Monthly Archives: August 2013

Apply: Diaspora Winter Camp 2013

The Ministry of Diaspora is aligning with multiple countries to organize a winter camp for students of the Kosovo diaspora. From the 23-29th of December 2013, Albanian students from abroad will have the opportunity to meet other students of the diaspora, as well as expand their knowledge of their home country.

During the camp, students will learn about the Albanian language, as well as literature, history, geography, art, music, visual art, youth activities, and engage in cultural and professional courses. In their off time, students will be invited to take ski lessons.

Students aged 13-17 years are invited to attend the Diaspora Winter Camp.

The Application Deadline is November 1, 2013.

To participate or gain more information, please contact:

E-mail: Shqipe.Shasivari @ rks-gov.net

No.. phone: +381 38 200 17 012

The original article was posted at the Kosovo Ministry of Diaspora website. To read the original article follow this link

Majlinda Kelmendi: Kosovo’s First Judo World Title

“It is a chance to prove to the world that Kosovo has got talent, too” said Majlinda Kelmendi for a BBC interview few months ago. Today, she proved the world that Kosovo athletes deserve a chance in the international arena, giving her newborn county Kosovo the first judo world title ever. Now she stands first in the international rakings by the International Judo Federation in the -52 kg category.

Majlinda Kelmendi is a 22 -year-old judoka from the city of Peja in Kosovo. Coached by Driton Kuka she started practicing judo back in her hometown in 1999 and today is a world famous judoka winning the World Cup at the category 52kg in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Kelmendi won the gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro World Cup after she defeated Brazil’s Erika Miranda in front of her home country public, shaping the image of Kosovo athletes and making history for her country. Majlinda is a role model of future Kosovo athlete and forever changed the image of Kosovo athletes.

”In defeating Miranda, Kelmendi defended her title from last year and ensured that Kosovo’s national anthem would be hear by judo fans worldwide for the first time as she stood at the top of the podium.  It’s good to know when you fight and everybody knows you are from Kosovo, everybody knows your country. I feel great and I am so happy says Majlinda Kelmendi during this video.”

Some of her previous awards are:

Gold medal at the 2009 World Junior Championships in Paris, France

5th place at the 2010 World Junior Championships in Morocco

9th place at the 2010 World Judo Championships in Tokyo, Japan

Gold medal at the 2012 Abu Dhabi World Judo Grand Prix   in United Arab Emirates

Here is the video of the Judo World Cup 2013 in Rio de Janeiro were Majrlinda Kelmendi defeated Brazil’s Erika Miranda and won the first Gold medal for Kosovo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xts5yrfP66w

Majlinda Kelmendi: Kosovo’s First Judo World Title

“It is a chance to prove to the world that Kosovo has got talent, too” said Majlinda Kelmendi for a BBC interview few months ago. Today, she proved the world that Kosovo athletes deserve a chance in the international arena, giving her newborn county Kosovo the first judo world title ever. Now she stands first in the international rakings by the International Judo Federation in the -52 kg category.

Majlinda Kelmendi is a 22 -year-old judoka from the city of Peja in Kosovo. Coached by Driton Kuka she started practicing judo back in her hometown in 1999 and today is a world famous judoka winning the World Cup at the category 52kg in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Kelmendi won the gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro World Cup after she defeated Brazil’s Erika Miranda in front of her home country public, shaping the image of Kosovo athletes and making history for her country. Majlinda is a role model of future Kosovo athlete and forever changed the image of Kosovo athletes.

”In defeating Miranda, Kelmendi defended her title from last year and ensured that Kosovo’s national anthem would be hear by judo fans worldwide for the first time as she stood at the top of the podium.  It’s good to know when you fight and everybody knows you are from Kosovo, everybody knows your country. I feel great and I am so happy says Majlinda Kelmendi during this video.”

Some of her previous awards are:

Gold medal at the 2009 World Junior Championships in Paris, France

5th place at the 2010 World Junior Championships in Morocco

9th place at the 2010 World Judo Championships in Tokyo, Japan

Gold medal at the 2012 Abu Dhabi World Judo Grand Prix   in United Arab Emirates.

Edlina Aslan Makes it to the Final of the “Elite Model Look”

Fifteen-year-old Edlina Aslan is already beginning to experience the taste of success on her tongue, as she wows the elite fashion model world. 

Currently, Aslan is one of twelve finalists that will compete for the Elite Model Look competition, held in Zurich. As the title indicates, the competition seeks for the most elegant and beautiful models out there. The Elite Model Look is one of the most prestigious competitions in the world, churning out famous names such as Cindy Crawford and Gisele Bundchen in its thirty-year running.

Aslan lives with her parents in Wohlen, Switzerland, where people in her town are beginning to notice her rising fame. She has been featured in a few national magazines, such as Schweizer Illustrierte and Sonntagsblick and local newspaper Wohlen Anzeiger wrote “starts to look like a dream come true” regarding her success. The Kosovo-descendent model is both tall (1.78m) and beautiful, and she recently decided to try her luck on the catwalk. Her first runway show was this past March in Lucerne, at her audition for Elite Model Look. The jury saw talent in her and pushed her through to the next round.

The original article was posted at the KOHAnet webpage. Click here to read the original article.

Edlina Aslan Makes it to the Final of the “Elite Model Look”

Fifteen-year-old Edlina Aslan is already beginning to experience the taste of success on her tongue, as she wows the elite fashion model world. 

Currently, Aslan is one of twelve finalists that will compete for the Elite Model Look competition, held in Zurich. As the title indicates, the competition seeks for the most elegant and beautiful models out there. The Elite Model Look is one of the most prestigious competitions in the world, churning out famous names such as Cindy Crawford and Gisele Bundchen in its thirty-year running.

Her profil pic photo

Aslan lives with her parents in Wohlen, Switzerland, where people in her town are beginning to notice her rising fame. She has been featured in a few national magazines, such as Schweizer Illustrierte and Sonntagsblick and local newspaper Wohlen Anzeiger wrote “starts to look like a dream come true” regarding her success. The Kosovo-descendent model is both tall (1.78m) and beautiful, and she recently decided to try her luck on the catwalk. Her first runway show was this past March in Lucerne, at her audition for Elite Model Look. The jury saw talent in her and pushed her through to the next round.

The original article was posted at the KOHAnet webpage. Click here to read the original article

Majlinda Kelmendi: Kosovo’s First Judo World Title

“It is a chance to prove to the world that Kosovo has got talent, too” said Majlinda Kelmendi for a BBC interview few months ago. Today, she proved the world that Kosovo athletes deserve a chance in the international arena, giving her newborn county Kosovo the first judo world title ever. Now she stands first in the international rakings by the International Judo Federation in the -52 kg category.

 Majlinda Kelmendi celebrates her victory. Photo Credit: France 24

Majlinda Kelmendi celebrates her victory. Photo Credit: France 24

Majlinda Kelmendi is a 22 -year-old judoka from the city of Peja in Kosovo. Coached by Driton Kuka she started practicing judo back in her hometown in 1999 and today is a world famous judoka winning the World Cup at the category 52kg in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Kelmendi won the gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro World Cup after she defeated Brazil’s Erika Miranda in front of her home country public, shaping the image of Kosovo athletes and making history for her country. Majlinda is a role model of future Kosovo athlete and forever changed the image of Kosovo athletes.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXXdEjAGS1A?feature=player_embedded]

”In defeating Miranda, Kelmendi defended her title from last year and ensured that Kosovo’s national anthem would be hear by judo fans worldwide for the first time as she stood at the top of the podium.  It’s good to know when you fight and everybody knows you are from Kosovo, everybody knows your country. I feel great and I am so happy says Majlinda Kelmendi during this video.”

Some of her previous awards are:

Gold medal at the 2009 World Junior Championships in Paris, France

5th place at the 2010 World Junior Championships in Morocco

9th place at the 2010 World Judo Championships in Tokyo, Japan

Gold medal at the 2012 Abu Dhabi World Judo Grand Prix   in United Arab Emirates

Here is the video of the Judo World Cup 2013 in Rio de Janeiro were Majrlinda Kelmendi defeated Brazil’s Erika Miranda and won the first Gold medal for Kosovo.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xts5yrfP66w&feature=youtu.be]

First Albanian Children’s Primer in Austria

The Kosovar Diaspora in Austria has taken a serious step at promoting its culture. The creation of a standardized primer, with the help of Austrian Education Ministry, the Kosovar Diaspora now has the foundation for a stable future. With the intent of avoiding assimilation and promoting multiculturalism, the Austrian government has proved to be a key factor within the educational and cultural promotion of its diverse communities. 

“Fibel A-B-C” is sponsored by the Austrian Ministry of Education, whereas E.Weber Verlag is well known for his educational publishing in Austria. 

The start of school, children of Albanian origin in Austria will experience with the first Albanian primer in Austria, published a couple of weeks ago. It is a historical year for the learning of Albanian language within the greater cooperation between the two cultures.  Austria has been historically supportive of the learning of the Albanian language and culture.

“Fibel A-B-C” by Hazir mehmeti, has been supported by the Austrian Ministry of Education, whereas the publishing was done by E.Weber Verlag, a well known publisher of educational material. The pupils will receive the primer on a need base by their instructors and it will be given free of charge, as other educational material.

The primer is updated to the current standards and very practical for the diaspora students. At the diaspora teachers seminar held in Ulqin (Aug 2013), the primer was well accepted and complimented. Teachers were eager to have the primer for their students and have made their initial orders. The structure of the primer allows creativity for the student and encourages modern learning techniques.

Professor Dr. Musa Kraja, a pedagogue, within the pedagogy Institute of Tirana, concerning the primer, among other things said “the renaissance movement created and printed many primers. It is a rare occasion when the teacher is directly involved within the creation of a primer. This will be a part of my greater project involvement on the creation of learning material”.

The new primer will be useful at learning the basics. The rest of the material will be mainly focused at exercises. Parents could also purchase the primer if their kids are not learning the language at school.

The teachers in diaspora now have an additional tool that could ease the process of learning and teaching the  diaspora children. Compared to primers of Turkey and Croatia, this primer has pedagogic and methodological elements that fit the current educational trends.

The publishing of this primer was welcomed by the Kosovar Ministry of Education   and the Ministry of Diaspora.  Teachers in Austria, interested for the primer have already made their order for the school year 2013/14.

The original article was posted at the Albinfo webpage. Click here to read the original article.

Adem Shala: Preserving Albanian Language and Culture in the Diaspora

Adem Shala says that “now, I have been living in Germany for 19 years, and as soon as I arrived, I started working to live off of my own efforts. No matter where I go, and even if I lived a thousand years in another place, I will always be a hundred percent Albanian! However, I am and I feel as an equal in Germany, and in fact, I am an equal before the law and I obey the law strictly. I develop activities with German people and other communities. We try to keep kids out of the streets and put them under a positive influence, in order to develop a healthy society”.

Adem Shala, born in Kosovo, is a 53 year old man who teaches Albanian in eight different cities in Germany. Before we talk about his students and the project that he runs, he tells me about his life in Kosovo. As I pull the notebook out, Adem sits behind his desk and patiently waits to tell me his story.

Shala studied chemistry at the University of Prishtina. His first teaching assignment was at a High School Sllatina, Kosovo. After that, he became the principal of the school. He also served as an adviser to the  fire protection unit for civilians in the town. In 1990/91 Shala had to forcibly leave his profession due to the escalation of the situation in Kosovo. He was among the first few people in Prishtina to organize political activities for Kosovo’s Civil Resistance movement under the leadership of the late president, Ibrahim Rugova.

Shortly after he settled in Germany as an asylum seeker, Shala became involved with the Kosovo Albanian community in the country. In 1999, he started teaching Albanian lessons in order to promote and preserve the language and identity of Albanians in Germany. The children that he has taught are from the fifth to tenth grade. Adem Shala adds that “Besides teaching, I have run many other projects as well.  For instance, I have organized many cultural activities such as dancing and singing groups. With those groups we took part in festivals in Berlin, Munich and other major cities in Germany.” Shala continues to explain, that he and his groups also took part in cultural events together with groups from Turkey, Greece and Russia. They also traveled to Kosovo and visited different schools there. Students from Kosovo visited the Diaspora and schools in Germany. “My students also have been very successful in quiz competitions. Last year and this year, the Ministry of Diaspora organized a quiz at the national television RTK. Our group represented Germany and won the first prize!,” Shala reports proudly.

The most recent project that he realized is the Greek-Albanian project. They met with the Greek Diaspora members in Germany and presented each others’ ancestries. “The Greek Diaspora presented their country to the Kosovo-Albanian Diaspora. We presented the geographical location, traditional costumes, traditional dishes, popular personalities,  favorite songs, the school system, art, touristic places and many other things”. Shala continues to say that, ”this project was a real success. We plan to do it again with other countries: with Italy, Spain and Portugal for instance.”

The next question I posed was about what motivates him to teach. Shala explains that, “the goal of [his] job is to help the kids preserve their language, culture and national traditions. But it is equally important to teach them about the importance of integrating into the places they live”. The next thing I am interested in knowing  is his opinion about the role of the Kosovo diaspora in the national issues. Adem Shala replies that the role of the Diaspora is very important for Kosovo and Albania. When the government stopped providing funding in the 90s, it was the Diaspora that enabled Kosovo to continue teaching its students and education the many generations. It was the Diaspora that supported the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), which fought for liberating our country. Shala thinks that Kosovo is need of new cohorts that get educated abroad: “Kosovo needs experts that contribute to Kosovo’s economic development, as well as in all other areas.”

Regarding his identity, Adem Shala says that “now, I have been living in Germany for 19 years, and as soon as I arrived, I started working to live off of my own efforts. No matter where I go, and even if I lived a thousand years in another place, I will always be a hundred percent Albanian! However, I am and I feel as an equal in Germany, and in fact, I am an equal before the law and I obey the law strictly. I develop activities with German people and other communities. We try to keep kids out of the streets and put them under a positive influence, in order to develop a healthy society”.

We ended the interview with a last question about his future plans. Shala says that he will continue with the activities that he has been involved until now to promote and preserve the Albanian language and culture. “This year is going to be special because Albania celebrates its 100th Independence day. We will also continue to take part in quizzes on a German and European level.”

Kosovo Young Scholar Erdoan Shipoli publishes a book on International Securitization and Kosovo

Although Kosovo is not so much represented in the world academia, young Kosovar scholars have started to fill this gap gradually. Among many others, some of which we have featured in the Kosovo Diaspora Scholars, Erdoan A. Shipoli is receiving his PhD in Political Science and International Relations at Fatih University in Istanbul, Turkey, where he also works as a teaching assistant.

Erdoan has studied for the past eight years at Fatih University, starting with his undergraduate degree. He considers it a great opportunity to study Political Science and International Relations in this decade in Turkey, during which the country has transformed itself into a regional economic and political  power with increased importanice in the world affairs.

Originally from Mitrovica, Erdoan was raised in Prishtina. After the war in Kosovo, Erdoan has been active in civil society activities in Kosovo and abroad, which he credits to have shaped his personal and academic life.

For many years in studying politics and international relations Erdoan has tried to make his modest contribution to the IR theories. He has contributed to expand the securitization theory from the domestic to the international level. His recent book International Securitization: The Case of Kosovo argues that there are different levels of securitization, and they differ from each other on many points, especially the actors involved. In this book the reader can see how this difference is seen in the international and domestic levels of securitization. For Kosovo, on the other hand, it has been written a lot, but the objectivity of most of the works published is doubtful. With an inside experience, and a good literature review, the author aims to unveil many myths on Kosovo. Although this book shows how Kosovo was securitized for the NATO intervention, it also includes explanations of many situations before the war of Kosovo in 1999, to better explain the problems in the region, which led to the war.

Erdoan thinks that by this work he has “contributed to the development of the securitization theory, but more importantly it has contributed to the literature on Kosovo, and complemented the work of many authors that previously have written on the issues of the country. His book on International Securitization is being translated into Turkish, soon to be published.

As part of his PhD research, Erdoan tries to further develop the theory of securitization by analyzing the US foreign policy and the securitization of values, religions, and ideologies. Erdoan is a young scholar joining the very few academics and world scholars further developing the theory, which dates from the 1990s.

Other issues of interest that Erdoan writes related to ethnic conflicts, terrorism, negotiations, social problems, and political philosophy. Parallel to the International Relations field, Erdoan has successfully passed the qualification for Political Philosophy, for which he feels a deep passion. Erdoan sees as extremely important to read and understand political philosophy from the classics, ancient Greek, Judeo-Christian, and Islamic political philosophy, to the modern political philosophy, in order to best address the political problems of today. For him “the problems that we have today did not come out of the blue, they are accumulated with years.”

Erdoan has worked with many distinguished scholars in Turkey and adds, “the academia is what our region and in particular Kosovo needs. We need good academics because first we have to write and tell the world about the story of Kosovo and the region  in an objective way. Secondly we have to have good academics and experts, who read the situations in the world and analyze the Balkans accordingly”

Erdoan is a firm believer that Kosovo scholars have the capacity to aid the academia. Scholars from the country have lived through conflict, transition, institution building; they understand the effects of these processes in the daily life of people but also in the realm of political science and international relations.  By thinking of global problems and their solutions, this way the scholars can address and solve the issues in Kosovo. He stresses that although small, the country can continue to give to the world new people like Mother Theresa, Sami and Naim Frasheri, Ferid Murad, and many others, who have contributed to the world in their respective fields, but also the for thir country and Albanians in general.

Erdoan is also very active in organizing summits and international conferences, through which he fulfills his passion of traveling. He is a founding member of the Istanbul Leadership Institute (ILI), the founding president of BALKANSIAD academic platform in Turkey, a member of Federation of Balkan American Associations (FEBA) in the US, and other smaller initiatives and organizations in Kosovo and Turkey.

Erdoan A. Shipoli teaches in subjects related to the International Relations Theory, Human Rights, Political Philosophy, Balkan Politics, Security Studies at Fatih University in Istanbul, Turkey. He writes op-eds in Turkish media and has presented papers in several international conferences.

Below are some of the most cited articles, op-eds, and interviews of Erdoan.
(Op-Ed) Shipoli, Erdoan A. 2012. “Why the Kurdish issue is not similar to the issue of Albanians in Kosovo”. Today’s Zaman. August 14. http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=289550

(Op-Ed) Shipoli, Erdoan. 2011. “Diplomacy between the Balkans and the MidEast”. Today’s Zaman. July 28. http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=251973

(Op-Ed) Shipoli, Erdoan A. 2012. “Kosovo* – what next?” TransConflict. March 5. http://www.transconflict.com/2012/03/kosovo-what-next-053/

(Interview) Cum (re)cucereste Turcia Balcanii. Foreign Policy magazine in Romania. April 22, 2011. http://www.adevarul.ro/international/foreign_policy/dosare_fp/recucereste-Turcia-Balcanii_0_467353262.html

(Interview) Turkey’s Role in the Balkans: Opportunities and Constraints. November 09, 2010. http://www.usak.org.tr/EN/makale.asp?id=1783

(Cover Story for Turkish Review, a semi-academic journal in Turkey) Shipoli, Erdoan A. 2012. “The Beginning of the End for National Service?” Turkish Review. Vol. 2. Issue 7. Pp. 76-81.

(Article) Shipoli, Erdoan. 2009. “Birlesmis Milletler’de Sivil Toplumun Yeri”. Dernekler Dergisi. No. 9.

(Article) Shipoli, Erdoan. 2009. “Euro as a New Force for Economic Integration? And, Perhaps, Political Integration?” Civilacademy. Vol. 7. No. 1. Pp. 89-99.

(Article) Shipoli, Erdoan A. 2009. “Is Wahhabism a Security Challenge for Kosova, or Not?” EJEPS. Vol. 2. No. 2. Pp. 85-95.

(Book) Shipoli, Erdoan A. 2010. International Securitization: the Case of Kosovo. LAP Publishing.

(Conference Paper) Shipoli, Erdoan A. 2012. “The Securitization of Kosovo in Turkey”. International Congress on Neighborhood: From War to Eternal Peace on the 100th Anniversary of the Balkan Wars: Good Neighborhood Relations in the Balkans. Istanbul, Turkey.

(Conference Paper) Shipoli, Erdoan A. 2011. “The Securitization Theory Application in Kosovo”. International Balkan Conference. Kocaeli University, Izmit, Turkey.

Being a successful doctor in Germany: Beqir Brahimi works to give back to Kosovo

The native-born Kosovo-Albanian, Dr. Beqir Brahimi, has now been living  in Germany for 28 years. He created his own niche of a German-Albanian world, in which he brings together the best from both sides. It has always been his dream to become a doctor.  It all started in 1984 when he came to Germany to visit his parents. In a very short time, he learned German, studied medicine, and made his dream come true. 

Dr.  Beqir Brahimi’s parents went to Germany way before him.  His father had decided to pursue his work as an engineer. In the summer of 1984, Dr. Brahimi started to take German language courses at the Institute for German philology, in order to get prepared for his actual goal: studying medicine. He explains that back then, he had better chances to study in Germany than in Kosovo.

In a year’s time,  Dr. Brahimi enrolled at the Heinrich-Heine Institute in Dusseldorf  to pursue his studies in medicine, where he also received his Doctor in Medicine degree . Hi specialization and academic work  was focused on the prognostic meaning of the tumor-volume of osteosarcoma at the upper arm (In German: Die prognostische Bedeutung des Tumorvolumens beim Osteosarkom des Oberarmes). Dr. Brahimi specialized in the area of emergency medicine, diabetology and nutritional medicine. Since 2003,  he has been running a joint clinic together with his colleague Dr. med. Jörg-Rainer Cloß in Kempen, Germany.  He works there as an internist and diabetologist and he leads the department that focuses on diabetology.

I asked him whether he misses Kosovo, and whether he identifies with being German or Albanian. Dr. Brahimi smiled, and answered shortly: “Of course I miss Kosovo!”  He continues to talk about his identity. “If you have been living for almost 30 years in a country, then you establish the positive sides of both cultures in your life. I embraced a mix of my own mentality and the German mentality. I do not lead a typical German life, nor a typical Albanian  life. I’d rather call it ‘modern European one.’”

Dr. Brahimi is happily married to a German woman. They have two sons who are 11 and 6 years old. I asked him what it is like to be married to a German woman, and as usual, with a smile,  he said that both have embraced each others’ cultures and live happily.

The next question referred to the role Diaspora. I wanted to know what he thought about the Kosovo Diaspora, and how he feels about being a part of it. “I want to get involved in improving the health system in Kosovo”, he said without any hesitation. With motivation, Dr. Brahimi continues to say that he is interested in developing the health system in the country, so that health treatments can be offered with European standards.

He believes that  “structure and coordination is  missing in Kosovo’s health system.” He believes that  his colleagues in Kosovo require the appropriate training at local and national universities. “Of course, it is good to go abroad, but it should be equally possible to get a European-standard education on a national level.” Since Dr. Brahimi specialized in diabetology, he has great interest in improving diabetic-related provisions in Kosovo, so that an adequate treatment can be offered.

“Collaboration and communication between the government and the Diaspora leaves much to be desired”, Brahimi continues. “The Diaspora should be strongly integrated, so that more European structures can be incorporated. Maybe through something like a Diaspora-Network”.

Dr. Brahimi thinks that there have always been good relations between the Diaspora and Kosovo, but it it necessary to intensify the relations and elaborate on the existing relations of both parties. Therewith, he affiliates with the opinion of Kosovo’s current Minister of Diaspora, Ibrahim Makolli. Makolli calls for reserving 3 to 5 seats for the Diaspora in the Kosovo Parliament. Dr. Brahimi adds that one should get to know much more about the Diaspora’s capacities, so that one can use it for building structures and institutions in the country.

Dr. Brahimi gets back to the subject of diabetes and says that there are no specific statistics about how many people in Kosovo suffer from the disease.He would be interested in “building a qualified team, which in the name of the government would be doing a Diabetes-Screening. That way, those people could get  adequate treatment”.

Dr. Beqir Brahimi finds that his life takes place between both countries. He cannot give up his existence in Germany, but he does not want to abandon Kosovo either. “I care much about my country, that’s why I want to give my best”. In 1998, Dr. Brahimi flew over to Kosovo, together with a humanitarian organization from Berlin. They stayed in the north of Kosovo and provided for those wounded during the war. After Kosovo’s independence, he wants to remain active and continue contributing to his native country. Hence, he ends the interview with “We need Kosovo, and Kosovo needs us”.