Category Archives: Culture

Emin Syla Sings with Lana Del Rey in the Heart of New York

Emini is a young boy from Prishtina, Kosovo, who recently is staying in New York, USA, reports KOHA net. Emin’s uniqueness is that every song he hears, he reproduces it in a completely original style with his guitar.

Emin Syla was a participant in the Voice of Albania in the 2012 edition. During his stay in the US, he has had the chance to meet the internationally famous singer, Lana Del Rey. This meeting was of special importance for his career, as Lana is his favorite singer. We invite you to enjoy his performance with Lana of her own song Yayo:

Diaspora Minster Murati visits Kosovo’s Cultural Center in Istanbul

Leave a reply

Kosovo’s Cultural Center in Istanbul hosted Minister of Diaspora, Valon Murati, for a meeting with the Albanian associations in Turkey. Minister Murati spoke of Kosovo’s progress and Government’s ties with its Diaspora. Furthermore, the meeting consisted of talks over the Ministry’s programs and future involvements, learning of the Albanian language, cultural activities, providing support for investment, as well as the Diaspora registration process.

The meeting was attended by Mr. Rahim Morina, Consul General of the Republic of Kosovo in Istanbul; Agron Tare, Consul General of the Republic of Albania in Istanbul; Mentor Borovci, General Secretary of the MOD, and Qamil Bytyqi, Acting Director of Kosovo’s Cultural Centre in Istanbul.

HERE you can read the full article on this activity published in Albanian by Ministry of Diaspora.

#InstaKosova Winners Announced

Leave a reply

Organized for the second time in celebration of the seventh anniversary of Kosovo’s independence, the competition has brought about 25 thousand photos posted in all social networks with the hashtags #InstaKosova and #InstaKosovo.

#InstaKosova competition is a platform for supporting Kosovo’s digital diplomacy in promoting the young country to the rest of the world. The competition seeks to bring about the best of Kosovo through engaging its citizens at showing their frame of how Kosovo looks like in the morning, the way Kosovo streets portray life and the daily macchiato breaks. All in all, the competition seeks to highlight what is the force that produces the love that so many have for the little country of Kosovo.

The #InstaKosova team explained that “the selected photos represent the purest illustration of the feelings by the people breathing in this country. They channel the views from the eyes of the youngsters that wake-up in the city center, in the sprawling suburbs, in the picturesque villages, on the magnificent mountain peaks, or at dazzling festival parties and after-parties all over this country. So yes, these are the photos that we wanted to showcase in this edition of #instakosova/#instakosovo and these are the select photos that your eyes will gaze upon in this book.”

This year’s winner is Sara Rodiqi and her photo titled “N’kamp verës në Ngom Fest, Prizren”. The jury consisted of Blerim Racaj (photographer), Nita Salihu (designer), Blerta Kambo (photographer), Arjeta Emra (director at the British Council) and Era Istrefi (singer). The jury commented that “the winning photo gave an aura of sincere, pure, real, and lush with life feel- a charming snapshot of friends that seem to have all the world bubbling within them, conveying a state of limitless utopia with each other and with us as viewers. It is not a photo that is instantly noticeable, but it is one whose beauty gracefully grows and multiplies as you stare at it.”

Winners of the 10 best photos are: Jetmir Idrizi, Diellza Hasani, Armend Krasniqi, Agon Syla, Agron Beqiri, Nita Deda, Orgesa Arifi, Fisnik Dobreci, Drenusha Lika and Nëntor Oseku. The jury has also selected 100 photos which will be published in a book of photographs. Available for free throughout various state institutions around the world.

#instakosova is initiated and supported by The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kosovo and is present online at www.instakosova.com, where you can check all winners and best 100 photos.

#KosovoEverywhere Prize Winners Announced

Leave a reply

On February 13, the jury of KosovoDiaspora.org selected the winners of #Kosovoeverywhere campaign. The winner is a picture from Kazakhstan, a country that does not recognize Kosovo yet. The second prize goes to a group of youngsters in another non-recognizing country, Bangladesh. Bronze goes to a beautiful picture taken in Rocky Mountains, Canada. The three winners will receive a prize. Among the eight jury members were three Kosovar professional photographers: Bujar Gashi, Shkelzen Rexha and Korab Basha.

“Although the campaign is officially finished, we think it is a great idea to keep taking pictures with the Kosovo flag in the world. We will put every picture in our online album,” says Kanarina Shehu. “The power of digital diplomacy can benefit Albanians around the world. This campaign is an easy and friendly way of showing the world Kosovo is everywhere,” she explains further.

#Kosovoeverywhere campaign started on July 2014. Kosovo Diaspora invited people around the world to take pictures with the flag of Kosovo during their holiday, study, or business trips. The campaign resulted in showing Kosovo in around fifty different countries around the world.

Starting from last year’s summer, dozens of people took pictures and uploaded them via Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. “People brought a Kosovar flag in their suitcase or printed the flag on a piece of paper. They made a selfie in the center of a city or at a beautiful nature sight. Some even managed to take pictures of local people carrying our flag, even in countries that do not recognize the Republic of Kosovo”, explains Kanarina Shehu, coordinator of KosovoDiaspora.org.

All picture submissions can be found at the following link in our Facebook page: bit.ly/KosovoEverywhere. The call for submissions can be found here.

Muja’s Exhibition in SIZ Gallery of Croatia

Alban Muja (born 1980 in Mitrovica) is one of the most renowned contemporary artists in Kosovo. His works are part of “Everything is Eternity — when we are victory obsessed” collective exhibition, which opens today at 7pm in the SIZ Gallery Rijeka, Croatia.

Nemanya Cvijanović, Lana Čmajčani, Filip Jovanovski, and OPA artists are also part of this exhibition, which will be open until February 28, 2015.

Čmajčani’s website describes that that the exhibition refers to the language of propaganda in present tense, taking into consideration historical issues and actions. The artists, through references to diverse systems and orders as well as particular universal or local stories, will pose fundamental questions engendered by the phenomenon of play, a phenomenon clearly ubiquitous in the public discourse, and will consider the relationship between the national and the alien and repressed. Questions will also be asked about the presence of the other and One of Us, as well as the rules according to which they join the play. Who will win is anyone’s guess. Still, there is no doubt that obsession with victory is both present and inevitable, regardless of the social, political or cultural context.

National Library of Kosovo in Harvard University

On February 10, the Harvard University Graduate School of Design featured the National Library of Kosovo in a new exhibition entitled “Icons of Knowledge: Architecture and Symbolism in National Libraries.”

Kosovalive360 news portal reports that the exhibition is curated by Harvard graduates Daniel Rauchwerger and Noam Dvir. Both Mr. Rauchwerger and Mr. Dvir created the exhibition after publishing their research in Harvard Design Magazine on the similarity of designs among national libraries. Accoring to Rauchwerger “these buildings are, after all, very dramatic and symbolic; they’re palaces of knowledge and virtue.”

The exhibition examines why national libraries are such symbolic icons of a nation, as well as why nations invest so many resources into constructing buildings that maintain their cultural legacy.

Opened in 1982 and designed by Croatian architect Andrija Mutnjaković, the National Library of Kosovo’s controversial design is a source of architectural debate (the UK newspaper, The Telegraph, named it one of the world’s 30 ugliest buildings). But the Library’s combination of cubes and domes—the architect’s attempt to join Islamic Ottoman and Orthodox Byzantine influences—gives it a unique appearance that has become a symbol of Pristina.

In defiance of the building’s critics, the inclusion of the National Library of Kosovo in Harvard’s exhibition stands testament to the building’s symbolism and architectural value as a place of knowledge and cultural heritage – two values that should be remembered as Kosovo finds its own voice as a European nation state.

Originally contributed by James Evans, Communications Assistant at Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Besa Exhibition in the City of Lausanne

Leave a reply

“Besa” exhibition of photographs has been traveling in different cities of Switzerland in a yearlong odyssey of bringing light to the courage and sacrifice shown by Albanians towards saving Jewish population during World War II.

During its stop in Lausanne, Switzerland, the exhibition will follow this agenda:

“Besa” Exhibition – Photographs of Norman H. Gershman
Opening: Wednesday, February 11, 2015 at 6:00 pm in the Town Hall Forum in Lausanne
Visiting hours: Mondays to Friday from 12-18:00 pm, and Saturday’s from 10:00-18:00.

“BESA: THE PROMISE” film
Date/Time: Thursday, February 12, 2015, 8:00 p.m. (Bar: 19:30 Start: 20h)

“Events and evolution of Holocaust denial in Europe, Switzerland and the Balkan region” Conference
Date/Time: Thursday, February 19, 2015, 4:15 p.m. at
5021 Room (5th floor), Building Anthropole, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne

In Albanian, Besa means “keeping the promise“. It’s a code of honor that is centrally anchored in the Albanian culture. Someone who acts according to the principle “Besa” is someone who keeps his word, which can be trusted with his own life and that of his family. Albanians, Muslims and Christians alike testify that “Besa” was their motivation to take a great personal risk to save the lives of Jews during the Second World War.

For more information on the “Besa” exhibition, you can check its official website.

Ergin Oda: Reaching New York City’s Classical and Musical Scenes

Leave a reply

Ergin Oda from Mitrovica, Kosovo, is the first Albanian soloist reaching the New York City Master Chorale. He studied for Ethnomusicology/Vocal at the Faculty of Music of the University of Prishtina and continued for Musical in Vienna Conservatorium.

Ergin’s engagement in art began in his city of birth, Mitrovica, where he was an actor of the city’s theater. He was also a moderator at a local radio in Kosovo. Since 2003, Ergin is a soloist in Kosovo’s Philharmonic. He has been part of numerous concerts within Kosovo’s Academy of Sciences and Arts, through which he has had the chance to perform in European countries such as Paris and Vienna.

His talent and commitment to continue building a professional profile has allowed him to become a soloist in the Cecilia Chorus of New York, Regina Opera, and New York City Master Chorale. Among these activities, Ergin has recorded the soundtrack for an upcoming Hollywood movie and plans a more intensive engagement in this regard.

Ergin believes that young Albanians who live and work in the Diaspora have a great responsibility upon themselves. In an exclusive interview for Kosovo Diaspora, Oda explains that “Diaspora professionals represent not only themselves as individuals, but also their country in various fields. Kosovo’s Diaspora has a major role in building the image of Kosovo abroad. By presenting our cultural values, we lobby towards improving Kosovo’s image internationally. The only way to achieve success in this regard is by creating a strong connection and cooperation between the Diaspora members.”

One of his most successful projects in regard to the Diaspora is the establishment of “Ergin and Brevis Ensemble,” which promotes Albanian music all over America. Through this project, Ergin and his colleagues aim to present the values of Albanian music and promote its cultivation to new generations living outside Kosovo.

During December 2014, along with a cast of American singers, Ergin performed at the Carnegie Hall in New York, US. Currently, he lives in New York and is a member of NYCM Choral Cabaret. At the same time, he is the leader of “Ergin and Brevis Ensemble,” which promotes classical Albanian music. Other members of the ensemble are two internationals and a Kosovar: Lule Ballata/Flute, Alex Schenker/violin, and Daniel Laor/Piano.

Kosovar Film Wins Cinema for Peace Award for Justice

Leave a reply

Three Windows and a Hanging film by Isa Qosja won “Cinema for Peace Award for Justice” at Berlinale2015, which started on February 5 and will last until February 15, 2015.

Produced in 2014 with a 93 minute running time, the film is about a woman that stands against the silent world of rape victims who are considered a shame on their families and societies. At the beginning of this year, Three Windows and a Hanging was awarded “Cinema Without Borders Special Jury Award”. During the Palm Springs International Film Festival, “Cinema Without Borders” awarded a certificate for an upcoming Method Acting Intensive provided by The Lee Strasberg Theater & Film Institute in West Hollywood, CA—valued at $2000 for Three Windows and a Hanging film producers from Kosovo.

A detailed description about the film, as reported by “Cinema without Borders”, is provided below:

Set in a traditional Kosovar village a year after the war with Serbia, this finely written and directed drama provides a critical look at a patriarchal culture threatened by the knowledge that the enemy violated their women. When a local woman anonymously reveals to an international journalist that she and others were raped, the fallout from this once-repressed secret threatens to tear apart the fabric of village life.

The action takes place in a scenic mountain enclave that is trying to rebuild after the war. When the article about the wartime rapes appears, the controlling mayor tells the local men that schoolmarm Lushe must be the source, and advises them to shun both her and her lad. While they are happy to comply because they believe Lushe has brought shame on them and their village, they can’t stop wondering about the identities of the three other raped women mentioned in the article.

Previous Awards: Cinema Without Borders Special Jury Award 2015, Connecting Cottbus 2012, Best Pitch Award; Sarjevo Film Festival 2013, Cinelink’s Work in Progress

Director: Isa Qosja
Producer: Shkumbin Istrefi, Mentor Shala
Editor: Agron Vula
Screenwriter: Zymber Kelmendi
Cinematographer: Gökhan Tiryaki
Principal Cast: Irena Cahani, Luan Jaha, Donat Qosja, Orik Morina, Aurita Agushi, Leonora Mehmetaj

Illyrians in Slovenia Bring Life to an Abandoned Building

Leave a reply

The Albanian Cultural Association “Illyria” based in Koper, Slovenia has fully restored an abandoned facility and transformed it into a cultural center. They have been offered an abandoned old house, in order to turn it into a suitable building for conducting the activities of “Illyria” association. People of “Illyria” have been looking for an “office building” ever since 1998. When the chance occurred, they did not hesitate and restored the building in a record time of 20 days.

“The organization consisting of 100 members has shown a remarkable enthusiasm for concluding this activity successfully,” reports Kult Plus. Recently, the local media of Slovenia have broadly covered this story, since it shows how an old building shall now host different types of activities such as music, folklore, dance, recitals, and sports events.

For more information regarding the “Illyria” organization and Albanians living in Slovenia, you can follow their Facebook page.