voices
ENGLISH МАКЕДОНСКИ SHQIP
Magazine for all young people around the world
silence
August 2020
т ишина
EDITORIAL Жул Штифлер - УРЕДНИК НА ОВА ИЗДАНИЕ на “ВОИСЕС” Jules Striffler - EDITOR OF THIS EDITION OF “VOICES”
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts.” Sir Winston Churchill
„Успехот не е конечен, неуспехот не е пропаст, тоа е храброст да се продолжи понатаму“ Сер Винстон Черчил
S
Е
o here we are, once again in the process of publishing a brand new (and hopefully awesome) Voices! This month, our fellowship of writers has strived to enjoyably offer you both insightful and diversified content. Noises might be quite a piece of cake to notice, but what about the absence of sound? Mathis proposes a genuinely deafening piece of writing tackling silence, while Doğukan introduces us to the Ikigai concept and Angela invites us to reflect on Fiction and Reality in Romania. Once you gained a slice of mindfulness, you can get a glimpse of grandeur with Julia, become knowledgeable about Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai thanks to Wiktoria, and read a bit of poetry with Dafina. Afterward, join Ewelina for a cup of coffee and shop 2nd hand clothes with Kirsi. Then while you consider your next relocation abroad, I invite you to reflect on this question: would you think of yourself first as a migrant or as an expatriate? Finally, are you looking forward to the upcoming Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet”? So I am. We hope you will enjoy reading this edition as much as we enjoyed shaping it. Thank you heaps for reading us, may you be happy and catch you later!
ве сме уште еднаш, објавуваме сосема нов (и се надеваме одличен) Воисес. Овој месец, нашите текстописци се потрудија да ви понудат длабокоумна и разновидна содржина. Вревата можеби не е нешто вредно да се забележи но што е со одсуството на звуци? Матис предлага и нѐ замолчува со оригинален текст во кој ја допира тишината, додека Догукан нѐ запознава со Икигаи концептот, а Ангела нѐ повикува да размислиме за Фантастиката и Реалноста во Романија. Кога веќе еднаш ќе стекнете дел од свесноста, ќе ѕирнете и во величенственоста до Јулија, ќе се запознаете со пакистанскиот активист Малала Јусафзаи, благодарени на Викторија и ќе прочитате малце поезија со Дафина пред да и се придружите на Евелина на шоља кафе и шопинг со Кирси на половна облека. И потоа, додека размислувате за вашата следна преселба во странство, ве повикувам да размислите за следното: дали се замислувате себе си како мигрант или иселеник? И конечно, дали сте во исчекување на „Тенет“ на Кристофер Нолан? Зошто јас сум. Се надеваме дека ќе уживате во ова издание колку што ние уживавме додека го обликувавме. Ви бладоариме бескрајно што нѐ читате, бидете среќни и се гледаме подоцна!
Voices magazine is coordinated, designed and created by EVS and local volunteers with support of Erasmus+ program.
VCS DIRECTOR: Nikola Stankoski COORDINATORS: Andrej Naumovski Goran Adamovski Goran Galabov Selina Niemi
VOLUNTEERS: Kirsi Suomi Dogukan Sever Jules Striffler
WRITERS: Mathis Gilsbach Ewelina Chańska Wiktoria Moritz Angela Gabor Júlia dos Santos Acerbi Gülay IşIk Dafina Veselinoska Kristine Khachaturyan Jelena Panchevska
Translators: Goran Galabov Besmira Ibraimi DESIGNERS: Ewelina Chańska Kirsi Suomi Dogukan Sever Selina Niemi Jules Striffler 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
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CONTENT
P.6
4
TOPIC OF THE MONTH
4
Silence is the moment between two claps - Mathis
18
Ikigai - Dogukan
32
Тишината е моментот помеѓу две ракоплескања - Матис
24
Herstory: Malala Yousafzai - Wiktoria
6
CULTURE
26
POETRY
6
Coffee, café, cafecito - Ewelina
12
Ready for a new cinematic paradigm? - Jules
13
Gati për një paradigmë të re kinematografike? - Jules
14
Fiction or reality? - Angela
8
OPINION
8
The tale of the expatriate and the migrant - Jules
16
Tender eyes to reality: the possibility of beautiful grandeurs - Júlia
20
Cooperation of Creativity and Brain magics - Kristine
22
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure - Kirsi
18
26
28
REPORTAGE
The Ballad Of Jayne - Dafina
ERASMUS +
28
Бакнеж за крај - Јелена
30
From Turkey to Macedonia - Gülay
34
KA3: MOMENTUM
тема на месецот
Silence is the moment between two claps. M
ost of the time we only talk about what happens, what is being said, what makes noise and demands our attention. Rarely we pay attention to what happens in between, when nothing happens. When everything is silent. When the only thing you can hear is the whispering of the wind or the creaking of the trees. When you walk next to each other, not speaking a word and it feels just right. In these moments, silence is all encompassing. Without these moments of quietude – would we even appreciate the moments of noise and action. Whenever I watch a movie with friends, one of the most precious moments are the few minutes after the credits. When everyone is quiet, still immersed in the story of the movie, waking up only slowly. Or this moment in theatre, when the lights turn off. Suddenly all the chattering and talking fades out. Everyone is silent in anticipation of the rising curtains. And parting from your friends after the show, you are greeted by the calm silence of the night. Giving you a moment of rest between the exhilaration of theatre and the just arriving bus home. In japanese philosophy, there is the concept of negative space – MA. The idea is that material things, objects are not only valuable by themselves but also because of the space that surrounds them. In a beautifully decorated room our perception of beauty is not only based on the objects we see but also on the space between them. How the objects relate to each other. If they are all cramped in one corner, the room appears chaotic and we can‘t appreciate the individual objects. Empty space gives structure to the room. In analogy, silence is empty space between sounds. Without the silence between the notes of a piece of music, it would not be recognisable as music and would drown in a constant white noise. If we want to give emphasise to a word, we pause before saying it.
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topic of the month The silence in music and in theatre seem to be different from the spontaneous silence of a walk in the forest. In theatre and music, silence has the clear function of contrasting the sound of the song or the play. The silence of a walk is more spontaneous and is less consciously perceived. But it, as well, creates contrasts and moments of silence in the hectic hustle and bustle of everyday life. Silence and empty space structure our lifes and yet we try our best to banish them. TV in the background, endless chattering and talking to not be forced to be quiet. Constant entertainment, to avoid being alone with your own thoughts. But in that way we often lose our connection with a conscious intense experience of life. We can‘t focus enough anymore to hear the separate notes of life. Instead we only hear the constant noise of consumerism. Only seldom we give ourselves fully to silence and to the space it opens fo us to experience the world more intensly and clearly. The same principle can be applied to another concept: boredom. Boredom is usually seen as something negative, something to avoid at all cost. But it can fulfill a very similar role to that of silence and empty space. Boredom is the empty space between actions. The silence between the loud and hectic moments in life. Boredom gives us space to process our experiences. It let‘s the mind wander until a real inspiration arises about what to do with our time. Unless we distract ourselves with other things and don‘t leave space for the inspiration to come. Inspiration is something that comes from within, that pushes us to do thing that really satisfy us. Distraction on the other hand is usually just killing time, Superficial fulfillment of our needs without real satisfaction. That is why we often get our best ideas under the shower or while sleeping. Those are after all often the only moments without distraction. Silence, empty space and boredom are just facettes of the same thing. It is about taking a break in everyday life, perceiving the inbetween spaces in life. The silence between words, the emptiness between things and the boredom between actions. Maybe it is a good idea to take a break every now and the, Just ignore the haste of modernity. Take time. Time to hear the silence and see the emptiness. Time to experience boredom, just you and your head to find yourself again.
Mathis Gilsbach
VOICES - 5
КУЛТУРА
Coffee, café,
cafecito Coffee. A black magic drink that over years is not losing popularity. It’s the opposite – coffee became an even bigger business in the modern world and you can see coffee places in every corner. Suitable for all kinds of people, celebrated differently in the world. From Italians who drink espresso as a shot, saying “Ciao!” and going back to business – to people from the Balkans who make a big ceremony out of drinking coffee.
T
hroughout the years a way of making and serving coffee evolved. In the past, coffee was mostly known as a black as night drink boosting the energy. Nowadays, going to a coffee place you can hardly say just „Coffee, please”. But, what kind of coffee, would you like, sir? Would you like cappuccino or macchiato, ma’am? Do you prefer espresso or ristretto? What is hidden behind these mysterious names – sometimes people simply don’t have any idea? So, now let’s explore the world of coffee and become an expert coffee drinker.
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culture Espresso
Not expresso! The name has nothing to do with a time of preparing espresso or how fast we drink it. The therm is coming from Italian espressivo which means expressive. And so it describes the character of the simplest of all coffees – deeply black and intensive. A small dose (25-30 ml) of coffee brewed without any addition and the most classic way to serve it is in tiny white cups. Also, espresso is a base for preparing the other types of coffee.
Ristretto
We can call it a one-shot coffee. Ristretto means limited, shortened. It is prepared the same way as espresso, just with double less amount of water (only 15 ml), which makes the taste twice as strong and a bit less bitter. Perfect for one sip.
Lungo
Simply translated as long. It’s an extended espresso, just time of preparation is longer and as a result, giving more amount to drink and with a more delicate taste.
Americano
As simple as it is to make – just add hot water to espresso to double the amount. People often mistake it with lungo, although it’s a different way of preparation.
Romano
An espresso with a scent of lemon. Prepared by adding a slice of lemon dipped in coffee or pouring drops of lemon juice.
Corretto
It’s another variation of espresso, to which it is added a bit of alcohol. In Italy it’s usually grappa, around the world it’s popular to add whiskey, cognac, or brandy.
Freddo
Simply, a cold espresso. Usually prepared by pouring hot espresso to a glass with ice.
Macchiato
Macchiato in Italian means spotted, stained and it is the effect of adding to espresso a small amount of frothed milk.
Marocchino
For fans of sweeter tastes. Marocchino is espresso with chocolate syrup or cocoa powder and foamed milk. We could go one mentioning more variations of espresso, like espresso con panna – from Italian ‘’with cream’’ – or espresso with honey or cortado (which is by the way quite often associated wrongly with
macchiato). The topic is wide as people had whole centuries to invent brand new ways of preparing and mixing flavors. Let’s go then to the milky way and mention a few more widely known coffee specialties.
Cappuccino
It’s an espresso-based coffee drink that is prepared by adding a big amount of frothed milk. As a result, cappuccino should be around 150 ml drink with a milky foam on top, often decorated with chocolate or cocoa powder. The name is connected with the color of cappuccino, which is the usual color of Capuchin friars.
Flat white
The most regular coffee drink prepared from double espresso and milk. Without foam or cream on the surface, the flat is flat.
Latte & latte macchiato
Italian meaning of latte is milk and as you can guess you will get a highly milked coffee drink, with a bigger amount of milk than in cappuccino. Latte is also longer coffee drink – around 200 ml – and has a very delicate taste. In preparation of latte, the coffee drink is finished with frothed milk and in latte macchiato, it is whipped cream decorating the surface. Very often in the offers of coffee places, there are variations of flavored syrups to add to lattes.
Mocha or mochaccino
Variation of caffe latte prepared by adding a chocolate flavor to the coffee drink, for example, chocolate syrup, powdered chocolate, or melted chocolate. Finished classically – with whipped cream. Again possibilities are many. We shall not forget about cold variations of coffees for the hot summer days – Caffe frappe, frappuccino, or else iced coffees. One bonus proposition from me to sweeten up the world of coffee – café bombón. I like to call it a candy coffee. It is a Spanish variation on espresso with sweetened condensed milk. Popular especially in the south of Spain and the heart of origin is considered the city of Alicante, although it became widely popular in Valencia. In Spanish, bombón means chocolate, colloquial it refers also to a beautiful woman.
Ewelina Chańska Sources: https://kawowy.guru/espresso-cappuccino-latte-americanoczym-sie-rozni-kawa-od-kawy/ https://www.garneczki.pl/blog/10-najpopularniejszychsposobow-podawania-kawy/
VOICES - 7
МИСЛЕЊЕ
The tale of the expatriate and the migrant In the aftermath of my studies abroad and the frame of my current deployment in Skopje, I recently wondered what are the implications of defining someone either as an expatriate or an immigrant, why there are these two options with unclear boundaries for seemingly similar realities.
F
irst, it should be recalled neither the polysemic word “expatriate” nor the term “international migrant” is officially defined. But most importantly, in my opinion, are the meanings that may be conferred to those words. While thinking about it, the first thing which crossed my mind was a feeling of incoherence. How come on the one hand some people from certain parts of the world in the process of relocating abroad who have not been through higher education are more likely to be defined as “immigrants”? Also why on the other hand other people, most often Westerners relocating for professional purposes as well will be considered as “expatriates”? Why some people may sometimes be pictured as an asset while other people are deemed a burden by some stakeholders in our societies? I was willing to avoid thinking in closed-circuit. Therefore, I researched for existing theories on this topic. Here are a few interesting quotes from several online articles I found. These citations are quite helpful to measure the wide diversity of opinions regarding this debate. They are tellingly evocative when they are put into perspective from one another. “Living in a foreign country raises all kinds of questions, both practical and emotional: how do you define yourself and how are you characterized by your adopted homeland? […] “Expatriate” means someone who has moved to live outside their home country, whereas “immigrant” is someone who has come from a foreign country to stay. The former term takes the perspective of the migrant, the latter that of the host country. […] There are hundreds of thousands of French people living in London, many of whom have come to the city with a clear professional goal — to work in finance, for example. I wonder what sort of cultural traits they reinforce while living among other French expats in the UK capital. I doubt they hold émigré salons in celebration of French culture, but imagine if they did?” Court, E., 2020. Expat Identities: Loaded Words For Movers Abroad. [online] Financial Times - Property Listings. Available at: <https:// propertylistings.ft.com/propertynews/United-Kingdom/5567-Expatidentities-loaded-words-for-movers-abroad.html> [Accessed June 15th, 2020].
8 - VOICES
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Opinion “When it comes down to it, expats and immigrants are the same. The dictionary definitions are: • Expat: a person who lives outside their native country. • Immigrant: a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country. This notion of permanency is a fallacy. A survey by the De Vere Group in 2017 found that 69 percent of Brits abroad said they’d never return ‘home’, while research by the University of Washington found that a third of those labeled immigrants actually do.” Mitchell, V., 2019. My Label And Me: Don’t Call Me An Expat, I’m An Immigrant | Metro News. [online] Metro.co.uk. Available at: <https://metro.co.uk/2019/08/01/ my-label-and-me-dont-call-me-an-expat-im-an-immigrant-10427722/> [Accessed 16 June 2020].
-“In reality, the word expatriate often confuses the employee seconded by his employer abroad, who benefits from health and pension insurance, installation and premiums schooling for children, with the one who organizes his departure and returns by himself. A mistake, according to Jean-Luc, who lives in Spain, for whom “expatriation is a term that refers exclusively to people and their families who are sent by a French company or organization to spend a few years abroad with the security of finding their job back in France. The immigrant works abroad with a local contract with no security other than that of the host country, no French social security, no contributions to French pension funds, etc. But that’s the way France is going: when a North African comes to work in France, he’s necessarily an immigrant, but French people in the same situation abroad are expats... it’s more elegant!”. […] For Karen, who has been in China for 9 years: “I feel more like an immigrant than an expat since I came on my own. I wasn’t sent on a mission by a company. I think that’s what makes the difference.” Emmanuel considers himself an immigrant: “I’m not going back to France, and I’m doing everything I can to stay in the country where I’ve settled, Japan. Are Expats in their bubble or French people wanting to integrate? “Wealthy” expatriates are not exempt from stereotypes. Despite themselves, they would keep a peaceful and good-natured tourist outlook on their new country and would evolve almost exclusively within the French community, unlike the French abroad in a more precarious situation, who have to make much more effort to integrate. These two populations with very different preoccupations coexist without always meeting each other. Dan, from Laos, explains: “I’ve never really considered myself as an ‘expat’ because I’ve never lived in the French community. If I’ve gone so far, it’s not to live the French way, surrounded by French people! So all my friends, all my working relationships are either local or come from other countries. So I have always felt like a candidate for residency, an immigrant trying to integrate as much as possible into this new society”.” Parlange, Marie-Pierre. 2019. “Êtes Vous Expat Ou Émigré ?”. Lepetitjournal.Com. https://lepetitjournal.com/le-mag/ma-vie-dexpat/etes-vous-expat-ou-emigre-24697. --
VOICES - 9
МИСЛЕЊЕ “Expats intend to stay in their new country for a limited period. […] Who of the following are expats? An American diplomat stationed in Ghana. A Ukrainian plumber working in London. A German businesswoman living in Shanghai. An Ethiopian medical student refining her skills at a hospital in France. A Syrian professor working in Italy as a janitor, longing to return to his war-torn homeland once it becomes safe again. As a blog post, which originally asked that question, points out, the above definition would say all of them; most people would not agree. What’s more, by this definition people who retire abroad cannot be expats (unless you stretch “limited” to mean “until death”).” Stephens, Thomas. 2017. “Pourquoi Un Expatrié Ne Peut-Il Pas Être Illégal?”. SWI Swissinfo.Ch. https://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/ societe/d%C3%A9finition_pourquoi-un-expatri%C3%A9-ne-peut-il-pas%C3%AAtre-ill%C3%A9gal/43094504.
-“The etymology of the word expat makes it almost synonymous with exile: it’s actually leaving one’s homeland. And then, little by little, it refers to someone who chooses to leave his country for different reasons. It’s a word that was used a lot during colonization, so it’s been associated with European people,” says Laura Calabrese, a linguist. In the 20th century, a new definition appeared, still today considered by some people as the only official one: executives sent by their companies on what multinationals have called “expatriation contracts”. “These expatriates are rather Westerners because the employees of multinationals are rather Westerners. So that’s why we have the impression that the word is used in a racist way, but I would say that in this context, more than skin color, the word designates a social class,” she says. In the 21st century, a new generation of expats has been added, who move for a variety of reasons and recognize each other. “To define this expat, you really have to look at the way this word is used. If we stick to etymology and the dictionary, it is not wrong to call them expats or immigrants. The choice of one or the other will rather depend on the connotation. The connotation is the 3rd layer of meaning that also gives the word its definition. […]
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Opinion “Saying expat is a way to stay close to one’s country of origin, it has a diaspora dimension. Expats have a strong bond with their homeland and there is an idea of return,” says Ingrid Therwarth, editor-in-chief of Courrier Expat, a media derived from the Courrier International newspaper. She explains that this is the logical continuation of what has been the “Erasmus generation”: you leave while you’re studying, and you want to continue the adventure once you’ve entered working life. […] Laura Calabrese says; “We see in these two words a hierarchy between desired mobility and undesired mobility, whether by the individual or by the state.” She explains that between expatriate and immigrant, usage and connotations have created a difference: “When you put them side by side, you see in these two words a hierarchy between desired mobility and undesired mobility, whether by the individual or by the state”. Lisa, a multi-expatriate blogger who has lived in Egypt, the UK and Crete says: “I’m navigating between different vocabularies, at times I’ve said expat, at other times I’ve said immigrant. Basically, it doesn’t matter. But what is certain is that being able to be an expat is a privilege. Many dream of leaving their country and can’t because they don’t have the right passport.”” Falquy, Ingrid. 2019. “L’expatriation Est-Elle Un Euphémisme Pour Ne Pas Nommer L’immigration?”. Slate.Fr. http://www.slate.fr/story/176298/ expatriation-immigration-connotation-racisme.
-While thinking about it, we always have to keep in mind each life path is unique and cannot be reduced to one word. The willingness to either integrate into the host society or remain among foreigners is also important in my opinion while keeping you can both be integrated in the local community on the one hand as well as get in touch with your fellow nationals in the other hand. As Laura Calabrese explains, the complexity lies in the three layers of understanding: the definitions, strictly speaking, the linguistic usages, and finally the connotations. Eventually, I consider it is up to each person abroad to define her or himself as an immigrant or an expatriate with tailor-made definitions and following her or his feelings. I do think this is the best solution as long as the breadcrumb trail is not to stand above the crowd.
Jules Striffler Other sources: “Definitions”. 2020. Refugees And Migrants - United Nations. https://refugeesmigrants.un.org/definitions.
VOICES - 11
КУЛТУРА
Ready for a new cinematic paradigm?
H
Let’s take a step back and dive into the mind-blowing elements composing the world of movie director Christopher Nolan.
is upcoming movie, Tenet, deals with the possibility of reversing the flow of time. Imagine for one second this would be true, fascinating don’t you think? Previously, he brilliantly tackled dreams as the primary element of his masterpiece Inception. Thinking there could be several layers in the dreaming process, then developing this idea was quite inspiring.
Hopefully, this occasion will come soon and we will have the delight to be taken far away in a new reality and a captivating story defined by time travel. This change of scenery will allow us to give up for a couple of hours our down to earth concerns and be transported far away into an unconventional world in terms of timelines and paradigms.
As the journalist Samuel Blumenfeld from the newspaper Le Monde writes, this is pretty impressive that his artist managed in creating movies successfully targeting a wide audience out of a discipline such as quantic physics.
Then, I am convinced we may well come back to our usual businesses with a fresh mind and an enjoyable new perspective on our environment. By the way, it makes sense as this is precisely the purpose of cinema, after all. So, long live the 7th art!
As I remember, Physics was not my talent area in high-school, so my firm interest in his filmography is quite surprising. Once again a piece of evidence that life is definitely full of surprises and twists! As I understand the words of Mr. Nolan in his interview, this subspecialty would allow us to reflect on the time in a new way, from future to past, thus widening options to draft a film scenario. Of course, same as several movies these days, there is an unanswerable question mark regarding the release date of this labyrinth new film at this stage. Therefore, I look even more forward to the moment when it will be the right time for this allegedly new work of art to be presented to the world.
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Jules Striffler Sources: Blumenfeld, Samuel. 2020. “Christopher Nolan, L’Homme Qui Devait Sauver Le Cinéma”. Le Monde.Fr. https://www.lemonde.fr/m-le-mag/article/2020/07/24/ christopher-nolan-l-homme-qui-devait-sauver-lecinema_6047129_4500055.html?xtor=EPR-33280931[alert]-20200726-[article].
culture
Gati për një paradigmë të re kinematografike?
F
Le të ndalojmë pak dhe të zhytemi në elementet mahnitëse të cilat kompozojnë botën e filmit të regjisorit Christopher Nolan.
ilmi i tij i radhës, Tenet, trajton mundësinë e rikthimit të rrjedhës së kohës. Imagjinoni për një sekondë sikur kjo të ishte e vërtetë, a nuk është fascinuese?Më parë ky regjisor në mënyrë magjepsëse ka trajtuar ëndrrat si element parësor në kryeveprën e tij Inception. Vet të menduarit se procesi i ëndërrimit ka disa shtresa, por edhe zhvillimi i kësaj ideje, ishte mjaft inspiruese.
Me shpresë që ky moment të vijë sa më shpejtë dhe ne të kemi kënaqësinë të ngërthehemi nga një realitet tjetër dhe një ngjarje joshëse të definuar nga udhëtimi në kohë. Ky skenar do të na ndihmoj të lëmë pas për disa orë shqetësimet që kemi dhe të shpërngulemi shumë larg, në një botë jokonvencionale sa i përket kohës dhe paradigmave.
Ashtu edhe siç shkruan gazetari i gazetës Le Monde, Samuel Blumenfeld, e gjithë kjo është tepër impresionuese nga vet fakti që ai ka arritur të krijojë në mënyrë të suksesshme filma për një audiencë të gjerë nga diciplina siç është fizika kuantike.
Dhe kështu, jam e bindur se mund të kthehemi sërish në paradigmën tonë dhe punët e përditshme me një mendje më të freskët dhe me një perspektivë të kënaqshme për mjedisin tonë. E mos harrojmë se në fakt, ky është pikërisht qëllimi i vet kinemasë. Pra, rroftë arti i shtatë!
Me aq sa më kujtohet, fizika nuk ka qenë ndonjë talent i imi gjatë shkollës së mesme, prandaj e gjej surprizues faktin që shfaq interes në filmat e tij. Ja edhe një dëshmi që jeta është përfundimisht përplot me befasi dhe kthesa! Me aq sa kuptova fjalët e z. Nolan në intervistën e tij, ky subspecialitet do të na lejoj të reflektojmë mbi kohën në një mënyrë tjetër, nga e ardhmja në të kaluarën, kështu kjo na zgjeron opsionet për të hartuar një skenar filmik. Sigurisht, këto ditë si për shumë filma të tjerë, edhe për këtë film ende ka pyetje pa përgjigjje sa i përket datës së publikimit të këtij filmi të ri labirinth. Prandaj, mezi po pres për momentin e duhur kur kjo pjesë artistike do t’i prezentohet botës.
Jules Striffler Përkthim: Besmira Ibraimi Burimi: Blumenfeld, Samuel. 2020. “Christopher Nolan, L’Homme Qui Devait Sauver Le Cinéma”. Le Monde.Fr. https://www.lemonde.fr/m-le-mag/article/2020/07/24/ christopher-nolan-l-homme-qui-devait-sauver-lecinema_6047129_4500055.html?xtor=EPR-33280931ëalert]-20200726-ëarticle].
VOICES - 13
КУЛТУРА
? y t i l a e r r o n o i t c Fi
When we travel, we are searching for different locations, with spectacular views, good food, and beautiful places to visit. In the countries we are going to, we can discover a deep history related to the places we see. Today’s article is focused on Romania’s landscape and buildings between fiction and reality. I suppose the whole world has heard about the fictive character Count Dracula? But how many of you know the connection of Dracula with Bran Castel from Romania? And what about the world’s most beautiful road located in the center of Romania? And these are only a few pieces of a complex puzzle.
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could talk about Romania’s attractions for many hours. I am not saying this just because I am Romanian (even if it’s kind of true), rather I would like to bring to the forefront key points of a country full of history, legendary characters, and amazing places. I picked up only a few things, the most brilliant ones in my personal opinion. Let’s begin with Dracula’s history. Count Dracula is a fictive character from Bram Stoker’s book “Dracula”. In the book, the Irish writer presents Dracula as a “centuriesold vampire, sorcerer, and Transylvanian nobleman” with a castle located high above a valley with a flowing river. The castle the author is talking about is an inspiration from a real one located in the heart of Romania called “Bran Castle”. Albeit Bram Stoker has never visited Romania, he described very well Bran Castle, known as “Dracula’s Castle”. Sources say that the description is the only one which fits with the real Bran Castle from the whole country.
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culture The fictive character of Bram’s novel is often confused with Vlad Țepeș. When the author has created the character he was inspired by Vlad Țepeș, the ruler of Walachia, also called “Vlad Dracul”. Vlad is known in Romanian history as a ruler who tended to impale his enemies on wooden stakes, being described by the majority of historians of that period as a blood-thirsty ruthless despot. A real connection between the imaginary character Dracula and Bran Castle does not exist. Maybe you wonder if there is a connection between Vlad Țepeș and Bran Castle? There are different opinions but there is no historical evidence of a connection. People should make a difference between the two characters mentioned above. Leaving aside the legend of Count Dracula, we turn our attention to one of the most spectacular roads in Romania, namely Transfăgărășan. The road is the second-highest in Romania after Transalpina. A couple of years ago, the English broadcaster, journalist and writer, co-presenter of Top Gear program, Jeremy Clarkson, said that Transfăgărășan is “the best road in the world”. Being build during the communist regime under Ceaușescu ruler to ensure quick military access across the mountains in case of a Soviet invasion, the road reveals an amazing landscape of what can be called “heaven”. The construction took place over a period of 4 years (1970-1974) being used roughly six million kilograms of dynamite. The paved mountain road crosses the southern section of the Carpathian Mountains of Romania connecting two historical regions: Transylvania and Wallachia. The winding road with long S-curves and sharp descents climb to an altitude of 2.042 meters. At 2.034 meters of altitude can be found the glacier lake Bâlea, another nature gift. Transfăgărășan has an impressive number of tunnels and viaducts in comparison to any other road in Romania, and the longest road tunnel is near Bâlea Lake. A road like this makes you feel to be with one step closer to the clouds. The beauty of the so-mentioned dream locations is hard to be described in words. When you see them with your own eyes and feel them with your own heart, you will be a happy soul. There would be much more to say but I will stop here letting your curiosity search for something more. To conclude this article, I will bring to your eyes Deborah Lloyd’s quote: “Travel sparks our imagination, feeds our curiosity and reminds us how much we all have in common”. Sources: http://www.bran-castle.com/dracula.html accessed on 25.07.2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transf%C4%83g%C4%83r%C4%83%C8%99an accessed on 25.07.2020
Angela Gabor
Design: Kirsi Suomi
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МИСЛЕЊЕ
Tender eyes to reality: the possibility of beautiful grandeurs I am currently reading “Anna Karenina”, written by Liev Tolstoi, and one of its passages left a huge impact on me: the character Dolly was having a happy moment with her children all around her, while another character, Liévin, was walking into her direction. She was feeling especially delighted with his presence, because no one was better than Liévin (due to his features of valuing marriage and having kids) to appreciate her grandeur at that time.
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he excerpt brought to my attention that if another person was visiting Dolly and her family, depending on which values they cherish the most, they would not be able to see with such delicacy how joyful and significant that moment was to Dolly, something which Liévin’s eyes could understand and admire straight away. I realized we should try every day to perceive more of the world’s great amount of feelings and what they mean to other people, even if they have different meanings to us, in order to allow us to be enchanted with the variety of grandeurs each person has. We live in a digital era that, in my point of view, contributed substantially to distort grandeurs, especially the grandeur of being old, with all the admiration our present culture has for what it
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fresh, brand new, what has new functions and is designed in a innovating shape, according to the newest trend online. Such a logic does not apply only to goods such as phones, computers and tablets, but also for makeup and clothes. Beauty products that have a special appeal to its consumer public are the ones that offer skin rejuvenation and a youthful look, that will make people certainly guess you are younger than you really are. I am not saying this is essentially negative: there is nothing wrong with wanting to look younger, taking good care of your skin or wishing the newest smartphone launched. The point is, the flooding of this approach every day helps to construct a vision that avoids as much as possible what speaks of or relates to oldness, including our dear old people.
Opinion I can see that some young people do not have much patience with old people: they don’t try to hear what they have to say, they don’t pay attention to their feelings and sometimes treat them like a child (assuming the kind of children treatment which I don’t agree with: hiding things from them, assuming it is not necessary to explain anything and not taking into consideration what they feel). However, we should urgently rethink about this behaviour, considering carefully how we are treating them and being aware of the fact that they are living in a context that was not planned for them. Our elders used to live in a completely different world than our own, with distinct ways to communicate and do their daily activities. Therefore, it can be considerably hard to follow this new reality, specially with people getting angry and refusing to help them. Besides, I think it is crucial to start noticing small changes that we should do to incorporate them again on the daily life. I have noticed this watching the Netflix original series “Grace and Frankie”, more precisely the episode four of the fifth season, in which Frankie starts to protest against the lack of accessibility of the crosswalk to old people, due to the short amount of time that the pedestrians have to cross the street, not giving enough time for slower walkers to do so. I was so astonished when I finished that episode. I kept thinking why I had never thought of that, and concluded that is exactly because we are not used to thinking about older people. We are not used to recognizing their difficulties, to being attentive to their inclusion in all areas of the life and to being sure they are feeling part of society and actually being part of it. But we should be. It must be emotionally tiring for some or most of them to feel invisible and disposable every day. I sincerely think we must try to see reality through Liévin’s tender eyes to Dolly, with more empathy and sensibility about other people’s grandeurs, including older people’s. When we start being more open to them, we will learn a lot with their opinions, stories and feelings, enriching ourselves as human beings, making possible a positive experience exchange. As a result of that, we will also be more caring and thoughtful, building together a more harmonic and equal society, in which every grandeur is treasured as it deserves.
Júlia dos Santos Acerbi Design: Kirsi Suomi
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репортажа
Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means “a reason for being”. The word refers to purpose in life, that which makes one’s life worthwhile, and towards which an individual takes spontaneous and willing actions giving them satisfaction and a sense of meaning to life.
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kigai, consist of 4 questions and their intersection. The questions are “What you love?”, “What the world needs?”, “What you can be paid for?”, “What you are good at?”. The intersection point of “What you love?” and “What you are good at?” will be you passion. The intersection point of “What you love?” and “What the world needs?” will be your mission. The intersection point of “What the world needs?” and “What you can be paid for?” will be your vocation. The intersection of “What you can be paid for?” and “What are you good at?” will be your profession. The lack of an answer of the questions will lead some negative effect in your life. Please, look at number 1 at the figure above. If the answer of “What the world need” lack, it makes you feel useless. For number 2, lack of the answer of “What you can be paid for”, deligh and fullness but no wealth. In number 3, lacking makes you feel uncertainty. And number 4, the lack of the answer makes you feel emptiness.
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REPORTAGE
The history of IKIGAI According to Hasegawa, the origin of the word ikigai goes back to the Heian period (794 to 1185). “Gai comes from the word kai (“shell” in Japanese) which were deemed highly valuable, and from there ikigai derived as a word that means value in living.” There are other words that use kai: yarigai or hatarakigai which mean the value of doing and the value of working. Ikigai can be thought of as a comprehensive concept that incorporates such values in life.
Reccomendation Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles break down the ten rules that can help anyone find their own ikigai. 1. Stay active and don’t retire 2. Leave urgency behind and adopt a slower pace of life 3. Only eat until you are 80 per cent full 4. Surround yourself with good friends 5. Get in shape through daily, gentle exercise 6. Smile and acknowledge people around you 7. Reconnect with nature 8. Give thanks to anything that brightens our day and makes us feel alive. 9. Live in the moment 10. Follow your ikigai
For More Information
There are many different resources about IKIGAI, you can find various deffinations and explonations. I don’t reccomend to read books about IKIGAI because there is enough information in webpages and blogs. Also, you can watch videos like “How to Ikigai | Tim Tamashiro | TEDxYYC”.
IKIGAI 2.0
Time flows and everything changes. Some writers think that IKIGAI should be changed and they named the main IKIGAI informations as IKIGAI 1.0 then create new style named IKIGAI 2.0. If you wonder, you can read also IKIGAI 2.0.
Dogukan Sever Sources: https://medium.com/thrive-global/ikigai-the-japanese-secret-to-a-long-andhappy-life-might-just-help-you-live-a-more-fulfilling-9871d01992b7 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk-PcJS2QaU https://www.sloww.co/ikigai-2-0/
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МИСЛЕЊЕ
Cooperation of Creativity and Brain magics (Creagic)
Your mind is full of magic, go ahead and discover them. Creativity is the key that opens doors for your future. It is a powerful tool to use, but don’t look for it in your toolbox, because it is inside you. Usually, you get confused and complicated about how to use it or think whether you have that tool or not? The answer is quite simple: everyone has that tool, and that is your creativity that shapes you as a different person.
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Opinion
H
ome for ideas, concepts, dreams, goals which are kind of overlooked is the brain. Using tongue for expressing mostly everything processing in our brain is one of the means, but there are many other means of getting over the patterns in our brains, such as painting, singing, dancing, and building. Different people use different means to express themselves, and that way they develop their skills and abilities and most importantly their creativity. When you watch dancers dancing they speak silently, through their motions. When you look at paintings they don’t speak but they explore the painter. Even if the painter tries to repaint his/her painting they will not look the same, there might be slight differences and that differences show the act of creativity. All these are the ways of describing the indescribable. The 21st century is developing every second and we can see many products are coming out. That’s the outcome of creativity. Human creativity is developing the world and making advancements. So we are part of this world and we are also humans who have the ability to create the impossible and make others not to go with the flow but embody the magic in their brains. Creativity is an inner state that should be put into a process, which will push us forward to chasing our goals and ideas and make impossibles possible. We start to look for other ways especially in bad states when our brain and mind is locked down and there seems to be no way out of it, the first thing we do we start thinking not about how it happened but how to come over it, and we use even those ideas which seemed insane during the normal state. The pressure we should not avoid it when it comes, let me call it as a “wake up” call for our creativity. And I am quite sure that lots of people are familiar with the backstage histories of many masterpieces, which have been created while being under pressure or stress. So, let’s not ran away from the pressure, just turn it to a masterpiece. I have decided to create a blend as a name for brain magics and creativity cooperation: “Creagic”. Finally, our three factors: brain, creativity, and pressure shape us to be unique and different in this rapidly developing century, where each of the factors has its own place, but only their cooperation can make us a creagic people. Hidden inside you it helps to make impossibles possible only we need to find the right ways to use it. Be creative to explore yourself and be the example others seek.
Kristine Khachaturyan Design: Kirsi Suomi
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МИСЛЕЊЕ
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure Second-hand buying culture is flourishing in Finland, especially in summer, when you can just grab a blanket, go to a park and place your soon to be sold clothes and items on that, and just enjoy a beautiful day and other people’s company while getting rid of your stuff you no longer need.
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Opinion
S
econd-hand buying is profitable in so many ways, not only for individuals but also for the planet. The first and probably the main reason that attracts people is that it’s much cheaper when compared to buying brand new stuff. You can easily find good quality clotheswith only a few euros. By selling you are not going to get rich, but you’ll have some profits and you don’t have to throw the stuff away, it’s good recycling. There are multiple options for second-hand places. Some companies work in a way that people donate their stuff and the profits of the selling go to charity, whatever the target group is. Also, there are self-service flea market places where you can rent your own selling table for a couple of weeks and you can bring your clothes and merchandise there and gather the profit for yourself. One option is to sell things online, which has become very popular, usually on Facebook marketplaces and groups. This is very convenient, but it requires fast action because there are so many people online. One option, which is my favorite, is outside secondhand events during summer. They work in a way that for example every Sunday at a specific park there is an event and whoever wants to participate, can. The only thing you need to do is show up with your things
and find a place in the park to settle down. And then just wait that people come to see what you have and start selling. It’s really lovely. You can sit all day in the park, drink and eat, maybe walk around and see what other people have brought and make discoveries. Also, the prices are lower because you can talk with the sellers and make compromises. At spring, usually, people arrange so-called “cleaning days”, the idea is to clean your house after winter and go to the street or your yard to sell everything you want to get rid of. You can find really cool things whether it is vintage products, quality fabrics like wool and silk, or other unique items. Things that would cost probably ten times more if bought new. And the selection is so diverse, especially when compared if you’d go to a shopping mall and every shop has a similar selection of clothes, depending on what’s considered as the fashion of the current season. So, if you want to use less money and be more kind towards our planet, check out if there are some second-hand places near you and go and take a look if you still haven’t done that. You might get surprised in a positive way.
Kirsi Suomi
VOICES - 23
репортажа
Source: Simon Davis/DFID Malala Yousafzai- Education for girls (22419395331).jpg
Herstory: Malala Yousafzai Our world and the way it looks and works is the effect of actions taken by many people before. It goes with technological development, a sense of security, human rights, or equal access to many goods the world offers us. We are part of the change movement because although much has been done to improve the world we live in, there is still lots to do. 24 - VOICES
REPORTAGE
W
hile we’re talking about women in history and their amazing (however too often forgotten) contribution to the world’s development, it’s always worth mentioning current times and amazing women who fight for a better future for all women around the world. They fight for freedom of choice, for equal rights and treatment. They fight, because although we live in an amazingly developed world, there are still places around the world, where people suffer from inequality and its consequences. Here we are with another, absolutely amazing woman who became a role model for many others, and by all of her actions, she was awarded a Peace Nobel Prize, becoming a global leader who inspires so many others – Malala Yousafzai. Malala is a 23 years old woman, who dedicated her life to fighting for equal rights to education for everyone, because as a teenager she experienced closed schools and gender discrimination. When she was 12, the Taliban took control of her town in Swat Valley in Pakistan. The extremists said that girls cannot go to school anymore. For Malala and many other girls school and proper education were a chance for a better life. Like in many countries, lack of education still brings lots of damage and inequalities. Women, who were not provided with education in their childhood have less chance to decide about their future, to develop themselves, to start a career, and more likely to be victims of teenage marriages or women abuse. And women ARE and should be an equal part of the society, everywhere. However, because of the regime, girls were not allowed to go to school. Malala’s father, who was an educator and activist has always encouraged Malala to fight for her dreams and always stands by those who suffer and who need someone to make their voice loud. On behalf of all girls, Malala started to speak – firstly by writing an anonymous blog and then by giving interviews and advocating for equal rights to education for all children in the world. Then she became a target
for those who were not quite happy with her social activism. While she was going back from school, she was shot in the head by a masked man. After recovering, she needed to make a decision – she could live a quiet life in the UK, where her family moved, or speak out loud and be the voice of those who suffer. Therefore, she launched a foundation - Malala Fund, which mission is to provide all children with equal education opportunities. Besides that, she is actively involved in all actions which promote human rights with a big focus on refugees’ issues. What makes Malala’s experience and attitude so special? I would say it’s not the fact that she raised a movement to fight for her and her friends’ education right or her passion for education or social activism. I believe that what makes Malala’s life such a blessing for all people around the world is the fact that she listens to people and that she wants to give this voice to people who suffer. No matter her very young age, she saw the pain in people, in the way they live and she dared to use all of her potential and bravery to help them. In her interview with Emma Watson, she asked the youth not to wait for the stage when they will grow up and be ready to make all those things they thought about and start up with all those ideas they/we have now, because now is the time to make and to be the change. I hope, living with such amazing examples of women around the world gives spirit and power to actually make the change and try our best to provide everyone with equal chances like the age of such development of human beings deserves. As Malala said, the goal hasn’t been achieved yet, so let’s do this!
Wiktoria Moritz Design: Ewelina Chańska Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKckKStggSY https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malala_Yousafzai https://malala.org/malalas-story https://malala.org/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T00TZkOMLZc
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ПОЕЗИЈА
The Ballad of Jayne
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POETRY
“She was like that… she would send you pictures you took together so that her smile could haunt you from your photo album she would put on a thick layer of red hot lipstick every 20 minutes so that you wouldn’t even dare to kiss her she would leave pencil-written messages in the poetry books you’d lend her, so that whenever you’d open them and read a verse, her voice would fill the air, as she recites… she would spritz her perfume on the letters she’d send you, so that she’ll always be present when you reread them, to see you long for her… again she would paint rose-gardens filled with cherry trees, so that she could always pull you in on her world thru the painting on your wall she would put stickers on the records she’d give you, and I’d feel like all of the songs the Beatles ever wrote are about her… she would always sleep with her eyes open, and her heart closed, her breath would always smell like chocolate she would only smile and speak with her eyes, as she will forever hold my heart at the tip of her hand.” As he finished talking, my hope was gone and I realized that “she” was like that, just someone I could never replace…
Dafina “Daffne” Veselinoska Design: Ewelina Chańska
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ЕРАЗМУс+
Бакнеж за крај Некој мудар човек некогаш одамна рекол „се што е убаво кратко трае“. Па така му дојде и крајот на моето волонтирање во Алаурин де ла Торе, Шпанија. Гледајќи ги фотографиите и размислувајќи за сето она што се случуваше за време на изминатите осум месеци на лицето имам насмевка од среќа, а во очите солзи од тага.
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ез оглед на тоа колку сте го пропатувале светот или воопшто и да не сте мрднале од родниот град и првпат да се впуштите во едно вакво искуство. Чувството е исто кај сите. Среќа и радост затоа што твојот капацитет и потенцијал излегле до максимум на виделина, можности безброј за развој и напредок, но не само на професионален план, туку и како личност. Учиш и пронаоѓаш начин како да го прифатиш она што е нетипично и несвојствено за твојата кулура, но не само за да се вклопиш туку и затоа што се што се случува околу тебе едноставно, природно како вода те влече.
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Колку волонтирањето е подолго, колку си повеќе опкружен со локално население, толку потешко ќе ти биде да се вратиш на она твоето, она на што не научило нашето место на раѓање и живеење. Тука доаѓаат солзите на очи и тагата за неможноста повторно да ги рашириш крилјата и безгрижно да ги покажеш своите потенцијали и можности. Враќањето во реалноста, прифаќањето на истата е тоа што ти ги полни очите со солзи додека срцето забрзано ти чука и во градите ти се преплетуваат чувството на среќа и тага.
ERASMUS+ И додека си таму некаде сам, надвор од комфорната зона, додека сите твои роднини и пријатели мислат дека идеш да шеташ. Ти всушност се запознаваш себеси и стануваш многу посилна личност, бидејќи мораш да најдеш начин како да комуницираш со деца, со луѓе кои имаат ментална попреченост и не зборуваат англиски, а ти не го владееш јазикот на локалното население. Или пак со мигранти кои не го познаваат ниту јазикот на локалното население, а не па да знаат англиски. Во такви моменти се изненадуваш од себеси и начинот на кој успеваш да се снајдеш, а во исто време присутно е и задоволството, особено кога работата е успешно завршена. Зошто длабоко во себе знаеш дека како тие луѓе што ќе остават печат во твојот живот така и ти ќе оставиш печат во нивниот, ќе те памтат. Бидејќи човечки е да се сеќаваме на луѓето кои ни помогнале и кои ни направиле да се чувстуваме убаво, макар за момент. Кога утре било кој ќе ми го постави прашањето „дали да одам на ЕВС“? Мојот одговор без размислување, јасно и гласно ќе биде „да“. Секој еден млад човек кој сака да патува, да запознава други култури и да учи во и за животот на поинаков начин Еразмус+ е за него/неа. Секој оној кој е подготвен да излезе од зоната на комфорот без оглед дали има 18 или 30 години, треба
да има едно вакво искуство. Искуство кое ќе го смести во категоријата позитивно или негативно, но ќе биде автентично, единствено и ќе стои под неговото/ нејзиното име. Јас моето ќе го ставам во категорија позитивно, без оглед на ситуацијата со пандемијата на Ковид-19 која пред време го заврши мојот проект. Бидејќи таа ми помогна да научам и сфатам колку треба да си психички силна личност за да се издржат два ипол месеци затворен сам во стан во друга држава во едни вакви вонредни услови. Ситуација во која додека локалното население живее под паролата „mañana“ (утре), а ти си го прифатил тоа, во следниот момент има ситуација која те потсетува дека треба да го цениш моментот и она што го имаш тука и сега. Сето ова и многу други случувања се дел од моето искуство. Ако сакаш твоја верзија одбери проект, потоа одбери држава, пасошот во рака и рашири ги крилата, а јас од Шпанија на сите ви испраќам еден бакнеж за крај.
Јелена Панчевска Design: Ewelina Chańska
VOICES - 29
ЕРАЗМУс+
From Turkey to Macedonia
Gülay from Turkey did her EVS volunteering project in Skopje, Macedonia from February 2019 to February 2020. She volunteered in a center for disabled children, Lastovica. Her year in another country was full of new challenges, adaption to a new culture and language, but an overall amazing experience.
I
am a landscape architect. Before EVS, I had 3-year work experience as a project supervisor. Also, I am a Turkish folk dance instructor and I have been training children from 5 to 18. I thought that it could be a wonderful experience in my lifetime which would never happen again, that’s why I chose to participate in this project. Although I worked with children, this experience was very extraordinary as well as difficult because my organization works with mentally and physically disabled children. Most of the children didn’t have the speaking ability and understood only Macedonian. So, it was really hard to communicate with children at the beginning. I kept in step with children’s daily routines. We did some routine activities related to maths, art, sports, and dance. We also walked around and went to the park to socialize and took some sunshine when the weather was good. In fact, I tried to make them gain new skills by doing various things together.
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My speaking level of English was not good before my EVS. So, I hesitated to communicate with children, their parents, teachers as well as local people. I improved my both language; English and Macedonian with the help of this project. Because I had to communicate with teachers and people around me in English. I had to communicate with children in Macedonian even word by word. Sometimes it was enough to understand each other. My other hesitation was not to adapt to their life. The children taught me so many things while I taught them. They have their own personalities. If they do not want to do something, nobody can push them for it. But you can show and teach them, and then let them show you how they express themselves. Now, I know how I can act when they need to help, and when I want to communicate with disabled people.
ERASMUS+ My volunteer friend, Soner, and I organized workshops and events. We organized “a barbeque party” in our backyard for children, we introduced Turkish food and culture with our Turkish guest from Turkey. It was such a good activity for all of us to know one another. We also organized public dance workshops with the permission of the municipality each Tuesday and Thursday almost for two months. I visited almost all the Macedonian cities. I can say that I know about 80% of Macedonian culture right now. I have so many local and international friends from all over the world. I sang songs, traveled, and tasted new food and drinks with my friends. Of course, it was not perfect all the time, but no one can be perfect. Every problem has its own solution. I have learned so many things that I am going to use for a lifetime. During this project, I got out of my comfort zone and got to know myself better. This kind of sustainable projects open new doors to improve your skills. In my opinion, everybody should try it! I am sure you will love it! Thank you for your patience to read my article about my EVS experience.
Gülay IşIk Design: Selina NIemi EVS (European Voluntary Service, changed to European Solidarity Corps) is a volunteering program under Erasmus+. Volunteers Centre Skopje was organizing the project together with Lastovica from Macedonia and System Generation from Turkey. This article was published first on the page of System Generation.
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тема на месецот
Тишината е моментот помеѓу две ракоплескања. Н
ајголемиот дел од времето зборуваме за тоа што се случува, што е кажано, што создава врева и го задржува нашето внимание. Многу ретко обрнуваме внимание што се случува во меѓувреме, кога ништо не се случува. Кога сѐ е тивко. Кога единственото што можеш да го чуеш е шепотот на ветрот или крцкањето на дрвјата. Кога чекориме еден крај друг без да изговориме и збор, се чини дека е вистинското. Во овие моменти тишината е сеопфатна. Без овие моменти на тишина - дали би ги ценеле моментите на врева и акција.
Кога и да гледам филм со пријателите, еден од најскапоцените моменти се тие неколку минути по завршетокот. Кога сите се тивки, сеуште задлабочени во приказната на филмот, враќајки се постепено. Или пак оној момент во театар кога светлата ќе се изгаснат. Одеднаш сите разговори стивнуваат. Сите се тивки, во исчекување на завесите да се подигнат. И по разделбата со пријателите по претставата ве поздравува тишината на ноќта, давајќи ви момент на оддишка помеѓу возбудата од театарот и автобусот кој штотуку пристигнува дома. Во јапонската филозофија постои концепт на негативен простор - МА. Идејата е дека материјалните работи, предметите, не се вреднувани само поради нивното постоење туку и заради просторот кој ги опкружува. Во прекрасно украсена соба нашата перцепција за убавина не е само насочена кон предметите што ги гледаме туку и на просторот околу нив. Како предметите се поставени еден кон друг. Ако сите се напикани во еден ќош, собата изгледа хаотично и тогаш не ги вреднуваме поединечно. Празниот простор дава структурност на собата. И аналогно на тоа, тишината е празниот простор помеѓу звуците. Без тишината помеѓу нотите од едно музичко дело, не би било препознатливо како музика и би се задушило во постојан шум. Ако сакаме да дадеме значење на еден збор, правиме пауза пред да го изговориме. Тишината во музиката и во театарот изгеда поинаква од онаа, спонтаната при прошетка во шумата.
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topic of the month Кај театарот и музиката, тишината има јасна улога на контраст на звуците на песната или изведбата. Тишината при прошетка е повеќе спонтана и помалку свесно се доживува. Но исто така создава контраст и моменти на тишина во метежот и вревата од секојдневниот живот. Тишината и празниот простор го структуираат нашиот живот, а сепак се трудиме да ги отфрлиме на секој начин. ТВ работи по позадина, бескрајно зборување, само да не бидеме замолчени. И постојан ангажман, да не останеме сами со своите мисли. Но во таа насока, остануваме лишени од врската со свесното интензивно искуство на животот. Не можеме повеќе да се сконцентрираме да ги слушнеме посебните ноти на животот. Наместо тоа, само ја слушаме постојаната врева од конзумерството. Само во ретки моменти ѝ се предаваме целосно на тишината и на просторот што го отвора за нас искуството од светот поинтензивно и појасно. Истиот принцип може да се примени и на еден друг концепт: здодевноста. На здодевноста се гледа како на нешто негативно, нешто што треба да се одбегнува по секоја цена. Меѓутоа може да одигра слична улога како тишината и празниот простор. Здодевноста е празниот простор помеѓу две дејствија. Тишината помеѓу гласните и бурни моменти во животот. Здодевноста ни дава простор да ги обработиме нашите искуства. Му дозволува на разумот да лута додека вистинска прилика не се создаде за тоа што да направиме со слободното време. Само доколку не ни се одвлече вниманието кон други работи и не оставиме простор за инспирација. Инспирацијата е нешто што потекнува од нас внатре, што не тера да правиме работи од задоволство. Одвлекување на вниманието, од друга страна е пак, само да се „убие“ времето.Површна исполнетост на нашите потреби без некое реално задоволство. Токму затоа најдобрите идеи ги добиваме под туш или додека спиеме. Тие се покрај сѐ единствените моменти без одвлекување на вниманието. Тишината, празниот простор и здодевноста се аспекти од истата работа. Се работи за земање оддишка од секојдневниот живот, доживување на она што е помеѓу редови во животот. Тишината помеѓу зборовите, празнината помеѓу работите и здодевноста помеѓу дејствијата. Можеби е добра идеја да се направи пауза одвременавреме. Само колку да се игнорира налетот на модерното. Одвојте време. Време да ја слушнете тишината и видете празнотијата. Време да ја искусите здодевноста, само вие и вашата глава, да се најдете себе си повторно.
Матис Гилсбах Преведувач: Горан Галабов
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ЕРАЗМУс+
KA3: MOMENTUM Meet the participants of the project: “European Youth at the frontlines of active citizenship: A Roadmap towards a collective South-North-East-West Momentum” organized by Volunteers Centre Skopje and supported by European Commission due to Erasmus+ European Youth Together programme and see how they will change society.
Elena Ramirez Gonzales (Spain) Elena’s project consists of creating a drag king workshop, addressed to any person regardless of their sex, gender identity or sexual orientation. It is a drag king workshop because inside drag practice, it is still invisible and today there are lack of spaces where you can find it. The goal of the project, from one side is to provide tools to learn to transform into drag king, empowering the participants through this learning process; and specially the lesbian collective. On the other side, it pursues a more general or global goal: generating a space of collective reflection about gender and power in society.
Javier Esteves (Denmark) Argentinian entrepreneur living in Aarhus, Denmark, has engaged into a social project called ”The New Creative Tenants”, where a group of 12 homeless Danish youngsters will start living in a cultural center called UngdomsKulturHus (UKH), as part of an experiment for social inclusion. Throughout this process, the main idea is to sort things out when it comes to the guidelines and space availability of the house, with an agenda of both active and possible projects for the new tenants to be aware of this right away. Javier hope that one thing that will change for sure, is the perception that a large part of the population has in regards of the capacity and deliverables that a cultural hub have.
Dídac Espí Vallvé (Spain) The idea of the Didi’s project called: “Hand made Sound System” came about together with his mate, in a mental all night rave in a squat in Sant Andreu del Palomar during the summer. The aim is to create a youth movement in the city. All the same, the essence and main objectives of the project are the self-direction and sustainability – creating the speakers with our own hands, to build up an alternative youth recreation, to promote young artists and to create support network between social organizations in the city.
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ERASMUS+
Shubhdeep Singh Parwana (Denmark) Shubhdeep Singh Parwana lives in Aarhus, Denmark and he is a cultural entrepreneur, artist and visual anthropology student. He finds inspiration in working with curiosity and ownership as methods to engage himself and others around him. His project is the creation of a mini festival and a series of different cultural events created by young cultural creators and artists. He hopes that creating own platform will show that things can be done in other ways than the traditional ones.
Lina Staškevičiūtė (Denmark) Lina is a 22-year old multimedia designer from Lithuania living in Denmark. She is a professional hitchhiker, traveler, dreamer and burner. She runs several art and community projects at Institut for(X) in Aarhus, Denmark. Among other projects, she started Aarhus Burns and “Foodsharing” Aarhus. That’s a grass roots initiative that started in Germany and expanded in various cities across Europe. It is a community of people who care about the environment and want to reduce food waste. The goal of the project is to bring awareness about food waste through educative workshops and promote a resourceful life - waste less, and do more with less.
Jonatan Nordentoft de Regt (Denmark) Jonatan is occupied daily as a musician and cultural entrepreneur in the city of Aarhus in Denmark. Currently involved as project coordinator in the newly established cultural platform “Open the Kimono”, that aims to create an international conglemerate of cultural platforms, based in Aarhus. By establishing a consortium of active CCI´s in the cultural sector of Aarhus, the point is to create a platform for development of new initiatives, platforms and events. One methodology native to this group is the conversion of so-called “Non-spaces” into Cultural Spaces.
Daniel de Garcia Morales (Spain) Daniel was born in Santa Coloma, Spain and he has devoted his self to fine arts. His wish is to organize art festival in his local place which will be important for protection of their culture. The festival, which will last a week, intends to show that it is possible to create an artistic ecosystem in the local area, creating support networks which can keep on operating from then on from this initiative that seeks to be the roots of the movement. It will be a participative festival, which will take place in various places in the city, trying to make the artistic value of the area visible.
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ЕРАЗМУс+
Capucine Chandon (Denmark) Capucine (26, based in Denmark) considers herself a European citizen, as she has lived in a few different countries already. With a background in Communication and Photojournalism, she has put all her focus on her passion for bringing people together in nature. Her project called “Biophilia” means love of life and living organisms. It describes the need as a human being to connect with other forms of life in nature in order to feel good. The idea of the project is to invite people to reconnect with nature. Capucine will organize events where people meet up in nature somewhere around Aarhus. Every season brings a different nature experience and activity: it could be going on a hike, gathering wild edible plants or mushrooms, and cooking them on the fire, swimming in a lake or the sea, and sleeping outside.
Laia Cuadro Segarra (Spain) As a good integrator, Laia brings together years of experience and dealings with a large number of people. Since their adolescence they have been involved as a monitor and a leader in recreational centres geared towards children, which clearly highlighted their career goals, so they ended up studying social integration. During their academic placement carried out in the association Intergramenet they were able to experience first hand the linguistic difficulties of people recently arrived from other communities and cultures to Catalonia, a bilingual place and with a complicated vocabulary even for natives. This fact had posed new challenges which include the facilitation of learning of the language for situations in daily life, speeding up the inclusion of this group in their new home. To this end Laia has developed a very interesting project geared specifically towards the creation of a bond and a space free from judgment regarding fears, barriers and tabues which can come out of the circumstances which these people find themselves in.
Lidia Fernandes Rodriguez (Spain) Lidia is a 27 years old girl from Spain. Currently she works as a social integrator and studies social work. She is also educated in and have experience in the health sector. Lidia always wanted to work in sectors in direct contact with people, accompanied with a significant emotional burden. She was looking for different methods to know what her mind and body felt, until finally found different ways of learning and management. During this process she met Marta, her companion and soul mate, and they two created KANOA. It’s project with non-formal education which aims to provide students with emotional resources to enrich human relations and improve the quality of the interventions that they will carry out in the future.
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