Category Archives: Arts and Culture

Artwork from Kosovar war survivors at the Albanian Fashion Show in NY

New York – Albanian Fashion Agency (AFA) along with Arta, a Kosovo based NGO, announced their support for women survivors of unwanted physical contact during the 1998-99 war in Kosovo. In order to support these women, an Albanian Fashion Show will take place on Sunday, 27 March 2016 (4:00-9:00pm) to showcase the works of these survivors. All proceeds and donations will be used to help women in need. Specifically, the money raised from this cultural event and the exhibit will go towards single mothers in need, to help with clothing and food for winter and education for their children. In addition, proceeds will also be used to improve the social and economic opportunities for women survivors.

“OJQ Arta” was founded in 2005 by Mrs. Hafije Qyqalla to advocate for the rights and needs of women. ARTA operates as a non-governmental organization since 1993 in Kosovo. Since being founded, Arta has been working to support, advocate and promote the rights of women in Kosovo, regardless of their race, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, educational level, and physical capabilities. In 2014 & 2015 NGO Arta organized anti-violence campaigns to raise awareness about the injustices imposed toward women.

Arta together with AFA, for the first time in history, is making it possible to exhibit the creative works and products made by women survivors from Kosovo war in NYC. “We are helping these very talented and creative women gain independence and financial freedom by encouraging them get back up on their feet,” said Hafije Qyqalla, Founder and CEO of Arta (OJQ Arta).

“Albanian Fashion Agency is very happy to support a nonprofit organization from Kosova “OJQ Arta” which is going to bring the hand made products that are made by women who were raped in war during 1998-1999. These products are going to be shown during Albanian Fashion Show. All funds and donations will be used to aid those women that need our help the most,” said Mrika Krasniqi, Founder and CEO of AFA (Albanian Fashion Agency).

Through this event Arta, along with AFA, hopes to bring financial freedom to the women survivors.Tickets for the event are $30 general public and $50 VIP. Tickets are available on EventBrite.

For more info visit www.albanianfashionagency.com.

Veton Kurteshi: Taking the love for photography to the next level

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Veton Kurteshi has had a soft spot for photography since he was ten, when his father bought him a professional camera. Now a 25-year old student in Vienna, Veton has built on his love for photography with stunning results. Whether it is swaths of green valleys, snow capped mountains or beautiful frozen lakes, his photographs capture the essence of nature.

Veton enjoys shooting with long-exposure feature as it is great for photographing stars and the Milky Way. He uses photography to memorialize moments and share the beauty of nature with others. He is currently working on a photographing the Semmering Railway, which is the first mountain railway in Europe constructed in the middle of the 19^th century under the guidance of Carl van Ghega. Veton reminds us that Ghega was born in Italy in an Albanian family.

Veton wants to counter negative stereotypes of his homeland in Austria by showcasing the magnificent landscapes of Kosovo.

To see more of Veton’s amazing shots, check out his Instagram.

Rona’s Musical Journey with Albanian Motives

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“Me motive tonat” is the new album release by Rona Nishliu, our renowned Kosovar artist and former Eurovision performer who received the highest score that Albania has ever achieved in Europe’s greatest music contest.

Her new project (to be found here: http://bit.ly/1NeHLgt) is the final cycle of research and transformation that Rona Nishliu has applied to classics of Albanian urban music, dating back from the late 14th century. What started as her personal search of the roots of Albanian musical heritage, of the original emotions or sins that led to the creation of the songs, in the quasi academic setting of piano-and-vocals duo experimentation, has now matured into a musical show that transcends traditional content through fusion with Free Jazz, Trip Hop and Soul, offering a unique and refreshing blend of Balkan sounds.

“Me motive tonat” deconstructs ethnicity through the search for connections between different schools of music and by exploring the inner workings of traditional national songs, which to the ancient Balkan people are larger than life and official history books.

“Me motive tonat” rearranges the architecture of traditional Albanian music in a constant search for connections to today’s world, it maps and reinterprets cultural milestones, and questions the accepted national and social role of music and entertainment.

The project is presented through the following products:
• Music Album (9 songs)
• Documentary (40 min)
• Music Videos (9 videos)
• Live Concert (1 hour, possibly up to 75 min)

All these products may be presented separately, and also through a single package for everything, in the form of the so-called Music Cloth, a stylized handkerchief with a 8GB USB attached. The Music Cloth is our substitute to the conventional CD and DVD, and we hope it will be able to convey more of the spirit and intent of this project.

The intention is to penetrate the World Music Scene and create opportunities for representation of Kosovar culture on International Jazz and World Music Festivals and other venues, as well as across the whole range of traditional and social media.

LambdaLambdaLambda is the first space run by internationals for contemporary art located in Pristina. Isabella Ritter and Katharina Schendl (both from Austria) opened this Art Space in October 2014, to provide artists, professionals and audience with an intimate and informal environment conducive to experimentation, discussion and learning. This week LambdaLambdaLambda announced the opening of “Degenerative Imaging in the Dark”, an exhibition by Jeremy Shaw.

Jeremy Shaw works in a variety of media to explore altered states and the cultural and scientific practices that aspire to map transcendental experience. Often combining strategies from the realms of conceptual art, documentary film, music, video, and scientific research, Shaw’s work has addressed topics ranging from psychedelic drugs, brain imaging and hypnosis, to snake-handling, straight-edge hardcore and time travel. Key to his practice is the proposal of a collapsed time zone in which alchemical elements and ideals are considered with equal validity.

In his exhibition at LambdaLambdaLambda the artist is showing “Degenerative Imaging in the Dark,” a series of light-activated, glow-in-the-dark vinyl cut-outs made in reference to commercially produced star and planet stickers. Shaw’s source material comes from 3D SPECT scan renderings of the degenerative effects of mind-altering substance use on the blood flow and metabolism of the human brain. With this series the artist is continuing his interest in the grey area between scientific and populist mapping/representation of altered states. The prints are charged by fluorescent light once every 30 minutes, causing them to glow strongly and slowly fade, glow and fade; static time-based mediums on repeat. Also on view is the most current version of “This Transition Will Never End” (2008– present) – Shaw’s ongoing archive of appropriated footage taken from a wide variety of movies and television in which a vortex, or any such tunnel-like or spiraling image is used to represent the slippage of time or a transition from one reality to another.

For more information about this event, please click HERE

In the summer of 2015, the University of Konstanz and the University of Prishtina collaborated to run a biological summer school, held in Junik. While running the school, the director, Dr. Schmitz along with eight biology students from the University of Konstanz, two biology students from the University of Prishtina and a taxidermist of thee natural-history museum of Stuttgart talked about a potential museum. It was Liridon Hoxha’s idea to open a specialized museum for natural history.

Liridon Hoxha, a biology student at the the University of Konstanz explained for Kosovo Diaspora the main idea for having such a museum. Hoxha who is completing his MSc in Konstanz, Germany is originally from Kosovo. He is an active member of many student groups, such as Green, student’s parliament, Etudes Sans Frontiéres. While attending meetings at Etudes Sans Frontiers, he heard about projects in countries such as Congo, Afghanistan, and Chechenia all of which face numerous challenges. This motivated him to do something for Kosovo.

Hoxha then started a group called ‘Work group Kosovo’, with some of his friends. They brainstormed about what possible projects they could do for making studying in Kosovo possible and in the same time better. Having a background in Biology, Hoxha explained that he always wanted to raise people’s awareness about nature and how they could protect it.

After the excursion of four universities located in different cities of Kosovo (Prishtina, Peja, Gjakova and Prizren), representatives of the Municipality of Junik, environmental organizations and the Agency for Environmental Protection of Kosovo (KEPA), are interested in cooperation, they have expressed interest and would like to implement this project together with the University of Konstanz. The aim of this ambitious project is to strengthen education about the environment in Kosovo, and improve the scientific data on the flora and fauna. They also hope to boost tourism and the local economy through this project.

It is worth mentioning that during the team’s trip to Junik Mountains, students came across rare species or habitats, which have disappeared from other European countries. For example, they found Lanius senator, a bird type that has abandoned the territories of European fauna long ago.

Wiki Loves Monuments is an international photo contest for monuments running this September, organized by Wikimedia globally, as well as FLOSSK in Kosovo and Open Labs Albania.

Cultural heritage is an important part of the knowledge that Wikipedia collects and disseminates. Everybody can contribute images as well as write articles. An image is worth a thousand words, in all languages at once, and enthusiastic people can (re)discover the cultural, historic, and scientific significance of their neighborhoods by uploading photos to Wikimedia.

http://www.wikilovesmonuments.org/two-days-until-2015-competition/

In 2012, Wikipedia volunteer communities in 35 countries joined this initiative. In 2014 nearly 40 countries all over the world are participating through national contests organized with their national monuments, partners, rules, events and winners.

The organizers – FLOSSK from Kosovo and Open Labs from Albania – through digital access to cultural monuments, want to promote the cultural heritage of the respective countries to the world.

Every national contest, including the ones in Albania and Kosovo, will be able to nominate 10 of their winning photos to the international contest. These nominated photos will be judged by an international jury, which will then award extra prizes to the best images from all participating countries.

The list of monuments of both countries is already published in the official website of the project, including the rules, requirements and the detailed description of this competition at wikilovesmonuments.al. After the end of the competition on 7 October, 10 best photos will be selected from each country – Kosovo and Albania. These photos, in November, will be sent to the international competition and will be judged by the global community.

FLOSSK is organizing several information sessions in Prishtina, Mitrovica, Prizren, Gjakova and Gjilan during the period September 28 to October 1 to explain the rules, demonstrate the upload process and answer questions from potential participants. To provide access to selected heritage sites and ease the journey, three guided photography excursions will be held in the weekend of October 3-4. To attend these activities please see the details here.

FLOSSK (flossk.org) in Kosovo and Open Labs (openlabs.cc) in Albania are non-profit organizations, established in order to support, promote and develop, among other things, free access to knowledge and culture.

The competition is supported by the Kosovo Institute for the Protection of Monuments of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.

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1000 Londoners aims to capture the spirit of the city on film. Last week, a new film went live on 1000Londoners.com – Yllka Istrefi – the marathon-running classical pianist from Haringey.

Yllka is a Kosovan-born classical pianist living in North London who lived through the war in Kosovo in 1999 and subsequently moved to England. She studied at the Royal College of Music and has performed worldwide. She has recently accepted to become one of only 1,600 recognized Steinway Artists. Yllka is also a keen runner and has run at a range of marathons globally, including the 2015 London marathon.

This film is part of 1000 Londoners, the most in-depth and expansive documentary series ever produced about a city. Produced by Chocolate Films it comprises a digital channel focusing on creating video portraits of Londoners. You can visit www.1000londoners.com and watch a range of fascinating 3-minute stories.

For more on Yllka please check: HERE

DokuFest Takes On The Topic Of Migration

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DokuFest is an International Documentary and Short Film Festival held annually in the city of Prizren, Kosovo. With a selection of 200 carefully chosen films from around the world, the festival brings film producers, artists and a vibrant public to discuss topics ranging from economy, history and social change. This year (8-16th of August) , DokuFest is focused on the topic of migration. A phenomena that has been an inseparable part of the socio-economic and cultural identity of communities living in Kosovo. Still misunderstood, the festival seeks to address migration from a variety of angles and paint a clear picture on the relationship of Kosovars with migration.

Apart from critically acclaimed documentaries and short movies, a highlight of the festival Enri Canaj’s collection of photos from Syrian refugee camps in Greece. More importantly, the festival will host a number of events such as group discussions and photo galleries in order to better grasp the wide range of impact migration has.

A Cassette Player Can Send One A Long Way

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“Smajl” is a documentary film that tells the story of a Kosovar family migrating to Germany in the 70s.The main character is Mr. Ismail Hoxhaj, the head of the family, who had gone to Germany to buy a cassette player. Circumstances of that time forced Ismail to drag along his whole family and open a new chapter in the lives of each of his household.

This documentary is directed by Philipp Meyer, a close family friend of the Hoxhaj’s, who in cooperation with the daughter of Mr. Ismail, Zymryte Hoxhaj, agreed to make the documentary.
“… this documentary is about the life and work of my dad, an immigrant in Germany, who alongside many from the Balkans, he had found plenty of work in the then redeveloping German state”, said Hoxhaj for KultPlus Magazine. This documentary includes political and social issues faced by Albanians in the 70s, as well as the activities of various diaspora movements. The film also includes the daily life of the children, growing up in a foreign environment and adapting to life in Germany with a radically different cultural background.

What differs the Hoxhaj family, is basically Mr. Ismajls dedication at looking for a cassette player, and getting so much more out of the bargain.
Watch the documentary trailer through the BunkHouse Filmmakers here, or through Vimeo where you can watch the trailer with English subtitles here.

Cultural Diplomacy: The Albanian-British Festival of Culture held in London

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The Albanian-British Festival of Culture held key events across London from May 28^th to July 4^th 2015. The annual festival hosted by the Albanian Embassy in London, brings together cultures and is a great opportunity to engage in interactive discussions and talks. The festival organiser, His Excellency Mr. Mal Berisha, during his diplomatic career in the United Kingdom has encouraged an open and connected community that embraces multiculturalism and diversity in the vibrant city of London.

For five days Londoners witnessed a series of educational and cultural celebrations including an art exhibition by the talented painter Bashkim Izano; book launches and talks by the renowned authors Dr. Enver Bytyçi and Sir Noel Malcolm; ceremony for the donation of the album “Songs of Motherland” (Këngët e Atdheut) by the talented musician Adelina Hoxha and Maestro Robert Radoja, published by Flamur Hudhri; and lecture by Ambassador Mal Berisha at the American Embassy in London about the Albanian-U.S. Jewish history.

The art exhibition by Bashkim Izano was the official opening event of the festival, organized by the European Commission and the Albanian Embassy in the UK and Ireland. Jacqueline Minor, the Head of Representation of the European Commission in the UK gave the opening remarks, followed by the Ambassador of Albania Mal Berisha. Jacqueline Minor spoke highly of Izano’s work and said that Albanian art has been an integral part of European art. The great artist Bashkim Izano talked about how the English poet and painter Eduard Lear (1812-1888) inspired his paintings. Eduard Lear travelled to Albania in 1948 making drawings during his journey, depicted in his book “Journals of a Landscape Painter in Albania” (1851).

The contemporary artist Bashkim Izano dedicated his first exhibition in England to Eduard Lear. His beautiful oil paintings showcase Albania in the mid-19^th century with its beautiful folklore and nature scenery. The exhibition titled “Homage to Eduard Lear” is open until 19 June 2015 at the 12 Star Gallery, Europe House in London. The Europe House is the London art base for the European Parliament and the European Commission and it has held several festivals and special cultural events to celebrate creativity and cultural diversity.

On June 4, 2014 the well-known historian Sir Noel Malcolm promoted his book “Agents of Empire: Knights, Corsairs, Jesuits and Spies in the Sixteenth-Century Mediterranean World.” The book tells the fascinating story of Albania in the second half of the 16th century, representing a vibrant Mediterranean and European history with its generations of empires, cultures and religions.