VOICES November 2020

erasmus+

chan opinion

chances voices

ew ki culture ing

lism

MAGAZINE FOR ALL YOUNG PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD

om culture eportage

stor

science

november 2020

love peop

cultu

free

Editorial

Едиторијал

Don’t you think happiness should be found on every leaf of the Tree of life? Our team recently grew up, as we happilly welcomed new volunteers along with their enthusiasm and refreshing writing talents. Are you up for traveling the world and the seven seas? We will make you travel far away, to beautifully diverse Indonesia. Then, we explain the backstage of the sales and other kinds of Black Fridays as we bring the dirty reality of the fashion industry into the spotlight.

Нели мислите дека среќата треба да се најде на секој лист од„Дрвото на животот“? Нашиот тим порасна неодамна, имајќи предвид дека со задоволство ги пречекавме новите волонтери, нивниот ентузијазам и талент за пишување. Дали сте за патување низ светот и седумте мориња? Ние ќе ве натераме да отпатувате далеку во прекрасната и разновидна Индонезија. Ќе ви ја објасниме позадината на продажбите и хистеријата околу Црниот петок, а валканата реалност на модната индустрија ќе ја донесеме во центарот на вниманието.

Once you are more aware of the consequence of being trendy, board a spaceship to discover the possibilities of life on Venus... Back on Earth, young activists from Skopje are striving for the cleaner Macedonia and somewhere in Africa the great green wall of trees is rising. Let’s go to see beyond the tough weather of the United Kingdom and have an insight into a pretty long life journey to magnificent Tuscany. Or should you travel to the dream world instead? And when you return to reality, you can learn more about the passion for languages, socialization across Europe and about one very important figure from the United States that inspired many girls in the world.

So much to discover... We hope that this November journey will be enlightening and inspiring and that somewhere on the way through the next pages you will meet the happiness.

Voices team

Откако ќе бидете повеќе свесни за последиците од тоа да бидете „тренди“, качете се на вселенски брод за да ги откриете можностите за живот на Венера ... Назад на Земјата, млади активисти од Скопје се стремат кон почиста Македонија, додека некаде во Африка расте прекрасниот зелен ѕид од дрвја. Ајде да видиме подалеку од тмурното време во Обединетото Кралство и да ѕирнеме во долгото животно патување во прекрасната Тоскана. Или наместо тоа, да патувате во светот на соништата? И кога ќе се вратите во реалноста, можете да дознаете повеќе за страста кон јазиците, социјализацијата низ Европа и за една многу важна личност од САД што инспирираше многу девојки во светот. Толку многу за откривање ... Се надеваме дека ова ноемвриско патување ќе биде просветлувачко и инспиративно и оти некаде на пат кон следните страници ќе ја сретнете среќата. Тимот на „Воисес“

This edition is supported by the City of Skopje Ова издание е поддржано од Град Скопје

VCS DIRECTOR: Nikola Stankoski

EYE: Ewelina Chańska

COORDINATORS: Andrej Naumovski Goran Adamovski Goran Galabov Selina Niemi

VOLUNTEERS: Jules Striffler Dogukan Sever Kirsi Suomi Lucile Guéguen Paul Janiszewski

WRITERS: Lorena Cardoso Mathis Gilsbach Rute Cardoso Sascha Schlüter TRANSLATORS: Kristina Stamenova Besmira Ibraimi

DESIGNERS: Selina Niemi Ewelina Chańska Kirsi Suomi Jules Striffler Dogukan Sever Lucile Guéguen Paul Janiszewski Mathis Gilsbach

CONTACT: Volunteer Centre Skopje Emil Zola 3/3-1, 1000, Skopje +389 22 772 095 vcs_contact@yahoo.com www.vcs.org.mk

Voices magazine is coordinated, designed and created by ESC and local volunteers with support of Erasmus+ program.

content

VOICES November 2020 - issue 11

topic of the month 4

Money does not make the poor happy

Paul Janiszewski

28

Парите не ги усреќуваат сиромашните Пол Јанишевски

culture 6

10

Indonesia, the land of unity in diversity

Lucile Guéguen

A kingdom united in its fascinating beauty Jules Striffler

interview

8

12

Еко-свеста ќе се разбуди со едукација и со казни Горан Адамовски

Queen of the viola

Dogukan Sever

6

reportage

11

14

18

Chi va piano va sano

Jules Striffler

Lessons from Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Lorena Cardoso

Dream or reality?

Paul Janiszewski

19

Kirsi Suomi

The Great Green Wall

20

Mathis Gilsbach

24

How the Internet can help us deal with social distancing

26

From Passion to Profession: A language story about Lindsay Williams

Rute Cardoso

The true colors of fashion

16

Lucile Guéguen

science

16

Can there be life on Venus? (ЕNG & ALB)

Selina Niemi

erasmus+ 22

Сега е секогаш вистинското време. Интервjу со Невин Канзо Горан Галабов

opinion 30

Socially Distant

Sascha Schlüter

18

topic of the month

Money does not make the poor happy - Coluche 4 - VOICES

тема на месецот

I was born in one of the richest countries in the world. I have everything I could wish for: Hot water under a waterproof roof, a loving family, daily education, technology, ease of living, transportation, as well as everything that modern comfort can bring. Overnight I found myself in a quite different country from what I have known for a long time. Some people might describe it as less good, others as warmer, but maybe it's just a way of thinking?

I

t is now four days since I arrived in Macedonia. I could have noticed at first the flayed roads, the buildings in suspension, the stray dogs. But there was something stronger, more alive, more real. The children's cries of joy resound on the balcony of my apartment, the chestnuts falling on the sheet metal roof create a harmonious symphony and the hubbub of the discussions mixed with the smoke from the barbecue announces evenings full of smiles.They looked just as happy as a country that economists call "rich".

I wondered if all this was comparable to the gingerbread house from the Grimms brothers' tale: appetizing on the outside but horrible on the inside; or like the buildings, somewhat dilapidated.

Researchers have asked a question whose answer seems obvious: what do you prefer to increase happiness? Earn $314 million or become a paraplegic?

Despite what people think, one year after winning the jackpot or becoming paraplegic, the data show that the level of happiness of both groups is the same.

There is a concept called hedonic adaptation which is the observed tendency of humans to quickly return to a relatively stable level of happiness despite major positive or negative events or significant changes in their lives.

According to this thesis, when a person earns more money, expectations and

desires jointly increase, which does not lead to any permanent gain in happiness. You quickly return to your original level of happiness, you think you are on the road to happiness, but you are on the road like a treadmill.

If an event, positive or negative, happened more than three months ago, then it will have no impact on the happiness scale. Why not? Because happiness can be manufactured.

There are two different types of happiness: - natural happiness: that's what you get when you get what you want.

- fabricated happiness: this is what you make when you don't get what you wanted.

In our society, there is a strong belief that manufactured happiness (that of people who have become paraplegic) is inferior to natural happiness (that of people who have achieved their goal of winning the jackpot), which is false.

In other words, the human being has the ability to create the happiness that will be just as authentic and lasting as the one we get when we get what we want.

There are a lot more psychological or philosophical things to say about happiness, too studious, belonging to the adult world. I would like to dwell on the little joys that I hope were able to fill our childhood, your childhood, when carelessness reigned and each

discovery generated bursts of joy because childhood should only be a continuous pursuit of happiness... I have made a non-exhaustive list that you can of course complete: - the first snows that covered the trees, the roofs, the clothes with white; - running through the rain and jumping into puddles with the rain boots; - the multicolored merry-go-rounds with jovial music in the parks; - slip under a plaid with hot chocolate when it rained; - the walks along the river in Lusignysur-ouche with the grandparents; - gifts for the hospital Christmas; - Sundays at grandparents' homes…

The birds sing when pink, blue, white and yellow flowers arrive. Children play, stumble and grow by crossing the sun's rays. The smoke from my cigarette flies away to inaccessible paradises and I stay there, admiring these amazing landscapes. It is one of those days when everything is beautiful.

Adults also need to go back to childhood sometimes.

Paul Janiszewski Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedonic_ treadmill https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=2TSgU6Vjfqw&t=536s https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=4q1dgn_C0AU

VOICES - 5

culture

1

2

Did you know that Indonesia has the most populous island in the world? Java, the main island, hosts over half the country's total population of 270 million people for a land area of around 130 000 km². In other words, it means that over 135 million people live in an area as big as Greece.

The capital city, Jakarta, is a bustling cosmopolitan city where traditional Indonesia meets the modern world.

I

ndonesia, literally meaning “Indian Islands”, is a country located in Southeast Asia, lying between Malaysia and Australia. Sitting on the “Ring of Fire”, an area of frequent seismic activity that circles the Pacific Ocean, the nation experiences a high frequency of earthquakes and ranks among the top three countries having the highest number of active volcanoes on Earth.

The archipelago has always appealed to merchants from across the globe: Indonesia was successively colonized by the Portuguese, French, British, Dutch, and Japanese. The Maluku islands (eastern Indonesia) are the homeland of some of the most

7

Indonesia, the land expensive and luxurious spices in the world, such as cloves, mace, and nutmeg. It thus comes as no surprise that these islands were formerly called the Spice Islands. These commodities were mostly sold by Chinese and Arab traders. Europeans have always dreamt of having direct access to spices in order to dominate the spice trade; thus, they sent expeditions to find their source.

The Dutch are the ones who managed to colonize the majority of the territory and stayed the longest. The colony was then named the Dutch East Indies.

During the Second World War, Japan conquered the Dutch colony and occupied it for three years. Indonesia declared its independence in 1945.

Today, the world’s fourth most populated country is mostly known as a tourist destination for its white-sand beaches. Actually, most people know more about Bali than Indonesia itself.

Though, Indonesia is a heterogeneous country made up of diverse cultures, ethnicities, and religions. The world’s largest archipelago comprises more than 17 000 islands, each island having its own unique mix of languages, religious practices, dances, cultural traditions, and cuisines.

Indonesia’s main religion is Islam: the country has the largest Muslim

8 6 - VOICES

3

population in the world - approximately 87% of the total population. The sound of adhan, the Islamic call to prayer, is part of daily life; polygamy is also permitted: Muslim men can take up to four wives. The province of Aceh (north-western part of Sumatra island) is an exception to the country’s promotion of moderate understanding of Islam since it is the only region where Sharia law, or Islamic law, is officially practiced. Despite some occasional religious conflicts, Indonesia is often seen as a model in terms of peaceful coexistence among diverse religious and ethnic groups. Even the national motto “Bhinnekka Tunggal Ika” (literally meaning “Unity in Diversity”), advocates the commitment to national unity. In total, the government officially recognizes six religions: Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.

Indonesian citizens must choose one of the six official religions as atheism is illegal. Bali is the only Hindu-majority island whereas most eastern islands are Christian.

The numerous colonizations that occurred over the centuries have highly influenced the national language, Bahasa Indonesia (literally meaning the “Language of Indonesia”). Indonesian is one of the only Asian languages that

9

култура

4

5

6

of unity in diversity use the Latin alphabet. It has absorbed many loanwords from several languages, including Dutch, Sanskrit, Chinese, Arabic, Portuguese, and English. For instance, the Indonesian words zaitun (olive), nikah (to marry) and mungkin (maybe) respectively come from the Arabic words zaytūn, niika and yumkin; gereja (church), mentega (butter) and sepatu (shoe) respectively come from the Portuguese words igreja, manteiga and sapato; ambah (handicraft), pabrik (factory) and wortel (carrot) respectively come from the Dutch words ambacht, fabriek and wortel. Although Indonesian was adopted as the national language at the beginning of the 20th century to unify its people, only a small part of the population speak it as their mother tongue. Hundreds of regional languages are still spoken throughout the archipelago.

their original color and when the wax is boiled out, the contrast between the dyed and undyed areas gives the pattern. Originally used in Java, batik can be found in several countries, such as Malaysia, India, Nigeria, and China.

The country boasts the second-highest level of biodiversity in the world. The Southeast Asian nation is home to the largest orangutan and Komodo dragon population. Rafflesia, the biggest and heaviest individual flower on Earth, is a rare sight that can be spotted in the rainforests of Southeast Asia. It blooms from three to five days only; it can measure up to over one meter in diameter and weigh between 9 to 12 kg. The largest Rafflesia flower ever recorded was found recently in a West Sumatran forest. The locals often call it “the monster flower”.

Indonesia also has the most expensive coffee on the planet: Kopi Luwak. Even more interesting, the coffee beans are made from poop! Kopi Luwak is a coffee that consists of partially digested coffee cherries, which have been eaten and defecated by a civet.

This fermentation process makes it one of the rarest and most unique coffee in the world. Would you like to try?

Every 2nd of October, Indonesians commemorate the National Batik Day. Batik is an Indonesian traditional method of wax-resist dyeing and decorating fabric. The term batik is thought to be derived from the word ambatik which means “a cloth with little dots”. The wax is applied to a white or colored fabric using a canting (pen-like tool) or brush. The applied wax resists dyes. The waxed areas keep

10

Photos: 1. The concrete jungle of Jakarta.

2. Old man wearing the colors of the Indonesian flag.

3. Beautiful beach in Lombok island.

4. Rafflesia, by Henrik Ishihara Globaljuggler, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

5. Indonesian girl wearing hijab, the Muslim headscarf.

6. Asian palm civet.

7. Kawah Ijen, the world’s largest acidic lake, located in eastern Java.

8. Balinese dancer.

9. Curug Cikaso, one of the numerous waterfalls in Java island.

10. Indonesian women making batik.

11. Canting, pen-like tool used to make batik, by Rusydi Usman.

12. Batik fabrics, by Agus Setiawan.

Background photo: RXerself, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources: http://www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/ countries_regions/idn/IDN-CP_eng.pdf http://nlc.narotama.ac.id/2014/02/03/ rafflesia-arnoldi/

Lucile Guéguen

11

12 VOICES - 7

interview

ЕКО-СВЕСТА ЌЕ СЕ РАЗБУДИ СО ЕДУКАЦИЈА И СО КАЗНИ

ИНТЕРВЈУ СО „ЗА ПОЧИСТА МАКЕДОНИЈА“ Се појавија без голема врева, но за кратко време нивните акции за чистење на природата предизвикаа големо внимание во јавноста. Добија одлични критики и висок одзив за партиципација особено меѓу младите. Препознатливи се како членови на неформалната група „За почиста Македонија“, иницирана како дел од проектот: „European Youth at the frontlines of active citizenship: A Roadmap towards a collective South-North-East-West Momentum”, организиран од Волонтерски Центар Скопје, а поддржан од Европската комисија преку програмите „Ерасмус+“ и „Европските млади заедно“. Петар Стевановиќ, Марко Гапо, Влатко Владевски и Камелија Костовска говорат за „Воисес“ зошто македонските граѓани се однесуваат неодговорно кон животната средина и како да се промени таквиот начин на размислување.

8 - VOICES

Петар, голем број волонтери, активисти и ентузијасти се приклучија во „чистките“ што ги организиравте на Водно, Козјак, Пешти... Значи ли тоа дека, сепак, кај младите постои свест за хигиената и одржување чиста околина? Не можам да кажам дека сите се одговорни, се грижат за природата и сакаат да ја уживаат чиста, но од кога ние почнавме да споделуваме како се грижиме за природата и како може секој на некој начин да придонесе, изненадувачки голем број млади се приклучија кон нашите онлајн екокампањи, а потоа и при самите акции. Тоа покажува дека младите сакаат да направат промена, но можеби се плашат да почнат сами или имаат други изговори. Ме радува фактот што почнува нешто да се менува во врска со загадувањето, бидејки доколку останевме единствено да коментираме преку интернет - ништо немаше да се смени. Марко, генералниот впечаток е дека како земја и како народ воопшто или многу малку посветуваме внимание врз животната средина, загадувањето, ѓубрето и сметот со кој ги затрупуваме природните убавини. Зошто е тоа така, дали станува збор за менталитет, некултура, непостапување на институциите, неказнивоста и немањето страв од санкции...? Постојат повеќе фактори кои влијаат на ова однесување. На пример, местото е веќе загадено со ѓубре. Кога се наоѓаат во средина која е веќе прилично полна со остатоци од ѓубре, луѓето чувствуваат помала одговорност или грижа на совест доколку и тие допринесат во ѓубрето. Самото присуство на расфрлани отпадоци, на некој начин дава чувство на нормалност во фрлањето отпадоци било каде, односно доведува до размислување како: ’Кога веќе е толку загадено, што ќе смени уште едно ѓубренце?’, или:, ’Ѓубриња има насекаде, џабе ќе се мачам моето до канта да го носам’,

па: ’Што ќе се замарам, кога сите други фрлаат каде што ќе стигнат’ и слично... Од друга страна, на место каде што нема ниту еден отпад, многу помали се шансите некој да се осмели да биде првиот што ќе ја наруши чистотата. Колку почиста е околината, толку поголеми се шансите да остане таква, а нејзиното одржување е наша заедничка одговорност. Втора причина е немање канти за отпад. Некои луѓе своето несовесно загадување го оправдуваат со фактот дека немале канта во близина, па немале избор освен да го фрлат на земја. Иако тоа е реален проблем, не го оправдува несовесното загадување. Исто како што секојдневно со нас носиме лични предмети како мобилен, клуч, ранец - така и отпадот што попатно го создаваме е наша лична сопственост и одговорност и треба да се погрижиме да стигне до таму каде што му е местото, односно да го носиме нас додека не најдеме соодветно место каде што ќе го фрлиме. Трета причина е менталитетот. На некои луѓе едноставно не им е грижа каде го оставаат своето ѓубре. Ова може да произлегува од повеќе фактори: недостаток на домашно или образовно воспитување, неоформено чувство на одговорност кон средината и кон природата, влијание на врсниците односно фрлање ѓубре како другите околу нив заради припадност, нивното ѓубре не го сметаат за ѓубре. Ова е најчеста појава кај повеќето пушачи кај кои постои една ’нормалност’ околу фрлањето пикавци на земја. За многу пушачи, фрлањето на остатокот од цигарата е само дел од рутината и не го сметаат за загадување или мислат дека брзо ќе се разгради. На пикавците им е потребно до неколку години да се разградат, а бидејќи секојдневно се фрлаат во голем број - тие секогаш се присутни и многу тешко се собираат. Пикавците се најбројниот отпад во светот. Дел од луѓето сметаат дека ѓубрето не е нивен проблем и оти некој друг

интервју ќе го собере. Или, пак, едноставно не им е гајле. Колку повеќе луѓе се освестуваат околу своето влијание врз средината, толку помал ќе е и бројот на луѓе со претходно наведениот начин на размислување. Кога популацијата на свесни граѓани ќе стане мнозинство - тогаш фрлањето ѓубре каде што треба ќе стане новото нормално. Влатко, искуствата говорат дека македонските граѓани ги менуваат своите навики штом стапнат во некоја друга земја, па макар и туристички. Тогаш, не фрлаат зад себе остатоци од храна, амбалажи од пијалоци и шишиња, не го фрлаат ѓубрето пред зграда и не го оставаат во лифт, не се паркираат на зелени површини... Зошто така не се однесуваат и во сопствената земја? Точно е дека македонските граѓани во странство повеќе ги почитуваат правилата во поглед на екологијата и фрлањето ѓубре во природата. Тежок е одговорот на вашето прашање, но со сигурност можам да кажам дека свеста не е на задоволително ниво. Вината не можеме целосно да ја префрлиме на државата, бидејќи таа има своја регулатива и санкции во тој поглед, но да бидам искрен - во пракса не е баш така, дотолку повеќе што и свеста на граѓаните не е на некое завидно ниво. Решението го гледаме во зачестени инспекции и во изрекување на санкции - глоби. На тој начин, стравопочитта што ја имаат

во странство би се префрилила и кај нас. Сепак, мислам дека пресудна е стравопочитта кон државата во која се наоѓаат. Во странство веројатно не сакаат или се плашат да го реметат мирот што го има државата, додека кај нас нема ред, па граѓаните се прилагодуваат на безредието. Камелија, колку акциите како вашите влијаат генерално врз будењето на свеста кај граѓаните, или, пак, резултатите траат само еден ден или недела, односно до следната тура „вљубеници во природата“ што зад себе ќе остават нови количини ѓубре? Секако дека влијаат позитивно и се сретнуваме со сѐ повеќе луѓе кои прашуваат кога ќе има следна чистка за да се приклучат. Некои дури и го продолжуваат синџирот на дејствување со почести мини чистки во природа. Воглавно има два типа на луѓе: првите се во фаза на будење на свеста - тоа се луѓе со желба за промена, но сепак инертно се движат низ промената чекајќи некој друг да ги поттикне во акција; вториот тип не се воопшто свесни - тоа се луѓе кои воопшто не ни размислуваат за последиците од несоодветното складирање и третирање на отпадот. Сепак, надежта последна умира, нели? Решението го гледам во едукација на сите возрасни групи, казни за загадувачите и поголема ажурност на институциите за комунална хигиена и паркови и зеленило.

Ќе ве прашам за заеднички одговор. Вашите активности наидоа на поддршка и во јавниот и во приватниот сектор. Кои се вашите поблиски и подалечни цели? Сега, откако добро ја „снимивте“ ситуацијата на терен и ги запознавте сите искушенија и проблеми што, веројатно, се повторуваат од акција во акција, ја имате ли приближно истата мотивација како и при формирањето на групата - да ја направите Македонија поубаво и почисто место за живеење? Нашите цели се да станеме влијателна организација која ќе се грижи за чистотата во Македонија со тоа што ќе организираме еко-акции каде што е потребно, а подоцна би доставувале барање до надлежните институции заедно да изнајдеме решенија како да го стопираме понатомошното загадување, би работеле на развивање на свеста кај најмладите за тоа колку е важно да се чува природата чиста, но и како да се справуваат со отпадот што го создаваат. Сега, повеќе од било кога, имаме мотивација, желба и верба да продолжиме понатаму во нашата цел и да промовираме активно и одговорно однесување на планина или било каков престој во природа. Горан Адамовски

VOICES - 9

culture

A kingdom united in its fascinating beauty The diversity which can be observed throughout the United Kingdom is in my opinion truly breath cutting.

From the splendid sceneries surrounding the prestigious University of St Andrews to the eclectic neighborhood of Camden lock in London on the one hand and Clifton Suspension Bridge on the other hand near Bristol and Wales, there are plenty of opportunities to be amazed on a daily basis and regularly renew your to-do list.

I

firmly encourage you to take a step back and see beyond the harsh weather and unleash the insane potential of these islands.

Having in mind how tough British weather may be from time to time, it might be better to actually take a couple of steps back to be on the safe side. Once this is done, you will experience a whole world of wonders. Thanks to the attractive reportage “Français du bout du monde (French nationals of the World’s ends)” proposed by the TV channel France 2, you can get a glimpse into a new spot.

At the crossroad of the Atlantic ocean and the North sea, you will find the beautiful Shetland islands located in Northern Scotland.

Why not go there and take a swim with a seal?

Forget Londonian Heathrow and Gatwick airports, instead, have you heard of Barra airfield?

This is “a short-runway airport situated in the wide shallow bay of TraighMhòr at the northern tip of the island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, also in wild Scotland.

This airport is unique, being the only one in the world where scheduled flights use a tidal beach as the runway.”There might be no V.I.P. room, but you will for real be astonished by the amazing scenery! By the way, as say the Red Hot, this is not 100% accurate.

Indeed, in addition to what is said in another TV reportage cited below, there is a similar landing ground located in the wild Fraser Islands, in the Australian state of Queensland. Once you have arrived, you can board a boat and go and adrift with playful dolphins.

Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIYBm4DuRxw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3otEfulFOQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiiub-r8EZM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58BZV24i4hI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jaUknD_p1U

10 - VOICES

Also, I definitely invite you to board a train in magnificent Edinburgh heading to Mallaig, where you can go to the beautiful and hopefully not rainy Isle of Skye. On the way, you will pass by Glenfinnan and some of the settings you can see in the Harry Potter movies. With a bit of luck and your fingers crossed, you will not come across You-Know-Who. Should you be a very loyal Harry Potter aficionado, it’s up to you to leave behind the regular service and jump into an old-school steam train using the same locomotive you can see in the movies. So, ready, steady, go!

Jules Striffler

reportage култура

The singular story of the month: Chi va piano va sano On the one hand, instantaneity is sometimes seen as a way of life.

On the other hand, some people decide to go off the beaten track and decide to act following a more slow-living pace. Let’s travel to the heart of breath cutting Tuscany to discover how this paradigm could be put into practice.

T

he magazine Courrier International enlightens us with a unique story. Once upon a time, there was a man who enrolled at university in 1969 in the transalpine wonder Firenze and who graduated no sooner than 50 years later. His life path illustrates actually pretty well

the saying “patience is a virtue”.

Studying a field as moving as the economics and business over such an extended timeframe certainly brings an enriching perspective and provide you with an opportunity to gain an insight into the developments in these fields over the years. So now, in the aftermath of getting acquainted with such a unique journey, we could tend to think that sometimes, in some specific circumstances, being the turtle and not the rabbit may be a smart move. Pronti, attenti, via!

Jules Striffler (Photo by David Troeger on Unsplash)

Sources: - http://www.linternaute.fr/expression/langue-francaise/12519/qui-va-piano-va-sano/ - Bulleri, A., 2020. Insolite. Un Septuagénaire Italien Obtient Son Diplôme Universitaire Après 50 Ans D’Études. [online] Courrier international (La Repubblica - Rome). Available at: <https://www. courrierinternational.com/article/insolite-un-septuagenaire-italien-obtient-son-diplome-universitaire-apres-50-ans-detudes>

VOICES - 11

interview

QUEEN OF THE VIOLA Tuba Ozkan, associate professor at Mersin University, aka queen of the viola. She is a professor, a teacher, and a musician. The thing that makes her special is her capability of working in different environments and with different kinds of people.

She can teach an 8-year-old student in the morning and the next day she can give a concert with the most popular and professional musicians.

On one side, some 8-year-old students What does music mean to you?

Music; It is a miraculous discipline that unites people regardless of religion, language, or race.

A universal language in which people can express themselves best with all their openness and sincerity without being judged.

How do you feel playing the viola?

When I play the viola, I feel united with the universe. It is a discipline that makes me fulfill my responsibility to myself and humanity and increases my awareness.

Meditation, religion, happiness.

How do contributed

12 - VOICES

you to

think art humanity?

even can’t hold the viola, on the other side some musicians can play viola with closed eyes and Tuba Ozkan can work with both sides. I had a chance to be at her concerts.

When she is on the stage, she looks like a different person. She doesn’t dance but she looks like dancing. It is no special light for her, but she is shining. She has no wings but seems to fly. We did an interview, let’s see what I asked and what she answered.

Art; It is the only legacy that provides an infinite perspective, nurtures the imagination and more importantly, the only legacy that human beings can leave to the next generations.

If your progress from the first moment you picked up the viola until now was a way, what would it be? What did you encounter on this road?

A road that goes on non-stop throughout your own eternity. It is a great adventure and teaching.

When you go through the same path over and over again, this discipline reminds you that change and learning are endless. Also, it teaches awareness, acceptance, and respect for everything. During the process, I

realized that all humanity is traveling on the same ship (Earth). Although my personal and social development is very different, billions of people do not have another ship to travel in their lifetime. Regardless of our status, music needs its unifyingness and a universal language in order to understand each other and live in this tiny ship “as befits a human being”.

If art was a color for you, what color would it be?

I think I could answer this question differently in every ten-year period. However, if I need to give a single answer today, I can say that every color except “powder pink”, which is insistently tried to be imposed on people. My

journey as a musician taught me that we have a rich palette.

If you chose 3 people you want to give a concert with, who would they be? Why is that?

Among those who are not among us anymore, I would like to give a concert with the former general music director and conductor of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, “Sergiu Celibidache”, again legendary conductors “Carlos Kleiber” and romantic period German composer Johannes Brahms. At least I would like to breathe the same air. The common feature of all three is perfectionism.

Music that is made with patience and well-made is loved in every geography and labor is noticed.

These three precious people have left extraordinary legacies to humanity by always trying to bring out the best they can.

Could you share an unforgettable memory in your art life that affected you the most?

In 1997, I was invited to the Fuefukigawa Music Festival in

Japan by Yu IIDA, the founder of the Festival and a famous luthier (instrument maker), for nine concerts. I would rehearse and play together with the world’s famous musicians. All musicians participating in the festival had to play with the instruments made by Mr. IIDA. He also gave me a viola he made for me to play at concerts. It was a great instrument. After the third concert, I asked hesitantly whether the viola was for sale and its price. It was a price too high for me to pay. I said I couldn’t take it with sorrow!

There was already a Dutch violist and a Japanese violist who could afford to buy. He came to me before the last concert and asked “It’s as valuable as my kid, do you really want to buy it?” I said yes, but I can’t pay.

Look, Tuba, I can leave my child to someone that I am sure will take care of him and play him, and this is you, you can pay the fee as long as you want. “Who knows, I will die tomorrow,” he laughed. I returned to my country, paying a small amount, with great responsibility on my shoulder. With viola of course!

I was invited to the festival again in 1999. In the last rehearsal of one of the concerts I did not play, an American violist playing in that band fell and injured his arm. There is a concert the next evening. All tickets are sold out. Mr. IIDA turned its head and we looked at each other. I remember saying no, no I can’t.

The work is very difficult, I don’t even know the other musicians.

“If everyone agrees, I believe you can,” he said. I worked that day and night, without sleep. We did a long rehearsal on the concert day. I fulfilled the IIDA’s request, taking a risk I would never take.

The concert was not canceled, but I was so stressed. By paying him a little more at the end of the festival, I was able to pay a fifth of my debt. Mr. The IIDA hugged me saying “Your debt is over, Tuba”. I asked in surprise: How did it end? He said that you did me a favor I couldn’t pay for and the concert was not canceled.

You bought this viola with your effort. You deserved it, it is yours.

интервју

Dogukan Sever

VOICES - 13

reportage

Lessons from Ruth Bader Ginsburg RBG was the second women to become a Supreme Court Justice at the United States. Her enormous sense of justness made her change american law in order to promote an inclusive society â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and we can learn a lot from her.

14 - VOICES

репортажа Even if things are not easy, do not give up

H

ave you ever thought about how the way you live your life will impact future generations? The U.S Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg certainly did ask herself this kind of question. Ginsburg (or RBG, or even Notorious RBG) was a crusader for women’s rights, and she aimed at erasing the gender discrimination in society. RBG has passed away recently, but we are certain that she left a huge legacy in the fight for fundamental rights. Also, she still will be an inspiration for many girls around the world.

“Men and women are persons of equal dignity and they should count equally before the law”. This is one of the brilliant sentences said by Ginsburg at the U.S Supreme Court. However, RBG faced several challenges in her career before going to the Supreme Court, due to the fact that, decades ago, women were not welcome in the law. In 1956, she was one of the nine women in a class of 500 at Harvard Law School.

After graduating top of her class, Ginsburg moved to New York with her husband, Martin, and her little daughter, Jane. The biggest city in the world had no space for RBG – no law firm wanted to hire her, because she was a woman and also a mother. Eventually she became a law professor and leader of ACLU Women’s Rights Project, in which she took on cases to build protections against gender discrimination.

One of the key cases in her career was Stephen Weidenfeld’s case. As his wife passed away, he wanted to work less in order to stay home and take care of his child. However, Stephen discovered that he was not eligible for social security payments, due to the fact that only women could receive it. The case went to the Supreme Court and, on Ginsburg’s words: “his case was the perfect example of how gender discrimination hurts everyone”. In 1993, she was nominated to the U.S Supreme Court

by President Bill Clinton. She has fought for fundamental rights 24/7 over these years until her death in September, 18.

As we can see, she really deserves the nickname Notorious RBG. But what else we can learn from her?

Without a doubt, Ginsburg was very disheartened after not getting any job in New York. However, she tried hard and she found another way to achieve her goals to change gender discriminations laws.

Never respond with anger, see that as an opportunity to teach RBG had to deal with many ironic comments at the U.S Supreme Court.

During one of many interviews, Ruth said that she would respond these comments “never with anger”, and she used to see these situations as “an opportunity to teach”. “I did see myself as a kindergarten teacher on those days, because the judges didn’t think that sex discrimination existed” told Ruth in the documentary “RBG”. At the same narrative, her granddaughter Clara Spera says that her grandmother has taught that “the way to win an argument is not to yell, because often that will turn people away more so than bringing them to your table.”

Ruth Bader Ginsburg played a remarkable role defending the rights of women and marginalized groups. She fully used her skills to promote a better life for American women and never gave up, even under difficult situations.

RBG is an example of strength, courage and determination; she is an inspiration for many women around the world.

Then, following her example, we should use our skills to promote an inclusive society, which makes no functional distinction between man, women and minorities. How YOU can make the world a better place to live in?

Lorena Cardoso

Defend what you believe Ruth never gave up on what she thought it was right in order to please others.

Even at the Supreme Court, she had many dissenting opinions and she stayed true on what she believed. “Of course, I prefer to be in the majority, but, if necessary, I will write seperately in dissent” she said about having different points of view with other justices at the Court.

“Be a lady and be independent” This is a lesson that came from her mother. Be a lady means that you should not allow yourself to be overcome by emotions like anger; and be independent means that you should find by yourself your happily ever after.

Use the skills you have and put them to work In the 1970s, marching was a way that young people found out to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the government.

However, this wasn’t Ruth’s thing.

Instead, she used her legal skills to achieve what she wanted. Like her, we can do tangible things using our abilities in order to make our dreams come true.

VOICES - 15

science

can

there be life on Venus?

Venus, milliards of years ago, probably had similar conditions like Earth and there was water.

However, over time, the water evaporated into the atmosphere and the greenhouse effect intensified, and the planet became wildly hot and acidic.

I

t revolves around sun a bit closer than Earth, and it has dense atmosphere which consists mainly of carbon dioxide with powerful winds; at an altitude of about 60km, the wind speed is about 400 per hour. The planet doesn’t basically have any magnetic field what makes the solar wind to collide straight to the planet’s thick atmosphere.

Venus is overall different from the other planets; the planet itself revolves very slowly. It takes 250 Earth days for Venus to revolve around its axis.

Therefore, the day is almost one Earth year long. On top of all that, Venus rotates in the opposite direction from the other planets and its axis is tilted about 177 degrees – the Sun rises there from the west and sets to east.

The temperature can go up to 500°C, lead melts on the surface and the clouds rain acid. But there is a cloud layer, about 50 kilometers altitude, where the temperature is around 30°C. Even there the conditions are very acidic; there could be acid-resistant microorganisms, adapted to such conditions, which is not a surprise.

Even Earth’s atmosphere and clouds have microorganisms.

But how there could be life? For sure we know, that there couldn’t been any kind of water based life, similar to what we have on Earth. Life, at its simplest, is an object made up of one or more cells capable of growing, multiplying, and evolving. It has a metabolism and is born and dies. The clouds covering Venus contain a compound – phosphine - and scientists say that its existence can only be explained by a simple life.

Phosphine is either naturally from

16 - VOICES

acidic microbes in low-oxygen conditions, or artificially produced.

Scientists are still doubting the reason for phosphine’s appearance, and the only way to find out for sure, is to go on the spot and try to find microbes.

Gladly, after the moon Venus is the easiest to reach. The beautiful dance of orbits brings Earth and Venus closer together every 19 months. For comparison, there is a moment occurring in a bit more than every two years when Mars and Earth are close to each other. The trip to Venus, when it’s most close to us, would be 38 million kilometers which makes the travel time to be approximately 7 months.

After the scientists published the founding of phosphine, many different parties expressed interest of sending new space probes to Venus. There are already several plans, but the only one in the implementation phase is Russia’s Venera-D. Its estimated sending time was 2026. Many are hoping for this to happen faster after the news of phosphine in Venus.

This discovery is the most convincing evidence of life beyond Earth by far. Based on this, we can have more serious considerations about possibilities of life for example in Jupiter’s and Saturn’s cloud layers.

Selina Niemi sources: Yle.fi | picture: Wikimedia

shkencë

A

mund te kete jete ne planetin Venere?

Miliarda vite më parë, Venera mendohet se ka pasur kushte të ngjajshme si Toka, siç ka pasur dhe ujë. Mirëpo me kalimin e kohës uji avulloi në atmosferë dhe efekti serrë ose i ashtuquajtur ‘greenhouse’ u rrit, kështu planeti u bë tmerrësisht i nxehtë dhe acidik.

K

y planet rrotullohet rreth diellit pak më afër se sa Toka, dhe ka një atmosferë të dendur e cila përbëhet kryesisht nga dioksidi i karbonit me erëra të fuqishme; në një lartësi prej 60km, shpejtësia e erës është rreth 400 në orë.

Planeti nuk ka asnjë fushë magnetike gjë që e bën erën diellore të ndeshet drejt me atmosferën e dendur të planetit.

Në përgjithësi, Venera është ndryshe nga planetët tjerë; ajo rrotullohet shumë ngadal.

Për tu rrotulluar rreth boshtit të vet asaj i duhen 250 ditë, prandaj dita atje është e gjatë pothuajse sa një vit në Tokë. Përpos kësaj, Venera për dallim nga planetet tjerë rrotullohet në drejtim të kundërt dhe boshti i saj anohet për 177 shkallëkëtu dielli lind në perëndim dhe perëndon në lindje.

Temperatura mund të arrij mbi 500°C, plumbi shkrihet në sipërfaqe dhe retë lëshojnë shi acidik. Por aty ka një shtresë me re rreth 50km lartësi, ku temperatura është rreth 30°C. Edhe aty kushtet janë mjaft acidike, mirëpo nuk do të ishte befasuese nëse gjenden mikroorganizma rezistent ndaj acidit, të adaptuara me këto kushte. Edhe atmosfera dhe retë e Tokës kanë mikroorganizma.

Por si mund të ketë jetë atje? Sigurisht që e dimë se atje nuk ka pasur ujë për jetë, ngjajshëm me atë që kemi në Tokë. Jeta, në mënyrën më të thjeshtë, është e përbërë nga një ose më shumë qeliza të afta për tu rritur, shumuar dhe evoluar. Ka një metabolizëm, lind dhe vdes. Retë të cilat e mbulojnë Venerën përmbajnë

fosfinë, ekzistencën e saj shkenctarët e shpjegojnë vetëm si pasojë e jetës së thjeshtë. Fosfina është ose natyrale prej mikrobeve acidike në kushte me oksigjen të ulët ose e prodhuar në mënyrë artificiale.

Shkenctarët ende dyshojnë në arsyen e paraqitjes së fosfinës, dhe mënyra e vetme për tu siguruar është të shkohet në vend dhe të kërkohen mikrobet.

Fatmirësisht, pas Hënës, Venera është më lehtë për tu arritur. Vallëzimi i bukur i orbitave sjellin Tokën dhe Venerën afër njëra tjetrës çdo 19 muaj. Për dallim, Toka dhe Marsi janë afër njëra tjetrës çdo dy vjet. Kur Venera ndodhet më afër planetit tonë, udhëtimi për në planetin e saj do të ishte 38 milion kilometra dhe kohëzgjatja e udhëtimit do të ishte 7 muaj.

Pasi shkenctarët publikuan zbulimin e fosfinës, shumë ekipe të ndryshme shprehën interesim për të dërguar hetues hapsinor në Venerë. Vetse ekzistojnë plane të shumta rreth kësaj çështje, mirëpo vetëm një gjendet në fazën e implementimit, dhe ajo është Venera-D e Rusisë. Koha e parashikuar është 2026. Pas lajmit të fosfinës në Venerë, shpresohet që kjo të ndodh më shpejt ngase ç’është parashikuar.

Ky zbulim është evidenca më bindëse se ekziston jetë jashtë planetit Tokë.

Duke u bazuar në këtë gjë, mund të konsiderojmë mundësitë për jetë në shtresën e reve të Jupiterit dhe Saturnit.

Selina Niemi Përkthyes: Besmira Ibraimi burimet: Yle.fi | foto: Wikimedia

VOICES - 17

reportage

Dream or reality?

"To be lucid is to doubt everything" – Marie-Josée Christien “Am I not dreaming?” is the question most frequently asked by people who are trying to have lucid dreams. But what is it? It is a dream during which the dreamer is conscious of dreaming. Have you ever come face to face with an unimaginable monster and realized that you are in the middle of a nightmare? Do you understand the situation and have you tried to wake up? This is a moment of lucidity! Congratulations!

A

nyone can succeed in becoming conscious during a dream, but it takes motivation, training, daily involvement, and perseverance.

hair, pimples, a huge hand. “ The idea is to encourage you to do it instinctively in a dream, which will trigger the trigger that will help you become aware of your lucidity.

2. When you have managed to stabilize the dream, try to achieve your goal, without rushing, step by step. You are in a new universe, you will have to learn all the subtleties.

Motivation because it won’t happen overnight. That being said, learning about the subject, reading books, watching videos, or reading articles, imbues you with the idea of lucid dreams and can only be an additional help.

3. Write down all your dreams, in a notebook, in your notes, or even with the “lucidity” application.

Take a few minutes when you wake up to remember the movies of your night, don’t move and remember, visualize them. Then write them down. There will be recurrences (places, emotions, characters) that you will learn to recognize later, and can also serve as a trigger.

3. Try new experiences when you feel more comfortable: teleporting, flying with the birds, meeting stars, questioning characters and so much more to discover.

Training because you will need to do “exercises” every day. To become aware that you are dreaming, you need to have a trigger that will tickle your critical mind, you will have, while you sleep, to question your dream: Why is it snowing on the beach? Since when can cats fly?

Why is Barack Obama eating burek with multicolored dolphins? There are several types of exercises for those who want to question themselves: 1. Several times a day, take a good minute and answer these questions: What am I doing? How long have I been doing it? Where was I before?

This is important because we often change environments and activities in our dreams. Thinking about this in reality can make us think about it at night.

2. Every day and many times, stare at your hand, count your fingers, and think: “I am aware, if I were in a dream, I would have a deformed hand; more than five fingers,

18 - VOICES

4. Set yourself a goal for the day when you will be lucid: taking big leaps, running fast, driving a car are pretty simple missions. It’s up to you to find what works for you.

They exist in many other ways, but these are the main and most effective.

Let’s say that you manage to get a trigger and that you become aware that you are dreaming: 1. Don’t panic, stay calm, take your time. Rubbing your hands, fixing the lines of your hands, touching the ground will help you stabilize the lucidity and make the decor clear and fluid. It is very important to do this and not to miss the steps.

If you escape from your lucidity the first time, don’t get frustrated, it’s completely normal. Many people go through this stage.

4. Get information on the internet, in books, on blogs, with other people on Facebook pages so you don’t lose touch.

There is so much to say about the world of lucid dreams and the world of dreams in general that one article will never be enough. I hope that these few tips and this short introduction will make you want to give it a try and why not go flying on the back of an elephant across a rainbow towards your favorite city.

Paul Janiszewski Sources: https://www.fichier-pdf.fr/2016/09/11/ inductionrl/? http://www.attrape-songes.com/forum/ les-methodes-pour-devenir-lucide/t344/ http://www.attrapesonges.com/forum/index. php?fbclid=IwAR0rUbWl2nmKyRWH2EjwB8Cp6qtFAnJ6GUEsb4ngsEs-i2rcpP_ Hupl5-A

репортажа

The Great Green Wall A great wall – not to separate people, to unite them.

T

he great green wall is an ambitious project launched by the African Union, bringing together more than 20 African countries to stop the effects of desertification near the Sahara Desert and to restore the degraded land. The aim is to finish the project and to see a significant change until 2030. Once the green wall is done, it is going to bean 8000km long wall of trees across the whole weight of Africa, covering 100 million hectares of restored land.

The roots of the project reach as far as to the 1970s when an area known as the Sahel, close to the Sahara Desert started to change inhabitable.

Rapidly this area which used to be full of vegetation and life started to dry, leaving millions of people without land to grow food or to live in.

People started to think about solutions for the alarming situation. And in the 1980s an idea of a green area, reaching all the way from Senegal across the whole continent until Djibouti started to gain attention. It took time until, in the year 2007, this dream of a better future finally sprang to action. At first, 11 African countries signed up to the initiative but since then the amount of participating countries has expanded to be more than 20.

The objectives of the project are to grow fertile land, to grow economic opportunities, to grow food security, to grow climate resilience in a region where temperatures are rising faster than anywhere else on Earth, and to grow a wonder of the world-spanning 8000 km across Africa.

Trees are making a significant change to the soil’s ability to store water because of their roots.

After the rain, the water doesn’t evaporate from the ground, leaving it more humid and fertile.

Sources: https://www.greatgreenwall.org/https://www.unccd.int/actions/great-green-wallinitiative https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQrW8OckLuQ

The project is only in the beginning, but the results are already showing.

In Ethiopia, 15 million hectares of degraded land have been restored and land tenure security has improved. In Senegal, 11.4 million trees have been planted and 25 000 hectares of degraded land have been restored. In Nigeria, 5 million hectares of degraded land have been restored and 20 000 jobs have been created. In Sudan, 2,000 hectares of land have been restored. In Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger about 120 communities are involved, a green belt created over more than 2,500 hectares of degraded and drylands, more than two million seeds and seedlings planted from fifty native species of trees.

Sustainable development goals are a plan to change our planet’s future in a better direction.

They focus on the most challenging problems we are facing as humankind, like poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice. United Nations has listed 17 goals which could enable the world to be a better place by the year 2030, The Great Green Wall project is supporting 15 of them.

Seeing news of all the bad things happening on our planet can often feel overwhelming, leaving us feeling powerless about the change we want to see for a better future and fight against climate change. It is important to know that there are also good things happening. People are taking the change to their own hands to enable working habitat for their children, for the future.

Kirsi Suomi

VOICES - 19

reportage

From Passion to Profession

D

A language story about Lindsay Williams

“I’m going to Papua New Guinea to find this language from this small town library!”

Text: Mathis Gilsbach

obuan is a language spoken by about 100.000 people on an island off the coast of Papua New-Guinea. It is a small language, rather unknown outside, perhaps, of linguistic circles.

Yet, in a small library in the middle of England, language enthusiast Lindsay Williams was quite surprised to stumble upon a little, typewritten booklet with a faded pink cover.

The title was ‘Dobuan Grammar.’ This finding sparked an idea.

Lindsay Williams is a multilingual, a polyglot, a YouTuber, a language teacher and educator from the United Kingdom. Although she would probably contest the first two ascriptions of polyglot and multilingual. She speaks over thirteen languages or as she puts it: “I usually say that I studied thirteen languages.” meaning to highlight that she is by no means completely fluent in all of them.

Speaking on Skype, a lot of my interview with Williams revolves around words, the meaning of words, what they mean for our identity and how we describe ourselves and others. She says that she struggles with the term polyglot. Many others describe her as a polyglot, but for her feeling that title is too big to claim it herself. The term multilingual does not suit her either. Generally it describes people that have grown up in multiple languages. She has been raised in English only.

This whole search for words strikes her as quite funny.

“You know, what I enjoy most of all are words and language and then I get really hung up on finding a word to describe myself. It's quite silly, really.”

Filming in Guatemala © Lindsay Williams

Her YouTube channel – Lindsay does Languages – gives surprisingly little information about her as a person, instead it is all about her passions, language and language learning.

She has a long running series called ‘Nine reasons to learn a language’. It presents different languages such as French, Hawaiian or Welsh and why people should learn them. Other videos revolve around methods and materials for language learning. Finally, she has a series of videos and podcasts, called ‘Language Stories’, which explore lesser known languages around the globe.

‘Language Stories’, was inspired by the Dobuan language and the little, old booklet from the library.

Initially the plan was to shoot a longer travel documentary about the way to Papua New Guinea, to find the speakers of Dobuan. It turned into so much more. Currently, Williams and her husband prepare to shoot the third season.

But where does her passion for languages come from?

She tells me, she has a playlist titled ‘Probably why I learn languages’. It includes many 90’s songs such as the Spice Girls ‘Spice up your life’ where they shout the Spanish word ‘Arriba’ or Ricky Martin‘s ‘Living la vida loca’. Such “little nuggets” of other languages first stoked her curiosity.

The little booklet about Dobuan Grammar © Lindsay Williams

20 - VOICES

репортажа She also recalls driving around Italy with her parents and saying to them – here she raises her voice as if to re-enact the scene - “you know, all the roads, all the names on the road signs, they all end in vowels.”

She remarks: “What a thing to say for a ten year old.”

She also recalls reading the different languages on packaging of toothpaste or shampoo.

“I would do that even now, in fact,” she says with a laugh.

From these early signs of her language affinity it was a gradual process from passion to profession. In school, Williams almost was put off of language learning because her French teacher did not encourage her to learn more and study beyond what was asked in class.

But she got really hooked on languages when she started Spanish a year later. In fact, she had only picked French to be able to choose Spanish in her next term. She says that without Spanish she would have probably not grown as passionate about languages as she did.

“It was really Spanish that saved me.”

During her studies of Italian, Chinese, German, French and Spanish at Open University she started working as a language tutor, initially for French and Spanish and later for English as well. That was the origin of her business ‘Lindsay does languages‘. Initially she took all kinds of jobs on location such as teaching English to workers of a garlic bread factory. Then she moved her business online. First by teaching via video calls, adding a blog and YouTube channel later on.

Along the way she picked up knowledge in a number of other languages such as Indonesian, Bulgarian and Guarani.

While Dobuan was the initial spark for creating ‘Language Stories’, Williams never made it all the way to Papua New Guinea. While travelling in the Americas she had the idea to expand it into a series about different languages instead of one long documentary.

We touch on questions of identity multiple times during the interview. Not only does Williams wonder whether to see herself as multilingual, polyglot or something different.

Cultural identity is another aspect. Engaging with the Kristang community made her realise how deeply language is interwoven with identity.

Asked about her own identity in relation to language, she pauses for a moment.

She says that she usually considers herself an English woman that likes languages but recently she has been wondering much more deeply about her identity.

“I don’t think I have really thought about my own identity before Brexit.” After the vote she says, she felt a sudden need to redefine her identity in relation to her country of birth.

“Yes, I’m English, Yes, I’m British, Yes, half-Scottish. Yes, I’m European. But in which order?”

She is still working on this process of reflection. It was part of the reason she decided to explore the linguistic diversity of her own country. ‘Language Stories’ season three will focus on the UK. Partly, to answer Williams‘ own question: “What is my identity, what is this country that I thought I knew?“ Instead of far away Dobuan she will now focus on learning more about languages such as Welsh, Scottish Gaelic or Manx.

The whole time as she is talking about the making of ‘Language Stories’ she is visibly passionate, telling me about the people she met and the stories she found. She talks faster and jumps from one country to the next. From a Mayan language rapper she takes me to a centre for Vietnamese sign language to a guy in Laos that built a school in his backyard.

With all her work, on YouTube, as a teacher and language educator she hopes to share her passion and to inspire people to learn more about the diversity of the world of languages.

“If I find this interesting then there is going to be someone else that is going to be intrigued.”

The project is all about exploring stories around lesser known languages. Stories of culture and history. Stories of community and identity. Stories of language.

In Malaysia and Singapore for example, she spoke to members of the Kristang minority who work on preserving their heritage language. Kristang – also know as Malaccan Creole Portuguese – is a language descending from Portuguese with influences of Malay, Dutch, Chinese and other languages. With only about 2000 speakers left, it is considered to be severely endangered. But Williams video and podcast show that the drive to preserve and revive the language is alive and kicking. She hopes that her work can play a small part in supporting this effort.

Filming in Vietnam © Lindsay Williams youtube.com/user/LindsayDoesLanguages lindsaydoeslanguages.com/ VOICES - 21

erasmus+

СЕГА Е СЕКОГАШ ВИСТИНСКОТО ВРЕМЕ ЕСК волонтерство во време на корона - интервjу со Невин Канзо

С

екој период од животот пред нас поставува предизвици со кои мораме да се соочиме. Но не секогаш активноста и движењето значат дека напредуваме и одговараме соодветно на предизвикот. Некогаш треба да застанеме за кратко и размислиме до каде сме и во кој правец сакаме да продолжиме.

22 - VOICES

Новата реалност со која се соочи светот е уште еден предизвик на кој треба да одговориме, да ги промениме нашите параметри, погледи и да се прилагодиме. Некои имаат храброст, способност брзо да ги пресметаат ризиците и придобивките, да донесат одлука. Некои се осмелуваат, други, мотивирани од нивното патешествие, продолжуваат таму каде првите застанале.

Храброст значи да го следиш срцето. А мојата драга пријателка Невин го послуша своето и токму во времето на новата реалност зачекори по патот кон стекнување нови искуства, знаења и нови пријатели. Таа замина во Турција на двомесечно волонтирање во рамките на Европскиот Солидарен Корпус, покажувајќи дека СЕГА е секогаш вистинското време за нов почеток.

еразмус+ Што претходеше на твојата одлука да заминеш на волонтирање во друга држава? Дали имаше колебање, со оглед на актуелната ситуација? Поддршката од твоите најблиски, некои лични размислувања? Посилно од сѐ беше мојата желба да запознам нова култура, поинаква традиција и секако, нови знаења и нови пријатели. Не се колебав воопшто бидејќи сепак за Турција знаев дека постојат воспоставени заштитни мерки за време на пандемијата кои се почитуваат. За својата одлука имав целосна подршка од моите најблиски и многу сум им благодарна, затоа не се двоумев да се пријавам и бидам дел од овој прекрасен проект.

морската желка - Саrreta carreta, посебно за време на сезоната на изведување на потомството, во должина од неколку километри од брегот. Исто така и заштитата на самата животна средина беше еден од нашите приоритети. Иако не сум студирала биологија, за мене овој проект беше едно од најубавите искуства во кои сум учествувала, каде можев да допринесам и научам многу корисни работи. Се разбира, имаше и слободно време за дружење со останатите волонтери, културни посети на места и забава. Да, навистина, очекувањата ми станаа реалност дури и повеќе отколку што се надевав.

Како помина патувањето до таму? Протоколите за Covid-19, мерки, организацијата-домаќин и нивниот тим? Патот помина малку поневообичаено од она на кое сме навикнале, со почитување на протоколите, со маски и физичко растојание, сепак вооглавном добро, ми влеваше целосна сигурност. Во местото на престој протоколите беа истите што сите земји ги применуваат, значи маски и физичка дистанца. Можеби мерењето на температурата на граѓаните може да се издвои, доколку одите некаде или влегувате во одреден простор. Организација домаќин LIDOSK промовира интеркултурно образование и разбирање, спорт како здрав животен стил и заштита на средината. Со оглед на околностите, координацијата им беше во ред, а сместувањето одлично, пријателска и позитивна атмосфера. Верувам дека би било уште подобро да не беше актуелната ситуација.

Колку ти се допадна околината каде престојуваше? Нови пријателства, забавниот дел од волонтирањето и посети на места од културно значење? Местото каде престојував беше малечко гратче, Демре, регионот на Анталија, прекрасно место со топли луѓе, секогаш спремни да ви помогнат. Стекнав и добри пријатели за два месеца, како Џенета од Сараево, волонтерка, со која секојдневно се слушаме и планираме да одиме на други проекти заедно. Посетив многу места од културно и историско значење во околината, како што е МYRA еден од најстарите градови и важно место во време на христијанството. Слободното и времето за волонтирање се така организирани да дозволуваат да ја истражете околината и локалната култура. Се разбира, тука е и прекрасното чувство на постојаниот престој на бескрајните плажи,

Во што се состоеше твоето волонтирање? Колку се пронајде себе си во тоа? Дали очекуваното искуство стана реалност? Моите волонтерски задачи беа исклучително интересни, се состоеја во надгледување и заштита на

со целиот жив свет и звуците на брановите. Некои свои размислувања по завршувањето? Со какви предизвици се соочи и колку ти помогна да се надоградиш како личност, нови знаења и вештини? Моите впечатоци од ова искуство се многу силни, незаборавни: посветеност на животната средина и живиот свет, помош и интеракција со локалната заедница и стекнати нови знаења како да се помогне во спасувањето и заштита на животните. Друго што ми беше важно е, се разбира, подобро запознавање на нова култура. Жителите од локалната заедница и пошироко беа секогаш пријатни, срдечни, спремни да ви помогнат. Неописива е и убавината на природата, морето, чудесните историски места во Анталија што мора да се видат и почувствуваат. Самото присуствуво на овој проект ми помогна да научам и нови работи за себе и своите способности, да бидам свесна за животната средина и културата на одржаваме чиста. Дали би го препорачала целото искуство на младите кои имаат желба да волонтираат? Дефинитивно би им го препорачала искуството на сите млади заинтересирани да стекнат нови знаења, искуства и пријателства, да научат повеќе за Еразмус културата но и за себе си. Во мојот случај за животната средина и животинскиот свет - како да ги заштитиме, животната средина од отпад, како да ја подигнеме нашата свест. Патувајте, учите, откривајте нови култури, така ќе се откриете себе си и своите способности.

Goran Galabov

VOICES - 23

reportage

If staring constantly at our phones, living an online life, was what kept us from really enjoying what was happening around us before the pandemic, today the situation is quite different. Humans are social beings and if they can’t be next to other people, they sure find another way to communicate. During the pandemic, that way was the Internet.

O

nly in the first week of lockdown in Portugal, during March, MEO (the leading telecommunications company in the country) reported a 35% increase in wireless Internet and another 10% in mobile Internet, according to Público, a Portuguese newspaper. On a more global level, the influencer marketing platform Obviously, based in New York, USA, analysed 260 of its own worldwide campaigns and registered a 76% raise in the daily accumulation of likes in Instagram’s posts with the hashtag #ad, during the first two weeks of March.

How the Int The technology and social media improvements - like virtual dinners and other events online, new group games, Netflix Party - developed during the pandemic and its consequent lockdown in most countries helped facilitating virtual connections.

Besides the need to keep the relationships that already existed, human beings also look for everyday social interactions, something hard to find during lockdown – at least at the beginning. According to the Greater Good Magazine, researchers believe these weak ties are very important for stabilizing social networks, allowing us to be more resilient in stressful times for our communities, and to help us learn from people with different viewpoints, if we have diversity in our groups. And most important in these times: this kind of social interaction gives us the sense of normality.

One of the researchers, Gillian Sandstrom has been studying online meetups between strangers during the pandemic and the participants are reacting similarly to what they did before – after talking to a stranger online, people feel less lonely, better about the world and they trust more in others. And what is the best way to meet strangers online? Dating apps or websites.

“The use of these apps has become a compensation for the impossibility of finding people spontaneously when going out", said the psychologist to Veja, a Brazilian magazine. The greater the degree of social distance, the more frequent are the interactions. According to the same source, in Spain, a country especially punished by the new coronavirus, a survey showed a 94% increase of Tinder usage among people under 35 years old, during the first month of lockdown. Between February

deal with social 24 - VOICES

репортажа

ternet can help us 20th and March 26th, the exchanges of messages around the world were longer by 35%, on average. "Talking to someone, no matter where they are, helps people feeling less lonely", says Elie Seidman, Tinder's executive director to Veja. With this in mind, the passport paid resource of the app (that allowed the users to contact other users all over the world) was released for free on the end of March – three days later Tinder recorded a historic swipe record, with more than 3 billion interactions worldwide.

Streaming services known for their characteristic self-isolation capacities also experienced a huge growth during the pandemic. According to Vox, on April, Netflix announced the 16 million new subscribers it got during the first quarter of the year instead of the 7 million that were predicted – 9 of the 16 million signed up in March, during several countries’ lockdowns.

Nevertheless, they also had to adapt – that’s how Netflix Party started, now renamed as Teleparty. This feature synchronizes video playback and adds group chat to Netflix, Disney, Hulu and HBO, allowing the users to watch movies or TV shows together while apart. To make people stay at home, there were even an advertising student and a freelance copywriter of Miami Ad School Europe in Hamburg, Germany, that came up with the idea of spoiling some of the most famous Netflix’s shows on virtual billboards, according to Forbes.

Regardless of the way we choose to use the Internet to help us getting through the pandemic and social distancing, Sandstrom enhances the importance of communication, suggesting that talking to others may help.

“We’re all going through something together, something

distancing

we have in common,” she says.

“With so much uncertainty around the pandemic, we all want to know how people are doing, how they’re coping, and if they have any good ideas around handling the challenges. Maybe this is an opportunity to think about how those people matter more and provide more meaning in our lives than we realized”.

Rute Cardoso Sources: www.publico.pt/2020/03/25/ economia/noticia/isolamento-marcaaumento-significativo-uso-redescomunicacoes-1909398 www.obvious.ly/blog/3/31/2020/ trends-report-the-impact-ofcoronavirus-on-influencer-marketing www.marketeer.sapo.pt/coronaviruslikes-nas-redes-sociais-disparam-coma-quarentena www.greatergood.berkeley. edu/article/item/how_to_keep_ connecting_with_strangers_during_ the_pandemic www.veja.abril.com.br/tecnologia/ na-quarentena-aplicativos-como-otinder-ganharam-nova-funcao/ www.vox.com/ recode/2020/7/16/21327451/netflixcovid-earnings-subscribers-q2?__c=1

VOICES - 25

reportage

The true co â&#x20AC;&#x153;The most environmentally sustainable jacket is

T

he pollution caused by textile and apparel manufacturing is worsening day by day. The textile industry is the second most polluting industry on the planet, after the petrochemical industry. In recent decades, clothes have become cheaper and due to the convenience of online shopping, easily accessible. Driven by a fall in price and fast fashion, shopping has become a hobby for many, rather than a necessity.

The world of fashion may be glamorous and stylish, but its impact on the environment is becoming increasingly serious.

The production of raw materials requires large amounts of water, energy, and chemicals throughout all processing operations. Over 8 000 chemicals are used to turn raw materials into textiles.

The materials used by the textile industry can be classified into two categories: natural fibres obtained from plants such as cotton, linen, bamboo, wool, and silk, and synthetic fibres such as polyester, polyamide, nylon and acrylic which are made from petrochemicals. Synthetic fibres comprise nearly two-thirds of global textile production. The manufacture of these man-made and cheap fibres creates pollution and they are hard to recycle. Natural fabrics are the easiest fibres to decompose as their degradation only takes one week to five years whereas synthetics fabrics might take between 20 to 200 years to disintegrate.

Fashion production damages the environment and harms water quality in many different ways. The textile industry is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions. Spinning, weaving, and industrial manufacture damage air quality, while dyeing and printing fabrics release numerous volatile agents into the atmosphere that are particularly harmful to our health. Furthermore, the

26 - VOICES

transportation of clothes and textiles leads to increased pollution. Most of our clothes are produced in developing countries, such as Bangladesh, India, China, Indonesia, and Turkey. After manufacture, garments travel by ship, train and truck from these countries to high-income economies. In total, the textile industry generates 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions a year. This is more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.

Mass-produced garments are destroying the planet at an alarming rate. 150 billion garments are manufactured in a year globally and thirty percent of the global production remains unsold. Out of two items of fast fashion bought, over one item is disposed of in under a year. Only 15% of the several tons of textiles thrown away every year are recycled. As a consequence, landfills are overpacked with clothes: 12.8 million tons of clothing is sent to landfills annually. If not in a landfill, surplus clothing is often transported to less developed countries to be traded as second-hand items, especially in Africa. Of course, that is a good thing since it gives people earning low salaries an opportunity to buy inexpensive clothing items. However, the influx of second-hand clothing undermines local textile and garment industries by bringing prices down.

It has been estimated that the textile and clothing industry is responsible for 20% of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s water waste.

The fashion industry is currently the third-largest user of water globally, after oil and paper, while 750 million people do not have access to drinking water in the world. For instance, it can take 2 700 liters to produce

репортажа

olors of fashion the one that’s already in your closet” - Lisa Williams the cotton needed to make a single t-shirt, as well as a huge quantity of pesticides to grow cotton plants.

Jeans have become the most polluting item: about 7 000 liters of water are needed to produce one pair of jeans.

This is the average water consumption of one person for six years. Further, textile factories deteriorate aquatic ecosystems. The dye wastewater discharged by garment manufacturers is often untreated and releases hazardous chemicals into streams and rivers. The washing of synthetic textiles also pollutes the natural water source system as it releases microplastics into the water. 85% of the plastic pollution in the ocean is due to microfibres from synthetic clothing.

environmental impact, we should simply reduce the number of clothes we purchase, especially fabrics that are made of synthetic fibres, and whenever possible, shop second-hand, swap, or even rent clothes. We should also buy sustainable clothing that is made of all-natural materials and manufactured domestically. More and more fashion brands take into account the environmental and social impact of their production. Sustainable clothing brands offer better-quality garments that are made to last and value fair treatment of people and the planet.

In short, all of us should reconsider our lifestyle habits and make our planet more environmentally friendly.

Western large corporations outsourcing the majority of their production to low-labor-cost producing countries are to be blamed. Textile pollution is slowly killing rivers in Asian countries, where most clothes are produced. In Indonesia, the hundreds of textile factories lining the shores of the Citarum River dump their chemicals directly into the water, making it one of the most polluted rivers in the world. In Bangladesh, 22 000 liters of toxic waste is dumped into rivers by tanneries every day. The waters have become so toxic that the rivers are now almost completely uninhabitable to wildlife. The communities that live alongside the rivers often suffer skin irritations and other diseases.

Lucile Guéguen Sources: https://sharecloth.com/blog/reports/ apparel-overproduction https://www.europarl.europa.eu/ RegData/etudes/BRIE/2019/633143/EPRS_ BRI(2019)633143_EN.pdf https://www.fibre2fashion.com/industryarticle/1709/impact-of-textiles-and-clothingindustry-on-environment-approachtowards-eco-friendly-textiles https://textileandfashion2030.se/wpcontent/uploads/2020/02/AlinaKlaseva.pdf

How can we minimize our fashion environmental impact?

The main root cause is our excessive consumerism. To act against clothing overproduction and its harmful VOICES - 27

topic of the month

Парите не ги усреќуваат сиромашните - Колиш

28 - VOICES

тема на месецот

Роден сум во една од најбогатите земји на светот. Имам сè што би можел да посакам: топла вода, покрив над главата што не прокиснува, семејство што пружа љубов, образование, технологија, пристојна живеачка, пристап до сите удопства што ги нуди модерното време. Преку ноќ се најдов себеси во многу поразлична земја од онаа што ја знаев долго време. Некои би ја опишале како помалку развиена, други како потопла, но можеби станува збор за различно перцепирање на нештата?

П

ристигнав во Македонија пред четири дена. Можев најпрво да ги забележам излитените патишта, трошните згради, кучињатаскитници. Но, наместо тоа, забележав нешто посилно, поживо, повистинско. Детските извици на радост одекнуваа на балконот од мојот стан; костените што паѓаа на ламаринениот покрив создаваа милозвучна симфонија; вревата од гласови помешана со чадот од скарата најавуваа вечери полни со насмевки. Тие беа исто толку среќни колку што би биле среќни и жителите на држава што економистите ја нарекуваат „богата“. Се запрашав дали сето ова можеше да се спореди со куќичката од ѓумбиров колач во бајката на браќата Грим: вкусна однадвор, но страшна одвнатре; или пак, како зградите - трошни и распаднати.

растат очекувањата и желбите, па тоа и не води кон некоја трајна придобивка во поглед на среќата. Личноста брзо се враќа на првобитното ниво на среќа, смета дека е на пат да ја достигне среќата, но всушност чекори по патот како по лента за трчање.

Истражувачите поставија прашање чиј одговор се чини очигледен: што претпочитате повеќе за да бидете посреќни? Да заработите 314 милиони долари или да се здобиете со параплегија? Без разлика на тоа што луѓето би можеле да претпостават, една година по добивање џекпот или здобивање параплегија, податоците покажуваат дека нивото на среќа е исто кај двете групи. Терминот хедонска адаптација се однесува на проучувањето на тенденцијата кај луѓето брзо да се вратат на релативно стабилно ниво на среќа и покрај значајните позитивни или негативни настани, или пак, важни промени во нивните животи. Според ова тврдење, кога личноста заработува повеќе, истовремено

Нашето општество силно верува дека произведената среќа (онаа на параплегичарите) е помалку вредна во однос на природната среќа (онаа на луѓето што ја постигнале целта да добијат џекпот), што е лажно верување. Со други зборови, човечкото битие умее да ја создаде среќата што ќе биде исто толку веродостојна и долготрајна како и онаа што ќе ја почувствуваме кога го добиваме тоа што го сакаме.

Доколку некаков настан, позитивен или негативен, се случил пред повеќе од три месеци, тогаш нема да влијае врз индексот на среќата. Зошто да не? Затоа што среќата може да биде создадена. Постојат два вида на среќа: - природна среќа: она што го добивате кога го добивате тоа што го сакате - произведена среќа: она што го правите кога не го добивате тоа што го сакате

Има премногу работи што може да се кажат за среќата од психолошки или филозофски аспект, премногу студиозни што припаѓаат на светот на возрасните. Би сакал да се осврнам на малите радости кои, се надевам, ни ги исполнуваа детствата,

кога владееше безгрижноста и секое откритие водеше кон изблици на радост затоа што детството би требало да биде непрекината потрага по среќата... Направив долга листа што, секако, можете да ја надополните: - првиот снег што ги обелува дрвјата, покривите и алиштата; - трчање на дожд и цапање во вирот вода со чизмите за дожд; - шарените рингишпили со весела музика во парковите; - стуткувајќи се под ќебе со шолја топло чоколадо во рака кога врне; - прошетките со баба и дедо покрај реката во Лизињи-сир-Уш; - донирање новогодишни пакети во болница; - неделните попладниња кај баба и дедо... Цутењето на розевите, сините, белите и жолтите цветови е проследено со песната на птиците. Децата си играат, се сопкаат и растат додека сончевите зраци ги галат. Чадот од мојата цигара е одвеан во непристапен рај, и јас се задржувам таму, воодушевувајќи се на овој преубав пејзаж. Денес е еден од оние денови кога сè се чини убаво. И возрасните понекогаш чувствуваат потреба да се навратат во детството. Пол Јанишевски Превод: Кристина Стаменова Извори: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedonic_ treadmill https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=2TSgU6Vjfqw&t=536s https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=4q1dgn_C0AU

VOICES - 29

opinion

Socially Distant When the Covid-19 Pandemic began, only a few might have thought that it would bring such huge impacts so quickly! Now that we’re approaching winter and the “long foreseen” second wave seems to just begin, I have been thinking a lot about the flaws of our modern society that are (probably) more visible than ever right now; and what we might learn from this event. One instance that caught my attention very soon was the usage of the term “Social Distance”. What does it mean to be “socially” distant? Shouldn’t it be “Physical Distance” instead? I mean, that’s basically what it is actually, right?

I

went on a short trip to Italy to see a friend lately, when the number of Corona-cases was still allowing it; more specifically: I went to Veneto – this region around Venice in northern Italy that was hit very heavily by the pandemic already in spring. Thus, the people there have experienced a strict lockdown, being not allowed to leave their homes for several weeks.

In contrast to that, my home country Saxony-Anhalt is the region with the second-lowest number of Covid-19cases in Germany and besides closed clubs (bars and restaurants re-opened in July) and the obligation to wear a face-mask in the super-market and public transport, life is still pretty normal here. Saxony-Anhalt is also the

30 - VOICES

only German federal state that doesn’t charge a fee for not wearing a mask (Berlin: up to 500€!). Our prime minister said: “We don’t need a fee! People in Saxony-Anhalt are reasonable!” – which sounds somehow sarcastic to me.

To be honest: I’m sometimes pretty bothered by seeing so many people in my everyday life that simply don’t give a damn. The other day when I went to the shop, some guy walked in without a mask. He apparently preferred to have a 10-minutes-argument with the cashier, holding up the whole line, instead of just doing this simple little thing for like 5 minutes. And just last weekend there was another demonstration in my city by some “cross-thinkers” that, in all seriousness, still argue if Covid-19 even exists.

These kinds of people, to me, seem to be socially distant in a literal way.

Meaning, that they distanced their ego, their whole self so far from others that they can only care about themselves.

So, egocentric, anti-social beings, one could say. But this is a phenomenon that I’ve been observing ever since my teenager-years: society seems to become more and more de-solidarized in a way. And my impression is that most people nowadays tend to mix up “being individual” with “being ignorant”.

With that in mind, I was very curious how the Italians would handle the whole thing and how the mood would be after the (first?) lockdown. I was surprised to see how literally everybody was following the duty to wear a mask

in public, all without complaining or whining (I counted exactly 3 people that didn’t have one at all). I spent most time outside and everybody seemed so calm and relaxed. The total opposite of the stereotypes that many Germans have about Italians: hectic, loud, chaotic, cannot follow rules, and so on…

Maybe it’s a cultural thing: Germans are said to be a bit cold and reserved – more distant, one could say. Hence, I found it interesting that in Germany 1,5 meters is considered a ‚safe-distance‘, whereas in Italy 1 meter seems safe enough.

Hence maybe my friend’s opinion on “Social distance” when I asked her: “Being socially distant means to keep distance or to give space to others and pay regard to people, from a basic ‘social’ motivation. All that in order to protect them and maintain a society.” …pretty funny how sometimes views can differ, even though, their aim is the same.

I truly learned some lessons during this trip and I find it really comical – almost bizarre – how different the people behave in this pandemic not even 1.000 km apart from each other.

While the ones don’t want to end up in a second curfew and pay (more or less) respect and regard to each other; the others see a mask as a kind of muzzle and scream “Corona-dictatorship!”, even though while just using their right to demonstrate (not to mention: in groups of up to 500 people with no distance and no masks…). And I came, once again, to the conclusion: The world is one crazy place!

Sascha Schlüter

What you are reading right now, is a magazine created by local and international volunteers. VOICES team is constantly expanding, and welcoming new writers and translators. You can work with us online, from anywhere in the world! Contact us via e-mail: vcs.sending@gmail.com

Write

We are publishing articles and poetry from several writers around the world. You can write about anything - except politics. We will help you to widen your skills and create interesting content!

Translate

VOICES magazine is located in Skopje, Macedonia, so our goal is to provide content in English, Macedonian and Albanian. Volunteer translators between these languages are more than welcome!

Share Art

Are you a photographer or an artist? We want to share the work of young people and encourage others with their art. Share your photos, paintings, graphic designs etc. with us and we can publish them in the magazine.

Read

Read inspiring stories and reportages from our volunteer writers, learn something new, widen your horizon of opinions and travel the world with us!

www

vcs.skopje

www.voiceskopje.org VOICESmkd

vcs.sending@gmail.com issuu.com/vcsvoices

contact_vsc

voices

art science freedom

magazine story

shqip

youth

interview

poetry writing

chances article

volunteers

intervie lture photography makedonsk ory writin opportunities people designing 32 - VOICES

journal