Monthly Archives: January 2015

Agron Saliu Reaches Vienna

Agron Saliu’s third international exhibition is destined to be held in Vienna.

Following the success of the personal exhibition in Skopje’s Cultural Information Centre, Agron Saliu has been invited to present the same exhibition at “Kunstraum Wien Mitte” in Vienna, Austria.

“I consider it to be a very important step in my career, for many reasons. The most important fact is that my works are filtered by the curators of the Gallery of Vienna and the Commission of the Ministry of Culture, ” said Mr. Saliu.

His journey goes through studies in Paris and exhibitions in Berlin. Now, 2015 brings his work to Vienna. KultPlus reports that Saliu’s exhibition in Vienna will be financially supported by the Ministry of Culture of Macedonia. On February 20, his works presented in the exhibition in Berlin will be transferred to the Art Gallery of Kumanovo.

Agron Saliu was born in 1984 in Tetovo, Macedonia. He graduated from the State University of Tetovo, Faculty of Arts with a focus on painting.

Abetare Hyseni Plays Coppelia in Italy

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Abetare Hyseni was the only ballerina of the National Ballet of Kosovo, which played on “Coppelia” show choreographed by the Albanian Ilir Kerni in “Luciano Pavarotti” theater of Modena, Italy.

On 16 January 2015, the Kosovar ballerina Abetare Hyseni played with National Ballet of Albania in “Coppelia” dance show in “Luciano Pavarotti” theater in Modena, Italy. “Coppelia” was premiered during the last year in Prishtina, Kosovo.

KultPlus reports that “Coppelia and La Stravagnaza have opened the 2015 season of Luciano Pavarotti Municipal Theatre of Modena, Italy.”

The Kosovo Ballet is a very active troupe, dancing in performances of the highest professional quality. With hard working dancers and director, they work intensively with great devotion and with great for this difficult yes beautiful form of art.

The Albanian National Theatre of Opera and Ballet rebuild its way of performing international and national repertoire, despite country’s economic transition during 1992 – 2010. Today, T.K.O.B. normally develops its activity, in order to increase the development of theater in contemporary concepts.

GjakovaBasel: Switzerland invites Kosovo

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NGO GjakovaBasel is hosting a two-day event in Basel, Switzerland to help promote future cooperation possibilities between partners in Kosovo and Switzerland. From January 30-31, the event aims to cover topics such as: promoting Kosovo as a tourist destination, youth and sports, marketing in Switzerland for products from Kosovo and showcasing Kosovo as an attractive option for potential investors.

Among the participants in this event, Kosovo 2.0 today gave a short presentation on the magazine and their work to promote independent journalistic opportunities to young people in Kosovo and throughout the Balkans.

Kosovo 2.0 goes to Switzerland! http://t.co/YV3geEQQBs

— Kosovo 2.0 (@kosovo2point0) January 29, 2015

Kosovo 2.0 team highly values events such as this week’s GjakovaBasel, as an important way of “helping to keep the diaspora connected to Kosovo and to develop and maintain the strong bonds between Kosovo and Switzerland.”

NGO GjakovaBasel was founded in May 2014 with the aim of establishing cooperation in cross-boarder projects between persons and institutions in the regions of Gjakova, Kosova and Basel, Switzerland in all fields of culture, social care, economy, civil society and joint social activities.

Erendita Gërguri: A Chance to Greatness in Taekwondo

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The 22 year-old Kosovar, born in Vragoli of Fushe Kosova, is a fighter, coach, referee, and board member in Kosovo’s Taekwondo Federation.

Erendita Gërguri is also a member of the Olympic Team of Kosovo. KOHA net reports that “she has a high potential to ensure the Olympic norm for Kosovo in RIO 2016.”

The young taekwondo player has lived for three years in Switzerland. Erendita played different sports during her stay there. In 2004, by chance, she started playing Taekwondo. Since then, she has created an unbreakable bond with this sport.

From 2007 until 2012, Erendita was the winner of 5 consecutive champion titles in Kosovo. In 2013, she won the 3rd place in the Taekwondo Balkan Championship. Currently, she is a member of Kosovo’s representation in Taekwondo international competitions.

Kosovo Sets Guinness Record on Largest Grain Mosaic

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It’s official: Kosovo now holds the Guinness World Record for the largest mosaic of grain in the world, thanks to Alkent Pozhegu, a 38-year-old Kosovar born in Gjakova.

In May 2014, Alkent Pozhegu made a mosaic of dimensions 20×25 meters, with an area of 500 m2. Pozhegu’s work, with which he set a new Guinness World Record for Kosovo in this category, has set behind the previous record of 400 m2, which was presented in India.

Pozhegu’s mosaic figure is made of maize, rice and wheat. He used 2500 kilograms of grain to create the names of Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo, two world-known soccer players. The mosaic also includes the symbols of Barcelona and Real Madrid FC Club.

Below you can see Pozhegu’s recent interview for TV Syri Vision, a local TV Station in Gjakova, Kosovo.

The Second Focus Group on Diaspora Virtual Registration

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Kosovodiaspora, Diaspora Engagement in Economic Development, and the Kosovar Ministry of Diaspora held another round of Focus Group discussions on the Diaspora Virtual Registration Process.

Held on the 23rd of January, “From a Concept to Success: Kosovo Diaspora Focus Group” brought together a range of opinions at the office of Kosovo’s Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden. The initiative has been praised for its ambitious goals and innovative approach. Key points discussed had been the legislative side and taxation associated with double citizenship, the benefits and drawbacks of virtual versus physical registration, as well as the ideal approach to utilizing the Swedish educational system in teaching the Albanian native language.

The discussion has also covered areas of concern such as the best way to utilize diaspora events for reaching a greater audience for the registry, as well as the possibility of digitalizing the Albanian Alphabet and offering it through mobile apps in all countries where Kosovo’s diaspora lives. “The suggestions brought up during the discussions in this Focus Group will be addressed by the intersectoral working group that has been formed by the Minister Murati at Ministry of Diaspora. We will look at opportunities to accommodate those requests as needed,” said ministry spokesman, Mr. Lorik Pustina.

@KosovoDiaspora Our pleasure & good luck with your work!

— Ilir Dugolli (@IlirDugolli) January 26, 2015

You can click here to see some pictures from the event.

The upcoming Focus Group on the Diaspora Virtual Registration will be held in the United Kingdom on the 25th of February 2015.

You can become an active member of Kosovo Diaspora by registering HERE. The Kosovodiaspora.org platform has partnered with the MoD and Diaspora Engagement for Economic Development (DEED) to promote the registry among our widespread diaspora communities across five continents.

La France Is Amazed by Young Erza’s Talent

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The voice of Erza Muçolli, a 8 year-old Kosovar living in France, has amazed the public of “France’s Got Talent”. The new star is one of the five finalists of “France’s Got Talent” competition.

She is the daughter of Luljeta and Mehmet Muçolli, both originating from Kosovo. Her father is originally from Zabel, Drenas. Along with Erza’s mother, they were part of cultural and artistic associations at the time they lived in Kosovo. During her early childhood, Erza’s family moved from Kosovo to France. They managed to easily adopt in the culture of a new country and soon, Erza started building her image in the music field.

Regarding her participation in “France’s got talent,” Erza explains that she is “very satisfied to be on top of this strong competition”. Her parents are exceptionally proud of a Kosovar participation in this prominent show, knowing that the competition is high and she is the most supported semi-finalist by the show’s public.

Below you can see her performance in “France’s got talent” and an interview of Klan Kosova with Erza and her family.

After her outstanding performance in this scene, Erza has accepted an offer from a French movie-production studio for the spring of 2015.

Ministry of Diaspora Establishing New Partnerships

Ministry of Diaspora welcomed a delegation of the Post of Kosovo, led by Chief Executive Officer, Sejdi Hoxha.

On January 21, in a meeting held with representatives of the Post of Kosovo, Minister Murati discussed possible areas of cooperation between the two institutions in the interest of Kosovo’s diaspora and all citizens of Kosovo.

They agreed that the Ministry of Diaspora will use the postal service of the Post of Kosovo for delivery of books and textbooks in the Diaspora, as well as Post’s non-banking financial service.

Mr. Hoxha notified Minister Murati regarding the Post’s initiative to dedicate a future postage stamp series to the Albanian diaspora, which has continuously shown an outstanding contribution for the people and state of Kosovo.

Here you can read the official news in Albanian.

Diaspora Education A Priority for Minister Murati

Additional Albanian language classes are set as a priority for the Ministry of Diaspora of the Republic of Kosovo.

Minister Valon Murati proclaimed his ideas during a meeting held yesterday, 20th of January, with the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Prishtina, Angelika Viets. Minister Murati and Ms. Viets discussed the possibility of deepening inter-institutional cooperation in various fields, with focus on the Kosovar Diaspora in Germany.

“Sending a message that Kosovo is ready for investments is crucial to attracting our business unions in Diaspora, which in turn will play an important role in building bridges of cooperation with strong companies in the countries where they operate,” highlighted Minister Murati.
“A well-integrated diaspora will also mean a better Kosovo overall. The image of the Republic of Kosovo will improve as the Federal Republic of Germany is willing to deepen its cooperation with your country, ” Ms. Viets said.

In the end, it was agreed that other meetings are to be held regularly, in order to identify all possible areas of cooperation for the good of Kosovo and it Diaspora in Germany.

You can check this news in Albanian here.

Kosovo Judoka is set for The Olympics

Nora Gjakova has had an excellent performance at the “Tunis African Open 2015”. The judoka has been awarded with the first place in the 57 kg category, thus bringing a gold medal home to Kosovo. Below you can see her official interview for the europeanjudo channel published in YouTube.

Nora Gjakova won all four battles and has been proclaimed the best on her category (57 Kg). The first lap was easy; Nora Gjakova had no rival. In the second round, she faced Emilie Amaron, and her last opponent was Viola Waechter from Germany. In the semifinals, Gjakova faced Jaione Equisoain from Spain, whom she walked out from victoriously. Her toughest battle was against the French national, Helene Receveaux. The Kosovan was again victorious and went on to grab the gold medal in the “African Open Tunis 2015” tournament.

This triumph of Nora Gjakova is a step forward to the Olympics in “Rio 2016”. Gjakova is a great judoka and alongside Majlinda Kelmendi, represents a potential candidate for Olympic medals. You can check her judo professional profile here.