 young involved volunteers who take part each year to the Dokufest’s organization.
Thanks to the wish, the professionalism and the constant commitment of the organizers, Dokufest is now positioned in the international festival agenda. The festival proposes an impressive regional and international screened programme. In 5 years, this successful annual event has become a festival that must not be missed!

HOW DID EVERYTHING START?

At the beginning it was the wish of friends, which are “film’s lovers” to use the Prizren’s Open Air Cinema, which wasn’t used at all. The idea of a festival of cinema was born and in 2002 there dream came true. And it’s now film makers from around the world that meet in Prizren every summer!
The documentary film was for the organizers “the answer to a need: to allow other films as Hollywood movies to be seen by people who haven’t the opportunity to see other kind of films, as documentary and short films”, explains Eroll Shporta, coordinator of the Dokufest. The deeply wish of the board is to bring people cinematographic experiences, that some of them are not used to with.

The festival aims first of all to encourage and to raise production and promotion of films of Kosovo and of the Balkans. Dokufest gives opportunity to discover Balkan cinematographic production and to give it more visibility.

However, if the 1st edition was mostly a regional festival, with films from Kosovo, from Bosnia and from Albania, it is now an international one. Indeed the festival is growing more and more thanks to its professionalism and its quality and is considered as a key festival.

AN INTERNATIONAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The edition 2006 has been very attractive and successful! Mr. Jean Pierre Rehm (Director of the prestigious International Documentary Film Festival-FID of Marseille/France) headed the Dokufest’s International Documentary Jury, that witnesses to an international acknowledgment.
It’s more than 350 films from 48 countries that have been sent to the Dokufest. And 91 films from around 40 countries have been screened during the week.
(To know the programme and awards of past editions, http://dokufest.com/2006/)

But Dokufest’s international dimension is not only a question of screening films from all over the world in Kosovo, it’s also a question of presenting to the world Balkan Films.
Thus the edition 2006 has launched a regional competition through the Best Balkan Documentary, “to allow regional films to show international people what’s going on for the Balkan cinematographic field”. This award aims presentation and affirmation of documentary films from the Balkan region, which recently mark successes internationally.
And what is quite certain is that through the Dokufest, regional and international exchanges happen.


“TO GROW UP YEAR AFTER YEAR”

The constant commitment to turn the Dokufest into a place of share, of exchanges, and of encounter result in the implementation of new activities, like workshops between films professionals (as Jean-Pierre Rehm and Christine Kopf – she is the goEast Film Festival Director since 2004 -) and young kosovar artists filmmakers or young students. For next editions, they want to go further through the implementation of workshops between students from Kosovo and from Germany in Prizren during the festival.
Other parallel activities take place under the frame of Dokufest Festival as Dokuphoto, with international artists who present photo’s exhibitions in the Hamam of Prizren.

The Festival is born thanks to the strong motivation of the board’s members but also thanks to sponsors’ financial support (OSCE, Government Liaison Offices in Prishtina, Bank, etc.). Even if Eroll Shporta underlines that “When you want, you can, and now that we have established this great event which is successful, we won’t give up!”, he obviously recognizes that the festival needs more financial support; it’s only since last year that the Ministry of Culture and the Municipality of Prizren have supported the Dokufest.
For the good unfolding of the Dokufest, it should be essential that they will get continuous support of those institutions, because this festival attracts films and people not only from Kosovo and the Balkans, but also from around the world.


“ALL THE TOWN LIVES AT THE RHYTHM OF THE DOKUFEST”

The Dokufest it’s not only films, guest and visitors but it’s also more than 60 enthusiastic volunteers that work during the festival and add to the dynamic and friendly atmosphere of Dokufest.
With the Dokufest, “it’s all the town who lives the festival”, says Eroll Shporta. Different places of Prizren welcome the festival (Open air cinema, The Culture House, the Hamam..). You can’t miss in the streets posters, flags, young volunteers with T-Shirts of Dokufest, artists, visitors. And moreover, the charm of Prizren (“the most beautiful city of Kosovo” as people says) adds to this lively atmosphere.


It’s now time to open your agenda and to note that Dokufest it is one week during August in the nice town of Prizren.
In Albanian, Doku it’s not only the shortcut for Documentary but it also means “Come”! So answer to the invitation, you will enjoy it!


For more information about DOKUFEST, please contact:

Festivali Ndërkombëtar i Filmit Dokumentar dhe të Shkurtë – DOKUFEST –
International Documentary and Short Film Festival
Rr. Mimar Sinan nr.12 , Prizren, 10000, Kosovo,
info@dokufest.com, www.dokufest.com ,
Tel: +38129633718

Veton Nurkallari / programme director
veton@dokufest.com

Eroll Shporta / coordinator
eroll@dokufest.com


Focus on…Eroll Shpotra
(add one photo of him)

1. What do you think about Youth of Kosovo?“Young people of Kosovo.. You know I am working also with drug users and I see that Youth is more involved in these drugs than before the war. They do it because they’ve nothing to do. It’s bad situation but it’s the reality.”

2.What are you expecting for Kosovo today?“We hope that we will get what we deserve,
we should have our own state.”

3.What are you excepting for you as change?“I hope we will have Job, so that we can survive.
I am unemployment, I have 2 kids, my wife is a teacher and gets 180 euros/month.
So you can imagine.. you can’t know, but you can imagine, and I hope you will never know…
OK something else?”


4.What do you think about Europe?“ I hope we will be integrated to UE , and I hope we won’t remain
here like an isolated island, you know, in the middle of Europe but not in Europe.
But I hope to have good things from UE, not bad things that democracy can bring
like drugs that young people use more than before in Kosovo.. “

5.What do you think about the Culture in Kosovo? About Cultural Projects?“ It’s not that nothing happens, in my opinion it’s that wrong activities are supported by the Ministry of Culture, as those many competitions of “ Miss Kosova”, it’s too much..
But it’s also easy to say for an artist or a cultural project “I don’t have money, I can’t do anything”, you should fight for what you want”


6.What is the 1st thing you do when you wake up in the morning?“ I deal with home works, I take care of my 2 kids, there are 4 and 6 years old.
This is my routine.”

7.How do you imagine yourself in 10 years?“ I can’t project myself in 10 years. I live today for tomorrow.
I think about “ Can I pay my rent, can I buy things for my kids?”
I am living from today to tomorrow.”

Publié par key à 10:59 1 commentaires

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