Balkan Beats 01

Bimonthly Magazine by the Volunteers of United Societies of Balkans

free press March-April 2013

UNITED SOCIETIES OF BALKANS BALKAN BEATS nited Societies of Balkans is a Non Governmental Organization, founded in Thessaloniki in 2008, by a team of active young people. The organization was created as a respond to the pressure of constant changes in the Balkan and Eastern European region and under the need for the creation of a better social environment.

Key areas of the organization's activities concern the defense of human rights, the organization of youth excha nges and training courses, which will bring young people from Balkans and Europe together, the orga nization of local educational seminars and multimedia production (web radio, videos, documentaries).

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Main goals of the organization: *To promote the values of non formal learning, volunteering, active citizenship and democracy for the creation of a better future for European youth. *To promote human rights, solidarity and respect for diversity. *To build healthy cooperation bridges between countries of the Balkan area and that of Eastern Europe with the rest of Eu rope. *To locate and multiply the special cultural attributes of our societies. *The break down of prejudices and stereotypes between Balkan countries.

--------------, General Director Aristodimos Paraschou

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Team of the First Issue Ana Maia Ay~e Burcu Atabey Annemiek Schrijver Lisa Ambrosio Matteo Scarpa Michela Gennari Philipa Nikolova Stefania Nogara Teisutis Asmenavicius

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NON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATION 路 GREECE

Contributors Burak Erdemli Giorgio Buonsante Okan Atalay Designer Temmuz Onur Deniz Guzel

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Editors Ay~e Burcu Atabey Philipa Nikolova Cover Photo Ana Maia

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United Societies of Balkans Alamanas 9, Agios Pavlos, 55438 Thessaloniki (GR) tel/fax (+30) 2310 215629 E-mail: info@usbngo.gr Web Radio: www.usb-onair.gr

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United Societies of Balkans

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@USBngo

YoummJ United Societies of Balkans NGO

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Doc Fest Film Reviews & Director Interviews Photography Exhibition Reggetiko Project Jewish Restaurant Multi-Kulti Kitchen

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Tip for a Trip

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Italy Training Course Albania Training Course Thessaloniki First Impression

Racism Immigrant Interviews Roma Report Barcode Interview Women’s Day

EVS Workshop Photovoice Greek Gods & Heroes Exhibition Intercultural Events

The Feta on the Slipper Calendar

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th Thessaloniki Documentar y Festival took place on 15-24 March 2013. More than 100 films were exhibited, many film directors and thousands of watchers were present in this festival and, of course, United Societies of Balkans was also present. Covering this very important event in the city our radio team did daily shows regarding the movies and peoples’ opinions about the movies; they made interviews with directors and also some of our volunteers wrote some reviews about some of the movies they watched.

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expected. The lack of schedules for the opening and closing of the shops had a simple r e a s o n : Ikarians are multitasked, they cannot afford to dedicate their time to one activity only; they would not survive that way. Each Ikarian has several activities and those are not always paid with money. The exchange of goods and labor force is very common in the island. Thodoris had worked his entire life on computer science and had no clue about agriculture or any other activity, reason why he could be of little help in the island. Since he could not manage to grow his own vegetables, after some failed attempts, he decided to start fixing computers in the island.

Quite depressed, Thodoris gave up his dream for some time. Ikarians are known for having high longevity and for being extremely happy people.

This happiness is not connected with their living conditions or with the amount of hours they work. It is related with a sense of having what is essential for living. A plate of food, some sort of roof over their heads and friends are enough to make an Ikarian happy. This is what Thodoris came looking for in Ikaria, but instead he found some of his inabilities.

He later found other young people who had moved to Ikaria with the same purpose and they all decided to form a community. This group of people would work all together for the purpose of planting, growing and selling their own vegetables. With help and understanding of the municipality they were allowed to explore a land that belonged to the state and to start their project.

This film speaks about the need of young generations to escape the cities, where it is more and more difficult to “breathe” or to succeed.

It speaks about the dream of many young people to quit supporting the current ideal of modern life, connected with consumerism, with exploitation, with global economy, more and more with individualism and lack of solidarity and sense of community. In Greece, life has become extremely difficult for young people. The youth unemployment rates are at around 60%, now, and it is inevitable for youth to leave the country. Many

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go to other European countries in search of a career, others even to other continents; others decide to move inside their own country, looking for what the land can offer them, dreaming of a simple and happy life, with a plate of food, some sort of roof over their heads and with a great deal of friends.

Neo-Nazi: The Holocaust of Memory / A documentary by Stelios Kouloglou

The film describes all the atrocities that took place in two Greek villages, Kalavryta and Distomo, perpetrated by the GermanNazi army and its Greek collaborators.

Here is the synopsis of the film: “In a series of Greek cities that were destroyed by the Nazis and their Greek collaborators during the German occupation and whose population was annihilated, the Neo-Nazi party won a significant percentage in the recent elections. A film about Nazi crimes is screened at the school in such a town. Do the students know the history of their home town? How can it be that some of their parents voted for the political descendants of murderers? Or did the Neo-Nazis not actually do so well in the elections? A documentary within a documentary about memory and oblivion...”

In the synopsis, Kouloglou mentions a documentary inside a documentary and it is in fact a documentary inside a documentary. A first version, strictly directed to past events in the two Greek villages was shown to students at Dimitou’s school. The final version of the documentary includes the comments and reactions of those students, connecting it this way to the present.

Most of the film does not differ from any other typical II World War documentary, with testimonies of the survivors, with archive photography and footage of the atrocities. What sets the difference in this documentary is that it shows how unfamiliar this subject seems to be for young people in Greece and how this ignorance is related with the growth of Golden Dawn, an extreme right party that keeps on rising in every election in Greece.

Kouloglou chose to make an extremely emotional movie in order to shock and make people relate their feelings to the meaning of the words Fascism, Nazism, Golden Dawn.

This documentary makes a brief but impressive description of Golden Dawn by the actions and speech of its members, which

are filled with intolerance and confusion.

The director points other important subjects.

Mostly the Greek collaborators with the Nazi regime were responsible for the massacres in the villages. Those massacres were impelled by anti-communist feelings and by the need of annihilation of the guerrillas that were trying to fight against the occupation. The Greek people who belonged to these teams were never judged or paid for their crimes. Some of their descendants are nowadays members of the Golden Dawn party.

As a critic to this movie mainly two things can be pointed: the nearly cheap emotional usage of the music in the documentary is dangerous, as it can create a distance from the public, who less and less enjoy this sort of overemotional demand (Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber, also known for being the main feature in the film Platoon was used in 7 minutes of the documentary). The second point is how misleading and poor is the synopsis of this film, that points questions that are barely mentioned in the film. There is a mismatch between the movie and its description, the reason why the viewer could hardly expect to go and watch what, by 90%, a typical II World War documentary is. The name of the documentary refers to the present "A Holocaust of Memory': but most of the film is centered in the past. Also it is mentioned in the film to be bad journalism the fact that most votes for Golden Dawn came from these villages (they come from that region, but not from the villages themselves), but the same misinformation is used as a trigger in the description of the film.

The importance of this film, nevertheless, is crucial in Greece, nowadays. It is important to remind the Greek people what the Nazi occupation has done to the country and how inhuman it was.

This film makes it clear how important it is to reinforce the study of the Nazi occupation in Greek schools and how the study and understanding of History are necessary tools for young people to avoid the repetition of old mistakes and for the decrease of Golden Dawn.

By Ana Maia

THESSALONIKI DOCUMENTARY FEST

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been unemployed for many years, they still have no job, they have lost everything; so they believe in simple things.

People do not trust anymore not only in political parties, but in the whole institutional system. How is it possible? And how is it linked with the crisis?

Greece was living a kind of lie in the past years.

After the Second World War, Greece could not develop as a European country because of the British intervention which did not let the Communist take the power, then there was the Civil War and the Dictatorship. It was just with the fall of the Dictatorship and then with the fall of the Soviet Union, that Greece could develop its economy.

Thanks to the help of European Union and tourism, money was coming and people started spending much more than what they earned. The economy was going well; a lot of cheap workers from Bulgaria, Romania and Albania were coming; so a middle class could develop. Suddenly, with the crisis, everything has fallen down. The people realized that the system was very corrupted and they did use these assets to encourage the real development.

For example, the agricultural industry received many subsidies, but nobody asked for results; so instead of developing quality of production and modernizing it, the farmers used that money for themselves, with the complicity of the political parties. The same happened with the Trade Unions, which were giving jobs to their members. Now, people say that parties and unions did not tell them the truth, but actually nobody wanted to listen to the truth, because everybody was making profits with the system and this system has collapsed with the crisis. People are angry with their politicians, but they were a part of it.

In this extremely difficult context, what is the function of the documentaries?

It is cynical to say that, but crisis is a good thing, because people now have to face the situation as it is. That is why we make documentaries, because we are in love with reality; they could seem objectives, but they are not; it is just a way to see the reality.

Few years ago, we could not make this kind of films, because people did not want to face their fears. This is what I want to make with my films, not to judge but just show the reality as it is. I want to make people conscious about themselves, with their flaws and their qualities.

What are the future prospects for Greece?

A good effect of the crisis was that people understood that they could not afford it alone, so

new solidarity relations were born. You can see it everywhere, even among the film makers; we created an association that did not exist until now.

We make films with no budget, because there are more and more documentaries and less and less money and if we put our forces all together, maybe we can find a solution. Of course, it does not work for the country. For this economic and political problem in a grand scale, I am not very optimistic.

I do not believe in these easy solutions that the populists offer us. Maybe Greece made more mistakes than other countries, but the political and the economic system works nowhere and it is making the common people poorer and poorer, while a small minority is getting richer and richer; but we cannot pay anymore for the banks and one day the small countries will start to refuse these politics, like Cyprus did. You cannot see very well where the crisis is. Many people come to Greece and see the cafeterias full and just a few homeless people on the street, which is something you could not have seen a few years ago. But if you go inside the life of the people, they do not have money and many do not have anything to eat. It is like a building going into the ground; who was living in the fourth floor, now is on the second, who was in the second level now is on the ground and you can see this building collapsing slowly. And about the political class the European leaders are not conscious. They just impose solutions that are not suitable for the everyday life of the common people. It is not tragic yet, but it will become and for many people it will be very difficult, especially for the young generation. I cannot tell solutions and I cannot tell what is going on, but I do not think the situation will get better by itself. Let's create our wealth, and not keep on giving money to the banks, that will not give it to the society. A Greek-French film maker, Marco Gastine was born in Paris in 1952; since 1978 he has been living and working in Athens, where he studied Film Directing. His work is always focused on cities and their people.

For more information you can check the website: hellasdoc.wordpress.com Lisa Ambrosio

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“From The battle of Chile to Europe in crisis: mistakes, precepts and hopes”

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n 21 March 2013, in the frame of the 15th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, there was the Round Table “From the Battle of Chile to Europe in crisis: mistakes, precepts and hopes”.

Based on the work of the director and scriptwriter Patricio Guzmán, who focused his life and career on the experience of Salvador Allende’s Government and the consequences of Augusto Pinochet’s Dictatorship in his country, the discussion concerned the topics of the role of cinema, the importance of historical memory, the importance of Chilean experience nowadays and what Europe can learn from it. This is a brief summary of the discussion between Patrcicio Guzmán and the moderator Dimitris Kerkinòs.

The main topic is how cinema was during Allende’s times...

In the 60’s and 70’s decades, Chile was quite a poor nation: in this country, the lands were badly used, the factories were not developing and many people were living in poverty. In this context, Allende proposed modernizing the country by making changes and reforms, in order to stop poverty and recover basic wealth such as copper, nitrate and steel. Allende wanted to make changes through the law, in a constitutional way. He won the elections with the 36% of votes, one third more or less, and began making these changes. What is surprising is that two years later he gained the 43, 4 % of the votes, which means that he rose almost at the half of the constituency in two years. In these two years the U.S.A. government and Kissinger concretely tried to drown him completely by denying credits and not importing raw materials, in order to leave the country without resources. On the other hand, Chilean bourgeoisie, at least most of it, boycotted the food distribution and supported strikes in transportation, paid by the United States. Truck drivers received five dollars per day for not working.

Although there were not collective transportation, rice, flour, olive oil, heating or any other basic products for living, Allende rose instead of falling.

This situation was extraordinary for me; I could not understand why it was happening, because when a government is under an economical attack, its popularity falls while with Allende it was the opposite. The United States panicked when they realized that Allende was triumphing and this effect could pass to Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. It was a revolution without a civil war and it did not

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destroy the state, so it was easy and possible to join.

It was not a guerrilla, like in Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina, but a democratic process in which it was possible to take part. This represented for me the central cinematographic topic of my life. I am still in it and I will never get out of it. I will be always marked by this time, because it was for me an extraordinary moment of popular mobilization supporting a democratic government. I had never seen the popular solidarity that concretely before.

People understood that they had to unite to fight against the common enemy and support Allende.

This is what I saw, what I lived and what pushed me to take part in this incredible, unique adventure. I think that a country passes through something like this once every century. And this is what happened.

Could you please tell about memory, about its importance nowadays and about what is going on in Chilean society these days?

In Chile there are almost 40% of human rights violation cases that have been closed. The other 60% is missing. You may wonder why the Chilean justice is so slow; nobody knows. Maybe there is no political will to go faster; there was no transaction since its beginning that tried its best to solve the human rights violations issue. We can say that Chile is living settled in an open wound and everybody acts as if nothing has happened; if you ask something about Pinochet’s Dictatorship, people normally answer “I was not here, I didn’t see”. It means that the people do not take responsibility of what happened. This is the situation of Chile, although there are many credit cards, many skyscrapers, Santiago looks like a modern city and in certain places does not even look like South America; it is a nation that lives in pain, because of the lack of justice. I think that memory should play a central role, as it happened in Argentina. I think that memory is not something abstract, something superficial, but something vital, a discovery of the modern world. Twenty years ago nobody talked about ecology, women and LGBT rights, indigenous communities; today all these things exist and historical memory has come too.

It settled in modern society and it is not a “moda” (fashion), but a discovery that we have to keep alive and practice. If a country has memory, everything goes better. With the memory you have a better mood; you can make better business and tourism and have better education. So, it is not something abstract, but something extremely concrete as health or home. That’s what I think about the memory.

Can you explain us what the role of the documentaries is?

I think that the documentaries are very important, because documentary is a genre of alternative information. The state is silent on many things, while the documentary can tell them openly and this role of alternative information in the documentary is essential. Moreover, there are many topics that television does not dare to show, while the documentarian can shoot in the suburbs, in a club, in a group freely. Nowadays, a documentarian can make a very good movie with a quite cheap camera and with a minimum team of two people about every kind of topic and his documentary can have a strong impact on the youth and the universities; you can show what the governments are not doing with a concrete documentary. In Chile, for example, you cannot talk about abortion in any TV channel; you cannot question religion; you cannot question “national heroes”; you cannot question history; you cannot talk about how banks work; you cannot make interviews with football managers. Everything is secret. On the other hand, a small team of documentarians can investigate this forbidden zone and spread information. So, documentaries have an extremely important and dynamic role.

Why is it important for Greece and Europe to investigate Chile’s experience? What can we learn from it?

I think that is very difficult to transfer this kind of political experience to other countries; it is very difficult to export such a unique experience. Allende came to power after one hundred years of activity of trade unions and political and social organizations.

He is the result of different kinds of political, social and cultural work. Thanks to a social stability, which is very rare in Latin-America, institutions were quite stable and, with all this background, Allende proposed a pacific Revolution. I do not know if it is possible to transfer this experience to another country. I think every nation finds its own path. The most interesting thing in Allende is his search of a democratic way, based on consensus and negotiation, trying to avoid institutional rifts that could lead to a civil conflict. Allende tried until the end to join all the democratic forces, in order to avoid a civil conflict. The right-wing wanted the conflict without caring about consequences.

Allende was firmly against this solution; his last measure was a referendum about his presidency to see if he could keep on ruling the country or not and here is when they made the coup d’état, because it

was sure that he would win again. I think what we can learn from this experience is the importance of following a democratic path, based on consensus and negotiation, and of searching a popular solution inside the institutional system.

What can we learn from this experience?

The context is very different; the concrete danger for Europe is an economic and political catastrophe, because it seems that the European Union has no leadership, no political force, not even a structure or shape, and although the time is passing, nobody is fixing it. This is very dangerous. I think that what Europe needs is a popular participation. The only way to solve the problem is participation, because neither politics, nor ministries, nor functionaries, nor governments are doing anything. It is necessary to participate, to demonstrate, to protest and to make a permanent struggle. Without these, everything will remain the same, because everybody is waiting for the state to solve the problems. Even a small assembly like this is important, because it reveals our wish to express ourselves, to speak and tell what we think. The simple fact of talking about these issues is very important and worthy. We live in a very difficult context. Democracy, as it was conceived after the Age of Enlightenment, is not working anymore. We need to change the system, but nobody knows how. Philosophy withdrawn and it is not helping us: we still live under the collapse of the Soviet Union, we have the problem of Israel and Palestine, Iran is making the atomic bomb, etc.

The issues are extremely serious, so we have to meet and talk, because talking is creating and this is the best thing in this assembly. We talked about cinema, but it is more important to talk about what is going on in our world.

Patricio Guzmán Lozanes (born on 11st August 1941) is a Chilean documentary film director.

He is famous with his films such as The Battle of Chile and Salvador Allende. Guzmán also teaches documentary film classes in Europe and Latin America and is the founder and the director of the International Documentary Festival of Santiago (FIDOCS). Currently he lives in France.

Lisa Ambrosio

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P

lato Rivellis is a Greek photographer, teacher and theoretician of Photography. He was born in Athens in 1945.The Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation organized a Seminar of 20 hours on May 1-3, guided by Rivellis, on Photography, comprising debates, analyses, projections and critique.

The exhibition was composed of dozens of photos that regard different subjects. Plato Rivellis is focused on the aesthetical/pure side of photography, meaning he sees each photo is a means of expression itself. By paraphrasing the author, his view will be made clear: “My aesthetic proposals are attempts to reconcile what I see with what I feel and believe. My photographs, the ones I take and the ones I support, hate messages and illustrated concepts. I believe in subtraction and hope for transcendence. But I do not aim at anything. Photography has the gift of its poverty. It is an immaterial image that is reproduced indefinitely and identically in many different ways and by many different means. This is what I attempt to highlight and preserve. I try to avoid anything that would supposedly make it more valuable than it really is.”

“I don’t have anything to say in any picture. My only interest in photography is to see what something looks like as a photograph. I have no preconceptions.”

“Thinking – let’s not forget – is much easier than photography, it is fully compatible with ignorance, and, most importantly, much more accessible to third parties.” The author is influenced by classic photographers such as Robert Frank, Garry Winogrand, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Harry Callahan, Diane Arbus, and he bases his expression on the belief that a photograph has a value itself as a means of expression, independent from a context given by the same or any other media. According to Rivellis, the photograph should be free from the thought, as pure as it can be a simple expression with no message. Looking at his exhibition, besides the notorious lack of space for all the photos, it seemed there was also a lack of an intention from the author. The exhibition, due to the lack of a subject, rises immediately the question of what is or what is not Photography.

The vision of Rivellis contrasts with a contemporary vision of Photography and its role as an artistic expression, which nowadays leads more and more to the existence of a thesis, a line of thought that conducts the artist and leads the viewer towards a certain reading/message. The way we see video/cinema might have influenced this path, creating a need of connection even between still images. The way we produce meaningful communication is linked with the connections we form between images and between audio.

Examples like this: Http://static.publico.pt/docs/sociedade/regressoacabanelas/ are growing more and more common. Here we have an audiovisual document, based on photography, based on the connection between images and how they create meanings and play with the concept of temporality.

(In this project, a photographer returns 20 years after to the same school and portrays the same people in the same places/positions.) The use of photography is prominent in this project, as it is in Rivellis’ photographs, which are mere photography with no mixture of other media. Some call this new trend Para-Photography, a photography which cannot survive on its own, needing words to support it.

These two antagonistic visions over the same subject (Photography) have the power of pulling out these questions: What is photography and what is its role in the society nowadays? Can we compartmentalize Photography and separate it according to its use or aesthetics? What is pure photography and what should it transmit? What is art? Where does meaning and thesis fit in this concept? Does the combination of different media create a new media or a different compartment inside one which already exists?

Ana Maia

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Reggetiko Project You will discover the world of the Experimental Music by meeting some musicians from Thessaloniki who play different genres of music from Rembetiko to Blues on different instruments from the baglamas to the Armenian duduk but who met in a very nice melting point called “Reggetiko Project” here in our interview.

“Our idea is to break the borders and to use our instruments just to express ourselves.” says Theodor, one of the members of the project which is based in Thessaloniki.

Could you introduce yourself?

I am Theodor. I play some chord instruments like baglamas, ukulele and sarangi. Practically I and Francesco Riota started this project “Reggetiko” a couple of years ago when we tried playing and recording music together. Little by little we started playing and recording music with our musician friends.

I have also made the music production and the design of the logo for the project.

What does Reggetiko Project mean?

Reggetiko is a word constructed with two main pillars of the musical stimuli which are Acoustic Reggae and Rembetiko. The idea for the project emerged when I came together with Francesco. You can see these two pillars, Rembetiko and Reggae because Francesco was practically playing Acoustic Reggae and I had more references in Rembetiko.

Rembetiko is a traditional Greek music with a lot of historical background. The main idea of our project is to be like a collective form to express ourselves and to mix different kinds of music like Blues, Reggae, Rembetiko and some Experimental Music in order to communicate with each other. This can only be done by improvising. By improvising we try to create different lines, new ideas about music, and practically to express ourselves not in a common way like it used to be: playing this kind of music, playing a playlist or playing famous songs from famous artists…

How do you combine such different rhythms?

The idea of playing together in Reggetiko project is that we don’t want to use all this kind of limits and borders. It is normal when an instrument like baglamas is connected with Rembetiko. It is normal that when someone listens to the sound of this instrument it is directly a reference to this kind of music. Our idea is that we should break these borders and use the instruments just to express

ourselves. The result is Experimental Music and improvisation as a way of communication between people because first of all we want to communicate with each other using our music. Our philosophy is that some people may like it; some others may say it is too complex, is not so good, it is different or too experimental; but when musicians treat each other by mutual respect and honesty the result at least will be hones. It is what you think, what you imagine when you listen to some music and our idea is to break the limits and then to make a little space for all of us, for all the musicians that participate in Reggetiko to communicate with each other and express ourselves.

How is the Reggetiko Projects evolving?

Reggetiko Project started as a totally acoustic kind of music. The first songs that we recorded were completely acoustic. But for some reasons the people who were around Reggetiko playing music are different now. Because we change from time to time trying to give some more experimental approach to what we do. So, now we are playing along with Socrates who plays the duduk, a traditional Armenian flute and the clarinet and the arghul, a different flute from Egypt, I think.

We are trying to give the Experimental Music and improvisation more space but in a different kind of level using some pre-recorded material and evolving this material and in the live show. This is our idea. So Reggetiko practically now has the same mission and the same sound as it used to have, of course; but it has some more references now and it is evolving.

What are your plans for the future?

We are planning to record that includes all our work so far so that people could listen to our music.

To learn more about the Reggetiko Project and follow the concerts you can visit: www.reggetiko.irec.gr Lisa Ambrosio

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elieve or not throughout the 6 months that I have been in Thessaloniki the biggest problem I had to face was not the integration into the new society or homesickness. Actually I was not able to notice that I had such a big problem- until I got tired of pasta and tuna fish that I always had to eat. You will not believe me if I tell you how many nights found myself in a situation in which felt like crying, even getting and escaping to Turkey think about the food of my mothe in despair. Yes, my bi problem was the lack that kind of complete! perfect dinner with, I d not know, soup, meat ...

When I got so sick and tired of eating pasta always, I asked my Serbian colleague in the office who brings those delicious meals like beans and stuffed cabbage to the office every day if she could bring lunch to me, as well. Of course she could with pleasure.

But the problem did not disappear this way. I, who did not spend a day without eating steak or chicken, turned into a big vegetarian because of halal meat issue. I would not eat the meat of any animal which was not cut with name of the Creator. You can never understand how depressed I was because of this!

Since my roommate is Greek and she knows Thessaloniki very well, I asked her to find me halal meat. She, as well, knew how I was longing for real food and how miserable I was. She was going to find me what I asked for. But in Thessaloniki there is not a big Muslim community, how come we could find halal meat? Eventually, I decided to take action, indeed it was what I had had to do in the beginning. I searched about the standards of the kosher food and the restaurants of the Jewish, who are quite a lot in Thessaloniki. The standards of the halal and the kosher meat were almost the same.

And there were two kosher restaurants which got their certificates from the rabbi in Thessaloniki.

I said hayde, pame (Let's go!) Jewish restaurant!

With my roommate Christina, we were talking to the receptionist of the hotel where the kosher restaurant was, thinking about how strange we would seem to her. Yes, there was kosher food that evening, but probably she did not understand what exactly we wanted and that was why she did that

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most strange thing I have experienced in my life and called the rabbi to the reception to talk to us! The rabbi was a very nice person in his middle ages with a haji appearance. Most probably he was an alien and did not know Greek like me. He welcomed us in a very friendly way. I told him I am a Muslim, I could not eat meat here, but as I understood the standard the kosher meat of the Jewish is almost the me as ours so I could eat kosher meat. rabbi confirmed and he invited to the restaurant upstairs. n the restaurant there was a group of Hebrews s guests instead of us. stina was saying to she was experiencing nmc::>Tning strange that e would never forget in er life and would always tell everyone, looking at my face. I was feeling the same.

Thessaloniki, this hotel, the rabbi, the Hebrews and that kosher meat ... A unique dinner ...

Upon learning there was not kosher food every time in the hotel but they were serving it because there were Hebrew tourists, I said "yes, the Creator is with me!" The dishes were coming one by one. Within our chat, we ate the warm vegetable soup with great pleasure. It was so delicious as if my mother cooked it. After the soup, came our salad, just of my taste, with tomatoes, pepper, lettuce and onions. During the period I spent here unlike what I do in Turkey, I had not eaten one single plate of salad with onions.

Our chat was deepening and while I was having the best time of my life eating my kosher meat, I was telling Christina the beautiful story of the beautiful prophet Joseph, from the veil to the palace.

Christina was asking me why this story is important for Muslims. I explained her all the prophets are important for us as all of them were sent by the/same Creator. When we were eating olJ (a ~p(e desserts with cinnamon, the rabbi came to us tCJask if we li)<ed the f ood and to say goodby~ to us. That evening kosher dinner, the following day synago ue and tblen Ay~e and Christina are Jewish ... I was joking!

While leaving the hotel I was thinking that I should come here frequently and organize an intercultural event there with the volunteers in the United Societies of Balkans, where I am a volunteer, as well, at the present time. Salamaleykum!

Ay~e

Burcu Atabey

Spring Dolma Vegetables (pepper/tomatoes/aubergines) 1,5 cup of tomato sauce Ground beef (0.5 kg) 1 cup of ground rice Parsley (4 tablespoons, chopped) Paprika and black pepper Salt Onions (chopped medium size) Oil Take out the filling from the vegetables in a way to make them hollow. Put the ground beef in a pot, add: rice, parsley, paprika, black pepper and salt; and mix well. Put this mixture inside the vegetables. In a big pot put some oil, and fry the onions. Place the vegetables in the pot, on top of the onions; pour the tomato sauce and half a glass of cold water on the vegetables. Put a plate on top of the vegetables. Close the lid of the pot and cook on low temperature.

Harissa Chicken Wheat (red) 500g Butter Salt Place the wheat and the chicken together in a big pot. Fill the pot with water, so that it covers until the top. Cook this until the chicken is easily removable from the bones (around 2, 5 hours). When porridge is cooked, start mixing the chicken and the wheat with a big spoon until it becomes a sticky mass. During the process of stirring, remove the chicken bones. When all the bones are removed, add salt and let it cook for another 15 minutes. When serving, put some butter on top of the dish.

Have a good appetite!

Spring Dolma and Harissa by Esmarida and Siranush from Armenia Esmarida and Siranush from Gyumri, Armenia, arrived with the same airplane in Thessaloniki one and a half year ago. They came to the city to complete their masters’ degrees respectively in Human Resources and Black Sea Studies. They actually feel home in Thessaloniki, they really like the city, especially Paralia and Kamara. Furthermore, Esmarida says: “The food is amazing and above all, I am a fan of the Greek music”. But when it comes to the Armenian food, they miss it badly. They chose two recipes to present: Spring Dolma with meat; and Harissa, a chicken porridge. The chicken recipe is mostly prepared for Christmas. The Spring Dolma is a part of traditional Armenian cuisine.

Annemiek Schrijver

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articipating countries: Austria, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Turkey Objectives: To explore the concept of passion and its relevance to youth work To support participants to explore and discover their own passions To support participants to connect their passions to their learning To discover one’s strengths and connect them to passion(s) To learn to support other learners in discovering their passions To support participants to implement the outcomes of the course in their daily life What is a passion in life? I have been curious about this topic for many years… The life gave me an opportunity to participate in a course that is related to passion.

A course where you focus your attention on life and you multiply what you have learned in your life…

I had a very long trip to get to the city where the training would take place. First I flew from Thessaloniki to Rome and got the chance to see the beauty of the capital of Italy. It was my 3rd time in Rome, but every time the city seemed different, because I visited the city alone or with different people or in different seasons. Also the experience depends what kind of mood you bring with you.

The city is so ancient and has the honor from the past. I just strolled in the city’s old town streets and tried to feel the ancient atmosphere.

The city pulse with endless people voice and sounds… Sometimes it’s irritating, when you want to rest a little bit. I really liked areas where

there were less people, but it was not easy to find calm places...

Then I arrived in Bari, which is a kind of capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region by the Adriatic Sea in Italy. This city had a very good impression on me because of the very nice architecture in the old town, the beautiful seaside and also the port from where you can take the ferry to other countries such as Albania, Greece and Croatia. I had the chance to explore the narrow streets in the city and I thought it was such a nice city and I even started to think it would be nice to stay more or maybe to live the rest of my life there ...

Finally I came to Leece, surprisingly; I saw that this town also had its own beauty. I couldn't believe my eyes, wherever you go in Italy is nice no matter it is big or small.

Upon my arrival, one of the trainers took me to the convent, the place where nuns live. I had been interested in this place since I knew that we were going to have the training there. Like all the participants, I was thinking that we would not have freedom and we should be very calm in this "house of God"... You could see the church inside of the convent; and crosses and other religious signs everywhere ... It seemed as if we were living in a church. But everything changed when the training started, when they gave us full responsibility and freedom to do what we wanted to do. I thought it was the main reason why the training inspired us to act bravely and why it was so successful.

6 nuns lived in the convent. 2 of them were from Madagascar and had been living there for 8 years already. It wasn't easy to speak with the nuns because some of them were shy, others were maybe busy with their own work and others just didn't know English very well. But some of them had a progressive thinking and they easily interacted, made photos and even shared their contacts on Facebook ... I had the chance to speak with only one nun and it was really nice experience because it was something mysterious and uncovered the veil of secrecy of their life and broke some stereotypes which I had about their life.

The trainers and participants were so special.

Nobody was afraid of showing his/her creativity and enthusiasm in activities. Trainers were also outstanding with very different personalities and all

of them brought something personal to the training, which created very nice atmosphere between the participants.

Once we had an activity- singing an opera, which many of us were afraid of. As for me, I don't have a nice voice at all. But the management of the trainers in this opera activity was very nice and it was very funny, and we realized that we only have borders in our minds. When you start doing something you can become better and better, you just need to start!

Moreover, we had sessions and discussions in small groups about passion and tried to go deeper into this topic every day. We shared our experience, thoughts, believes, opinions about passion and tried to help people to clarify what a passion in life is. We also had time to present our passions in audience and it was so nice to observe what all the participants were doing in their life, and we found out that many of them were musicians, singers, photographers and were doing many other creative stuff. I presented myself as a movie maker.

In the end of the training we had to brainstorm and then choose in which sphere we wanted to work. Composing song, dancing, making flasmob, art gallery, performance, progressive art or creating video ... It was one of the best experiences, because we did this task with a big passion. My group connected some styles - video, song, music and flasmob together. Another day we presented all our work.

We also had a nice small trip to Galipoli in the very South ofltaly.lfyou imagine Italy like a boot, we were in heel. Actually it was a crazy trip during which we interacted with local people; some of us even swam in the sea although it was only 14 degrees. Also we met a train controller, Giuzepe, who was very friendly and wanted to have fun with us. He had just finished his work in the train and came to hang out with us. Also, I liked the situation when 2 Estonian girls tried to get tanned in the balcony, when temperature was a kind of+ 12 degrees outside and I liked the Italian trainer who tried to make photos of them with winter jacket, scarf and with gloves.

Then I took the ferry from Bari to Durres (Albania).

It took long hours to come back because of problems in the port with the other ships. I had very nice experience in Italy.

Teisutis Asmenavicius

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Reviewing Human Rights Education Practice in Youth Work, Pogradec (Albania), 21 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 28 March 2013 I do not want to talk about the importance of Human Rights or the preparation of our trainers.

I prefer to talk about the participants. Why? Because even if the topic is amazing, even if the trainers are the best, if participants do not â&#x20AC;&#x153;participateâ&#x20AC;?, the training course will be a flop.

In the training course there were participants from Greece, from the Balkans and Baltic countries.

Everybody had his/her mind, beliefs and different backgrounds. But everybody was with the will to get in contact with others, ready to question these beliefs and to contribute to the success of the training course.

What does a successful training course mean? Well, there is no formal evaluation. This is the core of nonformal education. In the end nobody takes a mark. But, when people share experiences, ideas and open their minds, this means success.

We were introduced to Human Rights fields, organizations and institutions that protect and promote them. We talked, in particular, about freedom of religion, the Roma and the LGBT rights. And we continued to talk about these topics not only during the session, but also during the meals and in our free time.

We learnt that every country has different point of view about human rights and a different history.

But, we learnt that we feel more European than the previous generation. We are more integrated in the European framework.

Even thought we were all different, we had a common point: we are dreaming and working for a better Europe, for a fairer world.

Michela Gennari

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I’m

just sliding on an imaginary line drawn on our Mother Earth. 40° N. Going East.

Henry Miller is stuck on my mind again. Do you know him? I don’t know him either, I’ve ever met him; but I cannot get his most famous quote out of my mind. It’s chasing me in every step

of my life.

They told me: “In three days you’ll be leaving, pack your stuff! “ Destination: 40° 38’ 0” N. Bene, Vado! “Κανείς δεν μένει χωρίς πατρίδα, όσο θα υπάρχει Θεσσαλονίκη.” (Νικηφόρος Χούμνος) I was going to learn that in a few days.

No doubt about it.

Fate, sometimes plays with you and you recognize it just after. Laughter and smile will appear on your face if you take it just as it is. You move on. You just move. You know you’ll miss your friends but you move. You move for the sake of that hungry soul you bring inside.

I’m coming back to a place I just happened to pass by in November 2011. Few days here on the Greek soil were enough to see the beauty of a culture that has never lost its charm. How many times around Europe, Greek friends have told me “Una faza una raza” [“One face, one race”] with that Greek-Italian accent. That’s more than just a saying, that’s pure truth. Astonishing people and smell of history everywhere, again and more… Clouds of smoke, cozy taverns, sounds and traditions, dancing feet and loud voices… Seems I’ve never moved so closer to my home.

Flashbacks walking downtown makes you take unknown paths unconsciously knowing already where you are going to end up. Mystery of human minds, reality of human life… My life, here and now... That’s nothing more going on through my mind.

I just contemplate the city up from the Heptapyrgion. Blue immense sea after a crowded and indistinct mess of houses and buildings, all spiced up with a stunning sunset that can recharge you in no time.

On these coordinates I just started to let things happen. On these coordinates Mother Earth can feel my steps now. Who knows till when? In the meantime Henry Miller reappears and slowly shows me that new way.

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller Matteo Scarpa

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n 21 March 1960 at least 180 people were injured and 69 were killed when South African police opened fire on approximately 300 demonstrators, who were protesting against apartheid system.

That day, remembered as the Sharpeville Massacre, signalled the start of armed resistance in South Africa, and prompted worldwide condemnation of South Africa’s apartheid policies. That’s why the General Assembly of the United Nations announced this day as the International Day for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

United Nations of Balkans took part in the annual European-wide Action Week, in which thousands of people actively engage themselves for tolerance, equal rights and celebrate the diversity of Europe. This campaign aimed to highlight the issue of racism from a non-governmental perspective on all levels - local, national and European.

So we decided to join this global campaign, but not just for a week but for all the year. Why? Well… because racism is an everyday problem. We have created a FB page: USB against Racism (https://www. facebook.com/pages/USB-Against-Racism/488300917883611?ref=hl) in order to share information about racism, discrimination and prejudice against immigrants, the Roma and the LGBT community. We share there everything: movies, articles, declarations, pictures, news, music… Everything related to this topic…

Our aim is to inform and to make people aware of the existence of these issues and the importance of the inclusion policies in order to overcome them.

Because in the world of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: “Racism continues to cause suffering for millions of people around the world.... I look to all people to join the United Nations in our drive to eliminate racism. We must, individually and collectively, stamp out racism, stigma and prejudice.”

For more info: European Action Week Against Racism (https://www.facebook.com/UnitedActionWeek , http:// weekagainstracism.eu/) UNITED for Intercultural Action - European network against nationalism, racism, fascism and in support of migrants and refugees (info@unitedagainstracism.org, www.unitedagainstracism.org) Michela Gennari

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What is it to be an Asylum Seeker in Greece?

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migrants.

owadays there are more than 2 million foreigners living in Greece. That is a huge amount for a nation of less than 11 million.

The country cannot deal with such a big number of immigrants; the acts of violence towards them are increasing. The report of Amnesty International concludes that Greece is facing humanitarian crisis because of the bad attitude towards the immigrants and the people searching for asylum. Greece is the main entrance for 80 percent of the migrants from Africa and Asia to the EU. There are two sides of the same coin. The asylum seekers have the right to receive asylum and live better life but Greece doesn’t have the capacity to provide them anything.

The recorded attacks are characterized by increased violence and victims report the use of weapons, such as chains, knives and broken bottles during the attacks, as well as the use of large dogs. There is a distinct category of 15 incidents where police and racist violence are interlinked. “Hospitality is a concept Greeks have had since ancient times, but there is a ceiling.” says Athanasios Giakalis, the North Aegean regional governor who oversees Lesbos.

On the other hand Greeks are struggling to come up with a practical, compassionate way to deal with the flow of immigrants but it’s not possible for a relatively poor, relatively small country to accept all of them. The European countries policies seem like they don’t want to accept all those immigrants.

At the moment the asylum and reception systems are completely dysfunctional. The immigrants should be given the chance to leave Greece and to choose in witch country to search for asylum.

The flow of immigrants in Greece is undesirable because it would create pressure on public finances in a time when the country is in deep recession and implement large-scale budget cuts.

Here are the interviews with people living in the reception centre in Greece speaking about the problems that they face and their dreams and plans about the future.

George Diakoronas, the local party chairman mentions that he’s concerned that illegal immigrants and war refugees will bring disease. “What I would like is for them to go back to their countries and leave my country to cope with the situation it’s in.”

The asylum seekers are living in terrible conditions he says. even though they come in search of a better life. The journey to Greece from countries like Afghanistan, The head of the UNHCR Office in Greece, Mr. Syria, Iran, and Somalia is very dangerous. Usually Giorgos Tsarbopoulos, notes: “What we are the refugees come to the on foot. As Greece tightens experiencing today is a return to barbarism, security on its land borders with Turkey, refugees human life’s loss of value, the questioning of the start taking more and more dangerous routes. constitutionally inscribed principles of equality and According to the media in March this year six Syrian non-discrimination, as well as the challenging of refugees, including a pregnant woman and three the rule of law and democracy, by organized attack children, drowned as they tried to reach the Greek groups acting like a state within a state. Therefore, island of Lesbos from Turkey with boat. The refugees by defending the obvious for refugees and migrants are giving all their money to the smuggles to come, (the right to life and human dignity), we defend and they have no money to go back or to go ahead, democratic institutions and human rights of the Greek society as a whole”. so Greece is a trap for them.

Mariam, Algeria USB: When did you immigrate to Thessaloniki?

M.: On 3rd June last year...

USB: Where had you been before coming here?

M: I went to Turkey and then came to Greece. I stayed in Turkey for 10 days.

USB: Did you know anyone here before you arrived?

M: No, I just went to the Greek Council for refugees.

They helped me to go to get a pink card to stay here.

I don’t know any Greek people. People here are too The Greece’s anti-immigrant party Golden Dawn is difficult to get along.

USB: Why exactly did you come here? gaining strength. The racism has escalated in the last years in predictable way, especially in the center of M: If I can, I will move. I will go to Spain. My husband Athens. According to the Greek Center for Refugees had been living there for seventeen years before he (GCR) during the first nine months of 2012 there are returned to Algeria in 2006 because his father was 87 incidents of racist violence against refugees and sick. He cannot return to Spain. Here there is no

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job, no money, nothing.

USB: Do you have documents?

M: It is very difficult to get documents. There are also other people in the camp some of whom have been living here for 5-10 years; but we just have a document that permits us to stay in Greece. With this card you cannot travel. You have to stay in Greece.

The card is in case the police stops you while you are walking on the streets. If you don’t have it, you go to the prison.

USB: How did you learn about the camp?

M: From the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR). My husband was here, because he is sick. GCR helped us with medicines, and gave me a room here. Actually it’s not a room for living; it’s a classroom where the children come to learn. My husband is 47 years old and he has a daughter in Spain. He is divorced. We don’t have money, we cannot rent a house, and the people don’t want to rent a house to refugees.

USB: Do you speak Greek? Do you want to learn it?

M: No. I don’t like this country, I don’t like this language. I want to go out. I have a university degree; I worked in Algeria for the Algerian police for ten years before coming here. I have problems with the family of my husband. That’s why I came; but here is not good.

Zahira, Somalia USB: When did you immigrate to Thessaloniki?

Z: One year ago.

USB: Where had you been before coming here?

Z: I went from Somalia to Syria and to Turkey, and then I came here. I came on foot.

USB: Did you know anyone here before you arrived?

Z: It’s just me and my husband.

USB: Why exactly did you come here?

Z: I want to go to another country. I want to go to Sweden; because here is not good, there is no job.

It’s not good to live here. In Somalia there is a big problem, as well.

USB: Do you speak Greek? Do you want to learn it?

Z: No. Why to study, I don’t want to stay here.

USB: Do you feel any prejudices?

Z: The Greek people don’t speak to the strangers.

When they see the colour of my skin they don’t speak to me.

USB: Do you think that in Sweden it will be different?

Z: Yes, I have friends there, my aunt is there.

USB: How do you want to change your live?

Z: I hope my son Muhammad will live in Sweden.

Greece is beautiful, but there is no job, there is nothing to make a living. If I’m sick I can’t go to the hospital. Greece is good for tourism;but not to live.

It’s good if you have money. I don’t want a lot of money, just enough to live.

Aaseya, Afghanistan USB: When did you immigrate to Thessaloniki?

A: I came two years ago.

USB: Why did you decide to leave your country?

And why did you choose Greece?

A: I have also been to other countries, but it’s very difficult to go from Greece to another country. I don’t have passport; that’s why I’m staying in Greece USB: Where had you been before you came here?

A: I went to Turkey from Iran and then I came here in Greece.

USB: Did you know anyone here before you arrived?

A: Yes, my husband’s cousin lives here.

USB: Did you feel any culture shock?

A: I come from Iran, my parents are from Afghanistan but I haven’t been there. Here is very different from Iran. In Iran it is better than here, it is better if you are a Muslim. Here is very difficult for a Muslim.

When I walk on the streets, the people see me; they say: “She is a Muslim.” They always ask me: “Where are you from?” For me it’s so difficult. But in Iran the police always take the Afghan people. It’s difficult to be Afghan in Iran, I don’t have pin card, it’s very difficult to live in Iran, so we came here, but I want to go to another country, and to live better.

USB: Where do you want to go?

A: I want to go to Austria.

USB: Did you expect Greece to be like this?

A: Greece is very different from the other countries.

It is very difficult for me to live here; the language is difficult and I don’t have a job. I don’t learn Greek. I live here two years but I don’t speak Greek.

USB: Do you have any Greek friends or you stay with the people from the camp?

A: No, I don’t have any Greek friends. I have friends from Syria and mostly from Afghanistan.

USB: Do you have a job?

A: No I can’t find a job because I don’t know the language. My husband doesn’t know Greek, my daughter goes to school, and she understands Greek a little.

USB: Do you feel integrated into the society?

A: The people on the streets always notice me.

When I walk next to the sea they ask me: “Are you a tourist?” And I say: “No, I’m not.”

USB: Do you feel any prejudices? Are the people friendly with you?

A: No, they are not friendly. Maybe some are friendly but too few of them.

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Bahman, Iran USB: When did you immigrate to Thessaloniki?

B: I don’t know, I don’t remember. I think I came in 2003.

USB: Do you feel integrated into the society?

B: I like it here. I feel as Greek now. I have been here for many years and I don’t feel like an immigrant or a refugee.

USB: Do you live here in the camp?

B: Yes. USB: Do you have your documents already?

B: Yes, but my sister doesn’t have.

USB: Do you have a job?

B: Yes I’m a translator from Persian language to Greek.

Philipa Nikolova

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The Roma Conflict The Roma community which is the largest minority in the European Union with their population of 6 million still faces widespread discrimination by the governments and still continues to be victim of violent attacks and hate murders according to the report of Amnesty International.

In conflict with the EU laws such as Race Equality Directive in 2000 which prohibits any ethnic discrimination in the labour, education, access to goods, services, housing and healthcare; EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights in 2009 that covers the same topics as the Race Equality Directive; EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies in 7th April 2011; and the Anti-Discrimination Legislation which was announced decades ago, The Roma community has been subjected to a high level of discrimination in many aspects since the state members of the EU fail to implement the laws.

European Commission, which has all the power, is not willing to take action against the governments that do not implement the laws, according to the report.

The discrimination at extremes The report has shown the extreme level of problems that the Roma community has had to cope with particularly because of the discriminative policies of the governments.

In the EU, eight out of ten Romani people are at risk of poverty and only one out of seven young Roma completed upper-secondary education. In several member states of the EU, The Roma have no access to the basic services such as water and sanitation; they are subjected to racial discrimination in employment; many Roma

children study segregated in Roma-only classes or attend classes with reduced curriculum for students with mild mental diseases; the community are settled in informal, polluted areas and frequently evicted by force of the governments, which are completely against the laws.

Violent attacks justified According to the report, the Romani minority have also been victim of violent attacks to their property including shootings, stabbings and Molotov cocktails; and hate crimes. There have occurred numberless incidents against the Roma in which the governments have totally failed to react. For instance during a violent anti-Roma protest in Hungary, the police did nothing to stop the protesters. In Italy, the attacks against the Romani people were justified by a minister simply by the sentence: “This is what happens when gypsies steal babies and commit sexual violence”.

Conclusion: EU states has to respect laws Decades after the introduction of Race Equality Directive, discrimination against the Roma in Europe is still on high levels. The EU has to stop being stuck in empty words like nondiscrimination and respect for human dignity. The EU states have to obey the international and EU anti-discrimination legislation and the European Commission has to act now to call the states to respect the Race Equality Directive, demanded Amnesty International.

Recommendations The European Commission has to use all its potential power in order to make sure that in each member state: The Roma are not segregated in housing and education.

The Roma are provided with all basic services like water and electricity.

The police and other state authorities prevent and investigate the violent attacks and hate crimes targeting the Romani people.

The community are not discriminated in any other areas like labour, social protection and healthcare, recommended Amnesty International.

How you can contribute Join the campaign “Human Rights here, Roma rights now!” by Amnesty International to call the EU authorities to take concrete action to stop the discrimination.

Visit: http://www.amnesty.org/en/ news/wake-call-giant-eu-mustend- discrimination-againstroma-2013-04-04 http://romareact.org/ newspage http://w w w.coe.int/t/dg4/ youth/News/News/07_Roma_ Youth_Conference_en.asp Who are the Roma?

Arriving from India in the 9th century and have settled around the Europe since the 14th century, the non-homogenous Romani people are a community of various sub groups who identify themselves according to their historic and linguistic differences.

They are called Manush in France, Sinti in Germany and Italy, Kale in Spain and Portugal and Karderash in South Eastern Europe.

And being not ethnically Roma, the Travellers who have adopted an itinerant lifestyle are subjected to the same levels of discrimination.

Ayşe Burcu Atabey

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To be an LGTB in Europe and Balkans During BA.R.CO.D.E. Training Course (Evaluation and Networking of LGBT Organizations) which was hosted by the United Societies of Balkans in cooperation with Thessaloniki Pride in Thessaloniki between 8th and 14th January I had interviews with some of the participants in order to learn more about their organizations, work, and to understand how the situation in their countries is in terms of LGBT rights; and they kindly answered my questions.

Here you are going to find the participants’ answers to my questions about the LGBT rights in their own countries.

How is the situation in your country in terms of LGBT rights and in terms of public view of the LGBT community?

Thanos Vlachogiannis, Greece: Many steps have been taken for LGBT rights but there is still a long road to walk until there is acceptance. In general the Greek society is tolerant, but acceptance is something else; so we should fight for it.

Amarildo Fecanji, Albania: Albanian society is perceived to be largely homophobic. A recent survey has shown that more than 50% of Albanian youth would not be comfortable sharing their building with a homosexual couple as neighbors.

Other studies show that a majority of the Albanian public are not well informed on LGBT rights and have contradictory views. A small minority of Albanians are strongly positioned against LGBT rights. Because of lack of visibility, LGBT people are too much misunderstood.

Leonardo Dongiovanni, Italy: In Italy LGBT people simply have no rights. Almost all the Parliament is right wing, and also in 2008, when we had a left majority; it was very difficult to approve something like a French “PACS”, because of the power and obstructionism of the Church. Luckily the law is on our side, but only the Parliament has the power to approve legislation. In 2012 a law against homophobia was voted two times!

We are in a double dimension, in which the society accept us, but in which our institutions doesn’t recognise our rights.

Adam Puskar, Serbia: It is not easy to answer to this question. Serbia wants to be a member of the European Union and the government applies many laws. We have the measures connected to LGBT community. But the police and the government are

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not implementing the laws.

It is not easy to be an LGBT in Serbia. It is maybe easier in the big cities but I cannot tell the same about the small places. Of course we can do whatever we want in our fore walls, but in the public space we cannot show that we exist. If it was not for the Belgrade Parade, which has been the best example, we could not go to the streets to have a peaceful walk.

Büşra Güden, Turkey: The life in Turkey is really difficult for the LGBT community because most of the people have stereotypes about them. According to the statistical information, Turkey is the second on the list of hate crimes of transgenders after Brazil. But recently more NGOs have been working on this topic and they try to have lobby and make some changes; so it is going to get better, I guess.

Elidjon Grembi, Albania: We have a very conservative community with closed mentality. Things are changing and awareness activities are becoming more popular. But I am quite reserved about it because it really depends on education, the area…

For instance while in Tirana the situation is better, you see higher level of homophobia in small cities.

Florentina Zosineianu, Romania: As far as I know, there are a few NGOs working on this field. And from my point of view, from my academic background, I think people in Romania are open-minded enough towards this subject and maybe it is not hard to work with Romanians. We have a potential. I think LGBT activists can work with this community if they find the right strategies.

Giorgio Buonsante, Italy: Italy is full of troubles and I feel that the worst source of it is the Vatican City. The church influences the state a lot. Also there is no law for LGBT rights. But there are a lot of associations that demolish prejudices and stereotypes about our community. And I believe that people in Italy are open-minded.

Hristo Iliev, Bulgaria: People in Bulgaria do not know so much about the LGBT community. They just see the stereotypical behaviour of singers. We have a singer called Azis and he is not the best example of transpersons so it is not easy to fight against the stereotype demonstration of LGBT. But as far as I am concerned, Bulgaria is not the worst place to be an LGBT because I know that in the world there are some places that people are killed because of who they are.

We have had some changes and in the last ten years the people have been more supportive. Even though there is more to be done, personally I feel fine in Bulgaria with who I am.

Jakup Skorupski, Poland: Since we entered the EU

many things have changed. Although same sex marriages are not allowed and gay people cannot adopt children, it is not a crime in Poland to be a homosexual. The biggest problem about LGBT issue is caused by the politics and the church. Because they are generally negative. But it is just the one side of the medal. The other side is more optimistic.

When it comes to the society they are more open.

Jovan Stalevski, FYROM: Homophobia is on a great level in FYROM because of the effect of patriarchal society, religion and politics. I could say it is not easy for the LGBT to be visible considering these facts.

Leke Salihu, Kosovo: I have just got the first draft results of a survey that was made in Kosovo exactly about the attitudes of Kosovo society towards homosexuality and unfortunately but expectedly the attitudes of the Kosovo society are proved to be very negative. People are equipped with high prejudice towards this phenomenon. But a survey

was something that we did not do before so this is a starting point. As much as it hurts to see that we have a long way to go this is also a challenge and this reminds us we have a lot of work to do. Seeing the survey results, we are going to try and change towards the better equality of life and human rights for citizens of Kosovo.

Radica Hura, Serbia: First of all, we had the years of crisis, wars and it was not a subject that was mentioned so much. Nowadays people are open and trying to learn about the LGBT and criticise everything they knew before. But still there are things to be worked on. We must stand as a society to educate ourselves and to be more open and aware that in Serbia there is an LGBT community that exist in order that we could be visible.

AyĹ&#x;e Burcu Atabey

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A Brief History of International Women’s Day, 8 March The International Women’s Day which is now celebrated all around the world has its roots in the labor movements in the 19th century.

On March 8 in the middle of 1800s in the USA workers of a textile factory went on a strike to protest against the inhuman conditions they had to work in. Upon being attacked by the policemen, they were locked in the factory. They had no chance to escape and because of a suspicious fire, 129 workers most of whom were women died.

In an American Socialist Party Congress in the beginning of 1900s, it was decided to protest for women rights annually on the last Sunday of February.

In 1910, in the International Socialist Women’s Congress, German socialist Luise Zietz and Klara Zetkin, one of the leaders of the German workers’ movement, suggested the celebration of an annual International Women’s Day. The delegates which consisted of about 100 women from 17 countries supported this idea.

In the following year many countries started to celebrate this day.

The United Nations first celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8 during 1975, in the International Women’s Year.

Women Heroes Many women in the history have been fighting for their rights; for creating a better world and a better future for humanity.

Margareth Dourke White, Dorothy Hodgkin, Wangari Maathai…

In order to show respect to the women who have fought and succeeded, and still continue creating miracles, our volunteers made a flashback in history and met some of the “Women Heroes” of all times.

They dedicate their nice drawings to all the women who have struggled for life.

These women achieved…

Why can’t the women of the modern world manage… ?

Ayşe Burcu Atabey

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European Voluntary Service The Youth in Action programme offers young Europeans the chance to make a real difference to the world – and to their own lives – through the European Voluntary Service. The European Voluntary Service (EVS) provides young Europeans with the unique chance to express their personal commitment through unpaid and full-time voluntary activities in a foreign country within or outside the EU. In this way, it seeks to develop solidarity, mutual understanding and tolerance among young people, thus contributing to reinforcing social cohesion in the European Union and to promoting young people’s active citizenship.

Learning for life!

Open to all young people aged 18 to 30, EVS is a true ‘learning service’. Beyond benefiting the local communities, by participating in voluntary activities, young volunteers can develop new skills and, therefore, improve their personal, educational and professional development. Volunteers can benefit from specific training throughout the activity and agree on their expected learning outcomes, processes and methods in advance. Their learning experience is formally recognised through a Youthpass. Participation is free for the volunteers (except for a possible contribution of a maximum of 10% of the travel costs) who also get board and lodging, insurance cover and an allowance for the duration of the project. Special conditions apply to encourage the participation of young people with fewer opportunities. For instance, they can participate as of the age of 16.

Co-operation and friendships A successful EVS project requires close co-operation among at least three key players: a sending organisation, a host organisation and the volunteer. One of the organisations involved in this partnership also plays the role of coordinating organisation and applies for an EU grant on behalf of the partnership.

Organisations perform a number of roles: they identify volunteering opportunities and develop projects that benefit the local community. They also recruit and prepare the volunteers, host them, and ensure follow-up.

EVS activities can be carried out both individually or in group. Up to 30 volunteers can now participate in the same EVS project!

The European Voluntary Service spans a wide range of areas, such as culture, youth, sports, social care, cultural heritage, the arts, civil protection, the environment, development co-operation, etc. One thing all the activities have in common is a clear European and intercultural learning dimension. EVS is a mutually beneficial process, where everybody gains from getting to know the other’s culture.

So… Are you between 18 and 30 and willing to spend from two up to 12 months abroad as an EVS volunteer?

Go to: http://ec.europa.eu/youth/youth-in-action-programme/european-voluntary-service_en.htm

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Workshop Photovoice

On 18 April 2013 in our office started the workshop of Photovoice city, our view. The power of one, the potential of together!" For a period of 2 months, twelve young part•r•'r,,n·rc from the city ofThessaloniki are going to be involved in a photography training course and they going to take pictures of heir city.

Citizens" that highlights the ideal The topic of this workshop is linked with the "2013 European Year ing to be dedicated to the positive of participation of inhabitants in the life of their city. The pictures a and negative aspects and the offered services of this city, the needs the inhabitants, the thin . s that they like or don't like, and mostly how they would like to change their c . The point of view of the articipants and their pictures are the core of this workshop. With the help photographer these youmgsters have starting with the basi rules, going the possibility to learn about the technical aspects of photog towards more difficult aspects and also the ethical part.

The method of Photovoice gives the participants the possibili to express their point of vi w using a very powerful media tool and also to act individually while taki part in a group work to create a collective outcome.

At the end of the workshop we are going to organize results of this work.

hibition in the city to sho

everybody the

We are just at the beginning now. Stay tuned to see ou pictures and to have informa ion about the exhibition!

Stefania Nogara

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Greek Gods and Heroes International Art Exhibition 19 December 2012-30 April 2013 No one can deny the crucial contribution of the Ancient Greeks in the civilization with their development in Philosophy, Science, Arts and their amazing mythology.

In order to reveal the Ancient Greek heritage in both historical and educational context, The Centre of Arts and Culture “Mylos” organized the Greek Gods and Heroes International Art Exhibition under the auspices of the Region of Central Macedonia, inspired by Greek Mythology and History.

Modern statues, sculptures, paintings, ceramics and miniatures were shown in the exhibition.

We as volunteers of USB, did not miss the opportunity to discover the historical values of the Greeks and meet their heroes, and visited the exhibition.

Zeus the “Father of gods and humans” welcomed us as we entered the exhibition.

Then, we admired the inventions of the Ancient Greek Technology: the Ctezibian Watch and Heron’s Intelligence Tap which were invented hundreds of years ago Before Century.

But did the gods disappear? Take your time. We are going to meet all of them.

When we entered the room where the Ancient Greek musical instruments and toys were exhibited, we felt surprised by the fact that these or their modern versions are still used and been enjoyed.

In the room where the paintings of gods and legends were shown, we learned more about the impressive Greek Mythology.

In another room, perfect miniatures of many different ships which the Greeks have been using since ancient times were exhibited. While seeing these miniature ships, we also witnessed the historical wars of the Greeks.

Seeing the ceramic replicas of Ancient Greek vases, we were able to imagine in our mind the daily life of these people who lived thousands of years before us.

In the end, we met the other gods and important figures in the Ancient Greek History and left the exhibition with important knowledge about this civilization.

Ayşe Burcu Atabey

33

Intercultural Events in USB

A

s volunteers of the United Societies of Balkans, we started our new generation intercultural gatherings!

Under the theme of Intercultural Events we are gathering in our houses, on picnics out or in traditional taverns and ethnic restaurants to breathe the unique spirit there and taste the delicacies of different cuisines, of course the food being just the excuse because the friendly companion is amazing among the volunteers!

Our first intercultural gathering took place in a Georgian Restaurant near the Roman Agora in Thessaloniki. Upon the invitation of our general manager and project coordinator Aris Paraschou, we, the Turkish and the Italian volunteers of the USB had the chance to have a dinner in a traditional Georgian restaurant and taste the delicious food of the Georgians along with a friendly chat.

We tried a variety of mezes and salads, the typical Georgian bread and a fizzy drink which is very different from the refreshments we have in the general world because it was green!

Our second destination for the intercultural gatherings was a tavern in the Bit Bazaar, again with the invitation of our general manager, Mr Paraschou. As volunteers from Bulgaria, Lithuania, Italy, Turkey and Greece, we enjoyed so much the different atmosphere, delicious mezes, Greek drinks and traditional music in the Bit Bazaar which has a Turkish name but was actually opened after Thessaloniki became a part of the Greek State.

The Bit Bazaar, a kind of flea market, which was opened to serve the refugees who came from Turkey after the exchange of population between Turkey and Greece in 1920s, still serves as a flea market where you can find unique antiques, old furniture and collective pieces in the mornings. Upon the sunset, the antiques are replaced with old tables and chairs; and the Bit Bazaar becomes a wonderful choice for the youth to have good time, to have dinner and drinks along with the company of the old traditional notes of the Greek Music that they will never forget.

Well, we enjoyed our time in the Bit Bazaar and recommend you to experience the place, too!

The third event took place in one of our EVS houses and the invitation came from two Turkish volunteers, Okan and Ayşe (me!). It was obviously the most enjoyable event for us with our enthusiasm in cooking and the help of our Bulgarian and Greek friends.

We prepared a big dinner which consisted of ten delicious meals ranging from rice to small dishes of mezes and salads.

Balls with red lentils, potato salad with garlic and yoghurt and eggs with sucuk (a kind of spicy meat) were among the favourites. Aris’s mother’s dolma was also delicious!

Now we are looking forward to trying the traditional Bulgarian and Italian food! But no pasta “parakalo” (please)…

Ayşe Burcu Atabey

34

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36

Prologue March 3rd, Bari (Italy)

Gosh! I was finally ready to leave for Greece and I was so sure that I would have been involved in such an amazing and interesting experience! To be more precise, I was sure that the formula languages + interculturality would have given as a result a certain intellectual euphoria... and not only! Infact, I was conscious of the fact that certain sentimental drama could have bursted out...

In a not so far past... Thessaloniki on January

Ermis... A Messenger? He who – sent by the gods – spreads messages, information and knowledge?

However, going beyond these silly definition attempts, I could easily state that, once I met him, I felt “something”, as if he was special somehow; since the very first moment, I saw something different, something intriguing in him.

I knew that all of this could sound extremely banal, but my body, my mind... and “ the organ which takes care of blood irrogation in our physiological system” - also known as heart, my dear enemy – kept on sending me signals that I couldn’t ignore although I would have loved to! These signals were clear and, nevertheless, ineffable, translatable into a stream of consciousness bound the body, an effluvium which inebriated me and involved my ego in all of its totality; talking about these last elements – after this encounter -, its emotional component had been extremely corrupted, infected and hurt ... and not by accident I guess!

Ah! Emotionality... vague word... yet incredible source of chaos! It has always been hostile towards me... or was I towards it? By the way, its ambiguousness and irrationality made me feel indeguate, insecure and unease in front of its immortal deadly army: feelings.

Nevertheless, Ermis could arouse a deaf yell of a lost sensitivity of mine (in the meantime it was confronting and decimating my soldiers of denial) which could define itself as a new-born and censored one. Furthermore, it couldn’t admit to itself even the existence of pleasant but destabilizing sensations tied to the exertion of a dominion – an unaware one? I didn’t have enough tools in order to assert that with overconfidence -, a pure egemony over me, an unbeatable magnetism... relentless, inescapable and deadly.

“Am I able to love?”

Mellifluous question filled with stagnant sentimentalisms, but – although I was totally convinced of this cold criticism – something indefinable in my chest was dragging me towards the opposite direction and, so, to the answer to the dreadful question up above.

I would have discoverd it at a later stage, or maybe not, howbeit in that moment I wished that – even though I hadn’t many certainties and the few of them were staggering – Ermis would have given me the chance to understand, live and listen to that “dark” craving, such a strong yearning, an overwhelming thirst which was finally about to be satisfied.

He was the only one who could be the definitive panacea able to heal the long and concealed agony of my fragmented soul...

Without realizing it, I was completely subjugated to the most intriguing and, at the same time, upsetting query ever known by human beings...

“Am I able to love?”

Giorgio Buonsante

37

Music Festivals Cheltenham International Jazz Festival - Glouchester(UK) 1st–6th May cheltenhamfestivals. com/jazz

Warehouse B1 Thessaloniki Port 10TH THESSALONIKI BOOK FAIR | 16.05.13 – 19.05.13 @HELEXPO International Exhibition Centre Egnatia 154 Thessaloniki

SOS 48 - Murcia (Spain) 3rd – 4th May sos48.com Primavera Sound – Barcelona (Spain) 22nd – 26th May primaverasound. com Rock in Rome 2013 – Rome (Italy) 29th May– 29th June rockinroma. com Field Day 2013 – London (UK) 25th May fielddayfestivals.com 68th Prague Spring – International Music Festival - Prague (CZ) 12th May – 2nd June festival.cz Pfingst Open Air Music Festival - Straubing (Germany) 17th - 19th May pfingstopenair.de Siesta! - Hassleholm (Sweden) 30th – 1st June siestafestivalen.se Love Saves Sunday Bristol (UK) 26th May lovesavestheday.org/lineup Territorios Sevilla , International Music Festival 13 - Sevilla (Spain) 17th – 18th May territoriossevilla.com BeatPatrol 2013 - St. Polten (Austria) 30th – 1st June beatpatrol.at Film Festivals Fantasy Film Festival of Bilbao - Bilabao (Spain) 3rd-10th May fantbilbao. net/Fant2013

TOURISM FESTIVAL OF THESSALONIKI | 16.05.13 – 19.05.13 @ Thessaloniki Port, Dock A Trento Film Festival - Bolzano (Italy) 1st – 8th May trentofestival.it

Queimas das Fitas – Porto (Portugal) 5th – 11th May semanaacademica.pt

Milano International Film Festival – Milano (Italy) 8th – 18th May miff.it

Accidental Festival – London (UK) 9TH – 12th May accidentalfestival. co.uk

Festival de Cannes – International Film Festival de Cannes (France) 15th – 26th May festival-cannes. com Documenta Madrid (Spain) 5th – 12th May documentamadrid.com Madeira Film Festival – Madeira (Portugal) 15th – 21st May madeirafilmfestival.com Vienna Independent Shorts – Vienna (Austria) – 28th – 2nd June viennashorts.com 10th Planet Plus Warsaw, Wroclaw (Poland) 10th – 18th May planetedocff.pl Europe and Traditions Festivals Festival d’ Europa – Florence (Italy) 7th – 12th May festivaldeuropa.eu

Semana Academica – Lisbon (Portugal) 15th – 18th May semanaacademica.pt/ lisboa-2013-cartaz RegiOO XI Festival – Tartu (Estonia) 15th – 19th May tartu.ee/regioo/festival/en Fairytail Festival The Power of Fairytail – Haapsalu (Estonia) muinasjutt.haapsalu.ee Thessaloniki Events May 2013 AEGEON “THE BIRTH OF AN ARCHIPELAGO” | 19.02.13 – 30.05.13 @NOESIS - Science Center & Technology Museum 6th km Thessaloniki – Thermi I HAVE A DREAM | 29.03.

13 – 31.05.13 @Contemporary Art Center of Thessaloniki

WORKSHOP “EXPLORING NEW DIRECTIONS FOR DECISIONS IN THE INTERNET AGE” | 29.05.13 – 31.05.13 @University of Macedonia Egnatia 156 Thessaloniki 2ND GYPSY JAZZ FESTIVAL, DJANGOFEST | 19.05.13 @ Block 33 26is Oktovriou 33 Thessaloniki time 03:00 – 11:00 INTERPRETING A CULTURAL WALK: | 17.05.13 – 19.05.13 @Venizelou street Thessaloniki RE:ACT VOL II art inter[e] actions | 17 & 18 May 2013 @Block 33 PERSONAL GROWTH SEMINAR | 25.05.13 @ YMCA Time 10.00 - 15.00 The Municipality of Thessaloniki organizes as series of free guided tours at the city’s temples and monuments. | 16.05.13 @Thessaloniki Time 13.30 thessaloniki.gr

Matteo Scarpa

38

SOURCES Page 4 Photo from Thessaloniki Documentary Festival

Page 20 Photo by Matteo Scarpa

Page 5 Photo from Thessaloniki Documentary Festival

Page 21 Logo by Ana Maia

Page 6 Photo from Thessaloniki Documentary Festival

Page 22 Photo by Ana Maia

Page 7 Photo by Thodoris Mrkou

Page 23 Photo by Ana Maia

Page 9 Photo from Patricio Guzman Official Website or patricioguzman.com

Page 24 Photo by Ana Maia

Page 10 Photo from corporacionculdoc.wordpress.com

Page 25 Photo by Ana Maia

Page 11 Photo by Ana Maia

Page 26 httpcorreodelasculturas.files.wordpress.com201009roma_arrest.jpg

Page 12 httpi1.sndcdn.comavatars-000040205202-oqs5s3-crop.jpg9556ac0

Page 27 httpdribbble.comshots193746-Pride-Flag-iPhone-Wallpaperattachments3160

Page 13 Photo by AyĹ&#x;e Burcu Atabey

Page 29 Drawings by Michela Gennari

Page 14 Photo by Ianyan Photo from Where the Food Is

Page 31 httpwww.iconhot.comiconpngaperture-amp-light-room512aperture-4.png

Page 15 Photo from Municipality of Edessa

Page 30 European Commision

Page 16 Source Municipality of Edessa

Page 32 Photo by Stefania Nogara

Page 17 Teisutis Asmenavicius

Page 33 Photo by Stefania Nogara

Page 19 Photo from facebook.com/ismail.sehic

Page 34 Photo by Stefania Nogara

stay tuned usb-onair.gr