February 2022
voices MAGAZINE FOR ALL YOUNG PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD
Editorial
Едиторијал
A
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Probably most of you associate the second month of the year with the holiday of lovers. So how is it with this love? Check topic of the month! You will also find out whether love can be found in your back pocket. Falling in love can lead to a kind of addiction. It would be wonderful if there were only such addictions in the world. But the reality is not so colorful, and you will find out by reading an article about drug trafficking in Latin America.
Веројатно повеќето од вас го поврзуваат вториот месец од годината со празникот на вљубените. Па, како е во љубовта? Проверете во темата на месецот! Ќе дознаете и дали љубовта може да се најде во задниот џеб. Вљубувањето може да доведе до еден вид зависност. Би било прекрасно да има само такви зависности во светот. Но, реалноста не е толку шаренолика, а тоа ќе го дознаете преку статијата за трговија со дрога во Латинска Америка.
fter January - the month of New Year’s resolutions - it’s time for February, the year’s shortest month. And with it another edition of our magazine!
The following days bring greetings and goodbyes to the volunteers. Jose joined our team straight from Portugal. As with each experience, our time in Macedonia is coming to an end. The three of us have had an extraordinary, eye-opening, and joyful volunteering project in VCS. Our main task was working for this lovely magazine here. Besides VOICES – our well-protected baby – we traveled around the Balkans, made friends, and gratefully dived into the welcoming Balkan culture. Let’s see where the future might take us – but clearly, our volunteering experience had an impact on our future choices. We will stay involved in the international field and keep standing up for openness. After our time abroad we believe more than ever: The VOICES of young people need to be heard! Clarissa Leute, Ania Marek, Kacper Król
о јануари месецот на новогодишните одлуки - време е за февруари, најкраткиот месец во годината. А со тоа уште едно издание на нашиот магазин!
Следните денови носат добредојде и довидување во нашето ВЦС-семејство. Жозе му се приклучи на нашиот тим директно од Португалија. Како и секое искуство, нашето време во Македонија привршува. Ние тројцата (Кацпер, Клариса и Ана) имавме извонреден волонтерски проект што ни ги отвори очите и ни донесе многу радости. Нашата главна задача беше да работиме за ова прекрасно списание овде. Покрај „Воисес“, - нашето милениче, патувавме низ Балканот, се дружевме и со благодарност се нурнавме во добредојдената балканска култура. Ајде да видиме каде може да не однесе иднината. Очигледно дека нашето волонтерско искуство имаше влијание врз нашите идни одлуки. Ќе останеме вклучени на меѓународното поле и ќе продолжиме да се залагаме за отвореност. По престојот во странство, веруваме повеќе од кога било: „Воисес/Гласот“ на младите луѓе мора да се слушне! Клариса Лојте, Ана Марек, Кацпер Крол
VCS DIRECTOR: Nikola Stankoski COORDINATORS: Andrej Naumovski Goran Adamovski Goran Galabov Selina Niemi Ewelina Chańska
VOLUNTEERS: Christopher Machold Clarissa Leute Yvan Barbeau Anna Marek Kacper Król Jolanta Ciopcińska Lucile Guéguen José Rodrigues
EXTERNAL WRITERS: Aleksandra Kanasiuk Dafina Veselinoska TRANSLATORS: Martina Danilovska Ejona Limanaj
DESIGNERS: Selina Niemi Ewelina Chańska Anna Marek Kacper Król Lucile Guéguen Jolanta Ciopcińska
CONTACT: Volunteers Centre Skopje Emil Zola 3/3-1, 1000, Skopje +389 22 772 095 vcs_contact@yahoo.com www.vcs.org.mk
PROOFREADERS: Elen Wright-Stead Edward Stead
VOICES magazine is coordinated, designed and created by ESC and local volunteers with support of Erasmus+ program.
content
VOICES February 2022 - issue 2
topic of the month 4 22
Modern love
Jolanta Ciopcińska
Модерна љубов
Јоланта Чиопчинска
poetry 6
Love in the back pocket
Goran Galabov
7 Љубов во задниот џеб Горан Галабов
music 8
Behind the scenes of the video game music industry
Aleksandra Kanasiuk
reportages 11 14 15
16
Untold
Aleksandra Kanasiuk
Too much of Valentine’s Day? There is a solution.
Anna Marek
Të lodhur nga Dita e Shën Valentinit? Ka një zgjidhje.
Anna Marek
16 20 30
2022 European Year of Youth!
Kacper Król
Human entertainment at the cost of animals
Anna Marek
Let it roll!
Jolanta Ciopcińska
science 18
Transhumanism is on its way with Neuralink
Yvan Barbeau
20
opinion 24 26
8 Филмови и серија
Дафина Веселиноска
How does the consumption of recreational drugs feed violence in Latin America? Lucile Guéguen
erasmus+ 29
Imagine, Improvise, Integrate! Christopher Machold
COVER: Selina Niemi
26
topic of the month
e lov rn
o d M e
4 - VOICES
Clammy palms, a racing heart, and butterflies in the stomach - almost everyone knows this state. Love… Getting into a love relationship today is entirely different from the times of our ancestors. It was different only 20 years ago. What has changed? What is love in the time of Tinder?
тема на месецот
T
hese days, we stumble upon “love” with every step we take. We watch romantic movies that are served on the silver screen and read books that deliver us love stories seething with desire. The word love in various contexts appears in every corner of social media. That vision of love that is presented everywhere awakens in our faith in the sense of searching for our other half. We imagine that love is like Cupid’s arrow - it knocks us down and does not allow us to resist the love’s charm. But love is just a word until someone gives it meaning. I asked my friends for their definition of love. What did they say? “Love is refreshing like a morning breeze” without hesitation, states Enes. Marijana is sure that, “Love is probably the most debated word, yet ironically enough, it is not for our brain to define it, but rather our heart.” Marlena says, “Love is, simply speaking, a deep emotional attachment to another person - a powerful and unconditional one. When you love someone, you’re being totally selfless with them - thinking of their well-being and happiness first, before your own.” Love is not easy to describe in a few words. It can be an unusual feeling, relationship, or state that results from the overlapping of biological, chemical, social, historical, or even economic factors. There are as many definitions of love as there are people in the world. Much of how we understand and feel love comes from the values we grew up with and the relationships we experienced as children. When we start looking at the history of relationships and their various forms, it turns out that the commonly created vision of romantic love, based on the free choice of a partner, is a fundamentally new concept. It was not until the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, with industrialization and the accompanying vision of a society built on economic freedom, that the modern concept of a marriage based on love between partners was born. Previously, one was guided mainly by rational premises when entering a relationship. Feelings were left behind. Nowadays, we expect our partner to meet many needs such as closeness,
tenderness, entertainment, decisionmaking, attention, and care, which were provided thanks to belonging to a community of friends and relatives. The chances of creating a relationship that meets all our needs are a bit unrealistic. Moreover, we hear more and more that humans are not made to match up once and for all. Adding to the fact that we live longer and longer, a “lifetime” relationship may not last 30-40 years but over 50-60 years. Millennials who grew up watching with flushed faces Disney animations have become victims of the vision of romantic love. They very well know the concept of the “half-orange” that you need to meet to complete you and a love that never ends. The new generations probably perceive love a bit differently. They have less romanticism and less faith in “happy ever afters” as they experienced unstable
parental relationships more often than others. Because of this, they also might feel that the ties are meaningless. When talking about love in the 21st century, it is impossible not to mention our closest companion – a mobile phone. We can find hundreds of dating apps that allow us to explore and establish relationships on the Internet. However, the almost unlimited choice may come with some risk. Because
how would we know who is our future significant other? Dating apps can also make it difficult to stay in a stable relationship. Because what happens when a relationship crisis hits us or something goes wrong? Will we “accidentally” run the app to see if there are any better opportunities? A considerable role in changing the perception of love also play streaming services such as Netflix. The relationships in the TV series are shown much more realistic, and love is not so evident there. Free love movement from the 60s, popularization of the contraceptive pill, LGBTQ+ have also changed our understanding of interpersonal relationships and sexuality. But the changes that we have been observing in recent years are not only due to legislative and social issues. One of the essential aspects is the approach to the body and nudity, and in recent years also to pornography. Pornlike sex, one-night stands, closeness, and commitment issues - this is what people who want to be in a relationship face. Are we struggling with a love crisis? Love in the 21st century seems problematic. Perhaps because we live in a maze of signals and different visions of love, we are more and more lost and, at the same time, unable to engage in a relationship. Should we accept that love is complicated and stop caring about finding our Mr./Miss Right? We should go for sure and live as we please, but we should also be more attentive to those around us, not just our needs. Jolanta Ciopcińska Sources: Olga Kamińska: #LOVE. Jak kochać w XXI wieku. The Guardian: Love in the 21st century.
VOICES - 5
poetry
Love
in the back pocket Based on true story
T
hey met outside that cold and frosty morning, just to get some official things done. Long lasting warm hug for a welcome…Her hair over his face...Her scent of a Wild Rose...more than official… They walk along together with a perfectly synchronized steps…gliding, like not touching the ground. She was showing her lovely smile over and over again, as the Sun was shining out of the cold winter sky. “At least my heart is warm” - he thought with a smile. They navigated through the city... some places, some streets...waiting in a line, one next to another. In the crowd of people just their eyes met, millions of times, in the right moments…and all over again. One of those days...You run out of words but the moments of silence contain the whole universe. And the smile on their face has never gone away. “Oh how I wish you to be my mysterious Universe! To discover your secrets every single day”
- an honest back thought in his playful mind, wanting this day never to end. And they seemed very happy, even the random people on the street looked at them, attracted by that nice flow of energy. She was like a lovely butterfly with her inner charm and curious eyes full of sun. And he had the courage to let her know that…”I can walk thousands of miles with you! And never be tired and bored!” - he attracted another precious smile on her lovely face. “So let`s do it someday! Maybe spring time is better?”- she agreed. He just smiled, he already felt the spring time deep in his heart, right here, right now… Together they went for a coffee and a talk, as they shared life stories people usually do only with the closest. And they felt closer, looking in the depth of each other`s eyes. “How far this can go?” - he just wondered. “Am I gonna hurt her feelings if I go too far or if I don`t?” But he left the magic develop further as he could not remember a day feeling like this. And she was the one that made him feel so special today...He had eyes only for her. He walked her home... long lasting warm hug... her hair over his face... still the scent of a Wild Rose… Later that night, just after midnight when the magic usually starts, she texted to him: “You are my sweet...! Sleep well!” “Thank you for the most amazing day!” - he replied. “For all your smiles…hugs…nice words.”
6 - VOICES
“It sounds like Love that I have forgotten long time ago”- she texted back with smileys and hearts. “Just remind me what it was?” “Well Love is that shiny little thing I put in the back pocket of your jeans today” - he texted in a moment. “When you were not watching” “You really put something? I cannot find” - she was entertained. “You have a golden heart!” “No…I don`t have a heart! I gave it to you. The first day we met…” - he was brave enough to text her like that. “I can give it back…” - she wanted to be polite. “Please keep it. You handle it more than better” - he admitted. “You are my sweet..!” “And you are my most beautiful Butterfly!” Yeah... he knew so well that Love was something we all look forward to happen… Just round the corner... and if you are lucky, it happens unexpectedly when our guard is down. Millions of smiles for no reason... thinking that you can fly and you just love the idea that happened that way, no plan, no delays and no tomorrow... like a refreshing rain that pours down all of a sudden upon your head... you close your eyes and let it flow. TO BE CONTINUED… Goran Galabov
поезија
Лубов во задниот џеб Базирано на вистинска приказна
С
е сретнаа надвор тоа студено и промрзнато утро, за да завршат некои службени работи. Долготрајна топла гушка... Нејзината коса преку неговото лице... Нејзиниот мирис на Дива Роза... Да, повеќе од службено... Чекореа заедно еден крај друг, во совршено синхронизиран чекор... лебдеа, како да не ја допираа подлогата. Таа ја покажуваше својата прекрасна насмевка, повторно и повторно, како што Сонцето сјаеше на студеното зимско небо. „Барем топло ми е на срцето“ - помисли тој со насмевка.
тебе! И никогаш да не се уморам или чувствувам здодевно!“ - тој изнуди уште една скапоцена насмевка на нејзиното прекрасно лице. „Па ајде да го направиме тоа некој ден! Можеби напролет ќе биде најдобро?“ - се сложи таа. Тој само се насмевна, тој веќе ја чувствуваше пролетта длабоко во неговото срце, тука и сега... Заедно отидоа на кафе и разговор и споделија животни приказни какви луѓето обично споделуваат само со најблиските. И тие се чувствуваа блиски, загледувајќи се во длабочината на очите, еден со друг.
Се движеа низ градот... Некои места, некои улици... чекајќи во ред, еден до друг. Во толпата од луѓе само нивните погледи се сретнуваа, милион пати, во вистинскиот момент... и повторно пак. Еден од оние денови... Остануваш без зборови, но моментите на тишина како да го содржат целиот Универзум. А насмевката на нејзиното лице никогаш не исчезна.
„Колку далеко ова може да оди?“ се прашуваше тој. „Ќе ги повредам ли нејзините чувства ако отидам предалеку или ако не го направам тоа?“. Но тој остави магијата да се развива и понатаму зошто не се сеќаваше кога последен пат имал ваков ден. А таа беше онаа која направи да се чувствува посебно денес... Неговите очи знаеја само за неа.
„О, колку би сакал да бидеш мојот таинствен Универзум! Да ги откривам твоите тајни секој божји ден!“ - искрена мисла во позадината на неговиот разигран ум. Посакувајќи да овој ден никогаш не заврши. И тие изгледаа среќно, дури и случајните минувачи на улицата ги загледуваа, привлечени од тој убав проток на енергија. Таа беше како прекрасна пеперутка со нејзиниот внатрешен шарм и љубопитни очи исполнети со сонце. И тој имаше храброст да и го каже тоа... „Можам да чекорам илјадници километри со
Ја испрати дома... Долготрајна топла гушка... Нејзината коса преку неговото лице... Сеуште присутен нејзиниот мирис на Дива Роза... Нешто подоцна таа вечер, веднаш после полноќ, кога обично магијата започнува, таа му испрати порака: „Ти си мој сладок..! Убаво да спиеш!“ „Ти благодарам најмногу за неверојатниот ден!“ - одговори тој. „За сите твои насмевки... гушки... прекрасни зборови“. „Звучи како Љубов што одамна ја имам подзаборавено“ - таа врати
повратно со смајли и срциња. „Потсети ме што беше тоа?“ „Па Љубов е она убаво малецко нешто што го оставив во задниот џеб на твоите фармерици денес“ - тој испрати текст во моментот. „Тогаш кога не гледаше“ „Навистина остави нешто? Не можам да го најдам“ - се забавуваше таа. „Имаш златно срце!“ „Не... Јас немам срце! Ти го дадов на тебе. Уште првиот ден кога се сретнавме...“ - тој беше доволно храбар да и напише така. „Можам да ти го вратам...“ - таа сакаше да биде учтива. „Те молам задржи го! Ти го чуваш повеќе од добро“ - призна тој. „Ти си мојот сладок..!“ „А ти си мојата најубава Пеперутка!“ Да... Тој добро знаеше дека Љубовта е нешто кое сите го посакуваме... Во секое време... И ако имате среќа, доаѓа неочекувано, тогаш кога ќе го спуштите гардот. Милион насмевки без причина... помислувате дека можете да полетате и едноставно ви се допаѓа идејата дека тоа се случило на тој начин, без план, без одложувања и без размислување за утре... Како дожд што освежува и се истура одеднаш врз твојата глава... Ги затвораш очите и дозволуваш да се слее. ПРОДОЛЖУВА... Горан Галабов
VOICES - 7
music
BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE VIDEO GAME MUSIC INDUSTRY
8 - VOICES
The wind is howling. You can hear footsteps in the distance—some knocking and moans of monsters. The general mood suggests that something will happen very soon. Then a wolf 's howl and some indistinct whispers. A chainsaw sound. Is it outside, or is my mind fooling me? I felt uncomfortable and opened my eyes widely when some loud sound appeared. "Listen, oh, how beautiful! Goosebumps! This howl is made only with a violin! Don't you say you don't like it".
музика
K
acper Kajzderski’s road to music production led through classical music education. He graduated in composing class at Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań. Since early childhood, Kacper also spent a lot of time playing computer games besides creating music. A few years ago, during university, he participated in ingame music workshops facilitated by Marcin Przybyłowicz (Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 OST) on Poznan Game Arena. “I usually do not participate in such events; I leaped the opportunity and was exploring the expo. By accident, I came across the stand of two guys presenting the demo of their first game. We chatted a little, but neither one of us would expect that we will see each other again.” After graduation, he reminded himself about the expo and the people he met there. He found a business card and website of guys he chatted with. “I read about their inspiration” heavy metal hymns of Dio.” I was right after releasing a CD with my metal band, so I got an idea. I e-mailed guys, and one thing led to another – I became part of a Hyperstrange crew, responsible for creating music for their first game – Elderborn.” After years of hard work, the game became a success, and the Hyperstrange crew increased to several dozen people. “While working on Elderborn, I met Piotr “Buffout Boy” Stachera, an electro music producer. We created a few compositions for this game, connecting heavy guitars with heavy electronic sound. Eventually, we decided to set up a cooperation. Since then, we have been working under Ivory Tower Soundworks.”
Music
The characteristic of everyday work depends on the production stage – usually, beginnings are lazier, but the time right before releasing the game or trailer is more ‘hot’. Typical workdays can vary: some days, the composer works only on music or sounding – Kacper prefers to concentrate more on one task. “Sometimes, we have access only to concept arts or game
descriptions, and based on that, we have to start creating the first music sketches. Sometimes the team is on such advanced level of production that we have access to ready game excerpts.” When it comes to composing, many ways and methods are endless. It depends on the client’s requirements – some of them have a clear vision of the musical frame. In that case, they send references – links to particular songs, that composers should model their music on. Others have only direction and are waiting for their proposals. “There are times when I work on a piece of music I had been thinking a while, and I know what I am looking for – I know which instruments, what kind of structure and speed to use, and what kind of impact it should have on a player. Sometimes I have an accurate image of some part of music or melody in my head. Other times – I start from scratch. I am sitting with pencil and piece of sheet music paper or with an instrument, and I am looking for sounds or improvising.” In this phase, they clarify the general mood of the soundtrack. “Then usually is ping-pong – we create some music and send it to the client. We get feedback, improving what needs to be improved, and we are doing that as long as we need to satisfy the contractor.” Creating a ready few-minute piece, depending on its complexity, usually takes from a few to a dozen or several dozen hours after throwing a few sketches into the trash.
Inspirations
“I am looking for inspirations mainly in other music, other games, and art in general. Creative-stimulating for me are books or even articles about creating, not only music and sounds. Interviews with artists can inspire me to work.
Sometimes the most inspiring is that an eminent creator was also fighting artblock and other difficulties I am fighting myself.” He listens to very different genres. As a classical musician, he loves the music of Beat Furrer, Gerard Grisey, Morton Feldman, Webern, Brahms, and Wagner. On the other hand, his metal soul craves heavy sounds of Meshuggah, Nile, or Suffocation. “I also follow the work of incredibly creative Norwegian rock band Motorpsycho or listen to albums of Clark or Alva Noto. When it comes to games, I have some “road signs.” Iconic Thief series and its phenomenal sound and music setting by Eric Brosius (especially Thief 3 OST) or Mark Morgan’s official soundtrack to the first two parts of the Fallout series. I have known these pieces for ages, but still going back to them to inspire and breathe some ‘fresh air.”
Sound effects
“Sound effects are a crucial element of all video games, and sometimes I feel they are overlooked. Sound determines the immersion and draws a player into the game’s world. But it’s noticeable only when there are some missing sounds or when the sound design is not good. If our commission involves sound effects, VOICES - 9
music
we do everything - starting with User Interface clicks throughout footsteps and gunshots to the wind blowing through the trees.” There are two ways to work on sound designing. You can create sounds yourself or use ready packages from the sound effect library. It may be not that ambitious, but more common in the industry. That explains why you can hear the same sound effects in different games or movies. Creating the sound may be challenging. “Recently, I had to make a sound of opening and a closing wooden chest. I need to build this sound in my imagination from the very details (there are no bad answers). In this case, do I hear the sound of turning the mechanism into some triggers? The rattle of metal lock? Then sound of squeaking wood that is opening the lid of the chest. Therefore in closing this chest, we are also expecting a squeaking sound. But there is a question – how big is that chest? A small box will close with a knock, but a big treasure chest will close with a bump. Next, we need to choose the sample that is some short records. I look over my sound library, searching for phrases such as ‘metallic rattle,’ ‘wood squeak,’ or ‘wood hit.’” After that, he listens to carefully every sample and rates the suitability for the project. “Finally, I choose the sound of 10 - VOICES
keys rattle, door squeak, and hitting on wooden furniture. I’m arranging the sounds on the timeline lowering the pitch of keys rattle with a computer program, to suggest a bigger sound source, and accelerating the door squeak to match the duration of opening the chest. The impact sound - closing the trunk - has desired “wooden” characteristics but lacks power, so I’m improving it by adding a kick drum hit. Sound effect prepared this way is ready to put into the game’s sound engine so that I can try it in action.” There are times when the first attempt fits perfectly. Still, usually, he’s doing some revisions until it clicks. In the meantime, he asks the rest of the team about their opinions or some coding help. “Some days, you got a dozen of sound effects done. Some days are worse when you are out of ideas or sound samples - then you got a few or none at all.”
Implementation
After creating appropriate sounds and music, they need to put it into the game and mix it. They regulate volume levels place sounds in the game world (Doppler effect on the passing train, changing the volume of the footsteps depending on the movement speed of the protagonist or a bird’s twitter disappearing while the character is straying far from the forest). On this level appear the problem of music transitions: what varies video games music and film music is a static character. We have scenes and events leading to a top-down direction in films, so the music follows the picture. Despite often having movie-like elements that perfectly fit the music, games are based on two components – static and interactive character. Static, because
game music often captures some state mood and is not connected with the things happening on the screen, illustrating only part of the game world, some location. “The player can visit castle ruins or futuristic city and music will not emphasize that he met a funny character or noticed the track of the dangerous animal. On the other hand, games are primarily interactive, which means that by his actions, the player can very quickly change calm landscape exploring to fight with a dragon, and vice versa. On the other hand, that is an implementation issue; I mean how one music part changes into another. But we need to remind about it already at the level of pre-composition – songs in a different style or completely distant key signature can, simply speaking, not work in the game.”
How to find a job?
There are two scenarios: when you already have a portfolio – some games and trailers with your music, and people, thanks to contact with released content, are finding you because they know what they want and that you can deliver it. The second situation is more common and does not differ from other industries or job applications – “We sent an e-mail including our short description, links to our works and our website. The thing that may vary from typical job applications is that we can create a short sample using the producer’s materials. That means – we edit already existing trailers with our music or sound. Then we got an answer, additional questions about cooperation details, price, we are invited to a short interview, if we are all good – we start a job.” It sounds like a dream job, especially when you are a gamer. But in fact, these are thousands of hours of sitting behind the screen, meticulously improving small parts of music and samples. Despite the lack of ideas, the work has to be done. Often very successfully, given how popular some official game soundtracks are. All that for you, my dear players, to have the best game impression possible. Aleksandra Kanasiuk
репортажа
Untold
Millions of perfect aesthetic photos are posted on Instagram every day. In gossip portals we can read about famous people, on the other hand in mass media there's a lot of bad news and politics (sometimes they are the exact term). Do your life means less than the life of Robert Lewandowski? Obviously no. But we rarely see 'ordinary' stories in mass media. Life is often dull, arduous and not infrequently with many, many obstacles on the way. I wanted to share the Voice of my peers, generation Y, born in the nineties in Poland. Divorce, emigration, ordinary life and challenges of raising a child - these are their stories.
Magdalena "I lived day by day following traditional Polish patterns until I got married. The beginning was great, end not so much - couldn't see any other solution than splitting our ways. Getting divorced as a 25-year-old resulted in many tremendous changes in my life" – said Magdalena. She is a 28-year-old tall and skinny brunette. With her appearance, she could be a model. You can spot calm and happiness in her eyes, but it wasn't always like that. She got married right after high school. For her, it was some form of fear of missing out – if not now, then when? She loved him indeed. Foundation crack Everyday reality hit painfully. Magda lived in a small town. She worked even on weekends in a position below her qualifications and minimum wage. She couldn't stand it anymore. Her husband preferred to spend time lying on a couch and playing video games, like life and activities after work didn't exist. He wanted to vegetate. She wanted more. Magda has always dreamed about going abroad, and at first, she thought they could do it as a marriage. "It is obvious that at the beginning, you are penniless, but it will change after some time. But then I noticed that my head was in the clouds, but in reality, nothing ever changed, and we were putting down our roots more and more." They couldn't even afford minor holidays because there always was
a hole in their budget. Many young couples have to scrimp and save because they collect money to get a mortgage and build a home. That was one of the nightmares on her skyline. "I thought that it was the only way to live. I was wrong." – she said. "There wasn't a big "aha" moment that I didn't want to live that way anymore. The Internet helped me a lot. Even on Instagram, I saw a completely different life; I know that there's a difference between Instagram vs reality, but my life was far from that what is called 'reality' on Instagram." Restart Magda took a leap of faith and, after the divorce, moved to London. Living in the UK showed her a different approach to everything. No one knew her past. It was refreshing after smalltown gossiping. "Since my divorce, I haven't worn make-up. In Poland, I heard comments all the time, even at work, that I look ill and I should put on some make-up. In the UK, no one cared at all. I could wear the same clothes every day, and no one told me – buy yourself new clothes." She felt free from other people's expectations. In Poland, everybody knows better what is good for you. Not having thousand unwanted counsellors was new for her. "It was a mental detox for me. Meeting new people, realising that there are other perspectives and that changes as scary as may they seem, they are needed
to move forward." She was a little stressed that her future relationship might look like her marriage, but all the signs on the road showed that it would be something completely different. And it is. New quality Living in the United Kingdom allowed her to travel around Europe more accessible and affordably. In the middle of the pandemic, she moved to Barbados, stayed there for eight months and headed towards her ultimate destination – Puerto Rico. "I'm happy here... Will I move again? Probably yes. Did I do it all by myself? No. There were people along my way, and they influenced my decisions, supported me and encouraged me to do what I want to do, not what's expected from me." Right now, she can consider herself a digital nomad. She works from whichever place in the world she's currently able to call 'home'. She's financially independent and can organise her schedule however she fancy. "All the above makes me happy; allow me to enjoy my life. But let's not sugar coat the lifestyle; it has its downsides. Even many obstacles wouldn't make me trade my life for another one. What I've been through has shaped me into the human being I am right now, taught me many lessons. No matter how painful or hard they were. Panta Rhei. and I go with the flow." VOICES - 11
reportage
Irena The life Magdalena didn’t want to live is Irena’s dailiness. She works as an accountant in one of the giant corporations in Warsaw. Big city life was tiring; hence, Irena moved out to a village near the capital city with her husband. She seems to be a strong, successful woman; she has her own dreamedof home (and 30-years mortgage), remote job and husband and two dogs by her side. But deep inside, there is a void that needs to be filled. She wants to have a child. Groundhog Day Every day her dogs wake her up, she drinks a glass of water then she walks the dogs. After that, Irena is ready to open her home office. She turns on the computer and tries to work. “Sometimes I succeed, sometimes not really. There are days when I cannot focus on work; instead, I scroll Tik Tok a whole day.” After work, there is a time for little shopping and necessary medical appointments. Then Irena and her husband go for a long walk with dogs. “Sometimes I roll into the duvet and watch Netflix till night. Sometimes I read some book or do a little workout, but not often. Recently I have had a time that I don’t stimulate my brain. I am only doing things necessary to survive. Maybe it will change in the summer.” Then a shower, and she goes to bed. And it looks like that every day. Caregiver She hasn’t got time for being a child. “When I was younger, I hated my home, parents and their behaviour. I had to sleep in one room with a disabled grandma; she made noises every night, and I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t invite my friends because grandma was ill, then my sister was pregnant, and in a short time, she had cancer, all the time something was happening. I behaved like an adult and raised my nephew even though I was only eight years old. But it seemed to be 12 - VOICES
natural – to take care of the family.” All her life, for as long as she can remember, she had to take care of others. Despite that, her parents constantly criticised her, which affected her self-esteem. “I think my parents were the best possible version of themselves. You finally understand how much effort they put into life when you are older. When I was a child, I hadn’t seen it, but they very rarely had time for themselves to relax. They had three children and grandparents who needed care. Even building a house cost them a lot physically and mentally. So right now, I think they manage to deal with everything, even they sometimes act up.” Corpo-life First adult job and people she had luck to meet there changed her. She learned what friendship is and that she can trust men. That was the first crazy party period in her life, ironically not at university as it often happens. After a few years of corporate work, she rented her first studio flat. “That was a period of searching for a life partner. I had a few regular lovers simultaneously, which boosted my confidence, but on the other hand, it was the loneliest time of my life. I realised how easy it is to find a one-night stand lover but finding a person who would like to spend with you the rest of your life is not easy at all.” After hundreds of unfortunate Internet dates, she met her husband. Obstacles The story came full circle in 2019 in Olsztyn. “Three years past, but it seems like it was yesterday. The mother of my husband was diagnosed with a terminal illness. There are few hospitals, then no hope, palliative treatment and epileptic seizures because of metastasis. What we experienced there was a nightmare, but on the other hand, I am glad that we were there. We had the opportunity to
be with her till the end. Regardless I like Olsztyn surroundings – lakes and forests. Maybe my brain wants to replace bad memories with the positive ones.” There still are days when she starts to cry without reason, but right now, it’s rare. She claims that her problems are connected with her husband’s mental state because it significantly impacts her. “I had an attempt to go to a psychologist, but I felt like a moron. Maybe I was treated inappropriately, and I didn’t want to try anymore. I got the impression that I was making up all my problems. That is why I didn’t show up at the next appointment. I recently didn’t have a good period, but it was caused by meds I have to take to treat infertility. They cause a lot of side effects.” Missing element She always wanted to have a big family. Because of her health problems, it is not an easy task. “Our house is empty without a child like it was a thing missing there. We feel it both. We notice how we change when our nephews are coming to visit. And we miss this feeling. That is the only reason, maternal instinct or so. It’s something completely irrational, we both know that our life will change with a child, we won’t have so much free time to waste on our needs. But we will make different things, and that is okay, perhaps.” All of the above is why she started the long and challenging treatment. But there are hundreds of unanswered what-ifs. What if, after the treatment, she will finally get pregnant? What if the foetus has lethal defects (in Poland, pregnancy termination is forbidden in that case)? Will she survive this physically and mentally? What if the economic and political situation in Poland gets even worse? Where to go? She said that, in fact, with her husband, they are thinking about leaving Poland in a few years.
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Kasia “I live in the village, so my life here is not exciting at all. New day same story,” – says Kasia, 28-year-old wife and mother of Amelia. ”The thing that irritates me the most about living in Poland are people who are more interested in other people’s lives than themself. When you made something unusual – you are judged because, in this close-knit village society, you cannot hide anything.” She is unemployed right now because she is raising her 2-year-old daughter. Thus she is worried about her financial safety. Her husband always says they will manage financially; she realises what is happening due to the economic crisis and government decisions. “I am worried that after that long break, I will not find any job. Life here is getting worse and worse, and sometimes injokes we are looking for a place to move abroad.” Baby-blues “I thought that I would manage because as a kindergarten teacher, I came in contact with children every day. I was good at my job, very patient, and understood kids in general. But with my child, it looks completely different – my pedagogical knowledge evaporated.” Kasia wanted to have a child, but with no unnecessary pressure. She also tried to escape from a toxic job where she was mobbed. “I lasted there far too long, only to have financial support on maternal leave.” She got pregnant very quickly after the wedding. It was kind of surprising for her. The pregnancy period and birth itself went without complications. She was overjoyed, and even the postnatal period didn’t affect her that much. “Then suddenly in my head started coming up disturbing thoughts, mainly when I was left alone
with my child for a longer time and I was exhausted. I was down in the dumps. When Amelia was crying for a long time, I wanted her to stop; I was shouting at her, even once or twice I shook her, fortunately softly. When something like that happened, I put Amelia down and left the room to cut myself from it because something worse could happen.” Kasia started thinking that she didn’t want that child and stared at her daughter without emotions. Vicious circle She knew that something terrible was happening with her and blamed herself for not coping. “The worst part took place when my husband was at home; I continued down the independent strong women way, I was forcing myself to show him that I muddle through. I didn’t want to ask for help from anyone. My husband saw that something was not right, but I didn’t want his help either. I didn’t allow myself to accept that something like this happened to me.” As she describes, the worst period lasted two or three months. “I took a while before I understood that I love my child. And I have shown her my love since then because I hadn’t had that as a kid, and I know how important it is to a healthy life.” Kasia is very self-aware, so recently, she found the courage to ask for help from a psychotherapist. “My mental health is like a sine wave. Sometimes it is good to be bad at the moment. When I am on a downer, I don’t want to do anything, and I force myself to do what I have to do. I take it out on my husband. My sex life is a disaster – even if something happens – it is sporadic, once or twice a month.” Even now, she still has disturbing thoughts: “Sometimes I think it would be better without me, but
I know these are just thoughts; I will not do anything with that.” Dreamless “I don’t have any dreams. I live from day to day. Nothing changes, and it’s depressing. Raising a child is heavy. You have to turn your world upside down.” Her days look the same – from preparing meals, doing Amelia up and playing with her, to taking walks in the village. After bathing and lulling her child to sleep, she finally has time for herself. “Usually, I scroll Internet on my phone or watch TV. I go to sleep around midnight. That is how my day looks like when my husband isn’t home. When he’s home, the only difference is that we try to do something together in the afternoons – show our daughter animals, go to the swimming pool or even stupid shopping is entertainment for me. My stepping stone is going out with my friends, but it’s quite rare.” Reality “Most of the time, I look dreadful, wearing sweats, humble speaking – fine by me. I wash my hair once a week because I am too tired to do so. No make-up is the new black in my case. Sometimes I think this kind of life: home and family is not for me. I wish I waited longer with starting a family.” When she scrolls through Instagram and sees pictures from perfect parenting profiles, all she says is: “Instagram and reality are completely different worlds.” Names have been altered to protect anonymity. Aleksandra Kanasiuk VOICES - 13
reportage
Too much of
Valentine’s Day?
There is a solution Every year, when February is knocking on the door, many people start to fear and worry about what to do on that unfortunate day when love wins. Are you spending Valentine’s Day alone again, watching on social media how everyone pretends that their relationship is perfect? Instead of getting sad, gather a group of friends to celebrate Galentine’s Day the day before!
“What’s Galentine’s Day? Oh, it’s only the best day of the year”, as the main character of the series “Parks and Recreation” said, where this unusual holiday has its source. Leslie Knope added later, explaining the whole idea: Every February 13, my ladyfriends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home, and we just come and kick it, breakfast-style. Ladies celebrating ladies. By trying to make the public laugh at creating a new holiday, the idea grew into something bigger, and every year many women gather with their friends the day before the unfortunate celebration of love. In February media and people focus on love, because how could you not when 14th day of this month exists? So, I guess the idea of rather enjoying people that we have and not those who we dream to have, was liked by the audience. It’s like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus frittatas. The catchy name, the idea itself made it possible for people in real life to start celebrating. But maybe not only that. People often forget that life is not only about this relationship that should look like in the movies, but it’s also about people who are around. Nowadays, when women still struggle, Galentine’s Day is also a reminder that we should always have each other backs. So in the end we all can say: “I am big enough to admit that I am often inspired by myself.” As Leslie Knope did. Anna Marek
14 - VOICES
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Të lodhur nga Dita e Shën Valentinit?
Ka një zgjidhje
Çdo vit, kur Shkurti troket në derë, shumë njerëz fillojnë të kenë frikë dhe shqetësohen se çfarë të bëjnë në atë ditë fatkeqe kur dashuria fiton. A po e kaloni sërisht vetëm Ditën e Shën Valentinit, duke parë në rrjetet sociale sesi të gjithë shtiren se marrëdhënia e tyre është perfekte? Në vend që të trishtoheni, mblidhni një grup miqsh për të festuar Ditën e Mikeshave, ose e Galentinit siç quhet ndryshe, një ditë më parë!
“Çfarë është dita e Galentinit? Oh, është vetëm dita më e mirë e vitit”, siç është shprehur personazhi kryesor i serialit “Parks and Recreation”, nga ku e ka burimin kjo festë e pazakontë. Leslie Knope shtoi më vonë, duke shpjeguar të gjithë idenë: Çdo 13 Shkurt, shoqet e mia dhe unë i lëmë bashkëshortët dhe të dashurit tanë në shtëpi, dhe ne thjesht shkojmë dhe relaksohemi, përgjatë mëngjesit. Zonja që vlerësojnë zonjat. Duke u përpjekur për të bërë publikun të qeshë me krijimin e një feste të re, ideja u shndërrua në diçka më të madhe. Çdo vit, shumë gra mblidhen me miqtë e tyre një ditë para festës së pafat të dashurisë.
Fair, minus ankthin. Plus frittata. Vetë emri tërheqës i idesë bëri të mundur që njerëzit në jetën reale të fillonin ta festonin. Por ndoshta jo vetëm kaq. Njerëzit shpesh harrojnë se jeta nuk ka të bëjë vetëm me këtë marrëdhënie që duhet të duket si në filma, por ka të bëjë edhe me njerëzit që janë përreth. Në ditët e sotme, kur gratë ende luftojnë, Dita e Galentinit është gjithashtu një kujtesë se ne duhet të kemi gjithmonë njëra-tjetrën në krah. Që, në fund, të gjithë mund të themi: “Unë jam e madhe mjaftueshëm për të pranuar se shpesh frymëzohem nga vetja”. Siç tha Leslie Knope.
Në muajin Shkurt mediat dhe njerëzit fokusohen te dashuria, sepse si të mos të ndodhë kur ekziston dita e 14-të e këtij muaji? Pra, mendoj se ideja për të shijuar më tepër njerëzit që kemi dhe jo ata që ëndërrojmë të kemi, u pëlqye nga publiku. Është si Lilith
Anna Marek Përkthyese: Ejona Limanaj
VOICES - 15
reportage
2022 EUROPEAN YEAR OF YOUTH!
16 - VOICES
репортажа
Many reports indicate that more and more young people struggle with mental health problems due to the pandemic. In addition, the pressure of the millennial generation and Z’s related to work and the future makes everyday life very challenging for many of us. Any support in the current situation can make a real difference to our future!
I
n support of the young generation most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Commission will invest more than €800 million in implementing the Next Generation EU plan. This is also a massive opportunity for young people who live in EU partner countries such as Macedonia, Georgia, Armenia, or Serbia. Honoring the young generation in this way is, in my opinion, extremely important to reignite the enthusiasm for selfdevelopment and to show that we young people can count on support! The decision to designate 2022 as the European Year of Youth is intended to give young people more and better opportunities for the future. Through this initiative, the Commission, together with the European Parliament, Member and Partner States, local and regional authorities, and above all young people, aims to: - recognize and support the generation that sacrificed the most during the pandemic, give young people new hope, strength, and confidence in the future by communicating how the green and digital transition will provide them
with new opportunities;
perspectives
and
- encourage all young people, in particular those with fewer opportunities, from disadvantaged, rural or remote backgrounds or vulnerable groups, to become active citizens who will contribute to positive change; - promote the opportunities offered to young people by EU policies to support their personal, social and professional development. The European Year of Youth will be accompanied by the launch of the NextGenerationEU recovery plan to make Europe healthier, greener, and more digital; - draw inspiration from the actions, visions, and insights of young people that will strengthen and reinvigorate the European Union, building on the results of the Conference on the Future of Europe. In practice, this means many more opportunities for young people, especially for those who, on a daily basis, find it challenging to develop themselves for financial, geographical,
or sociological reasons. So if you want to change your everyday life, don't just rely on your New Year's resolutions. Seize this opportunity and get involved in initiatives that will allow you to create a better tomorrow for yourself! The projects in which you can take part are, above all: 1. Erasmus+ 2. European Solidarity Corps 3. DiscoverEU 4. EU Youth Dialogue 5. European Youth Week 6. Youth Guarantee 7. Erasmus for young entrepreneurs 8. Traineeships 9. Your first EURES job Information on projects and other initiatives can be found on eurodesk. eu and europa.eu. Kacper Król Photos: Michał Arciszewski Sources: Europa.eu Europeantimes.news
VOICES - 17
science
TRANSHUMANISM IS ON ITS WAY WITH NEURALINK
Neuralink is a startup founded in 2016 by Elon Musk working on brain-machine interfaces, which can be defined as a direct liaison brain-computer enabling paralyzed people to perform daily life tasks without moving muscles and peripheral nerves. Next year, this dream may come true as its creator announced Neuralink would start implanting its brain chips in humans' brains.
18 - VOICES
наука
Neuralink is a startup founded in 2016 by Elon Musk working on brainmachine interfaces, which can be defined as a direct liaison braincomputer enabling paralyzed people to perform daily life tasks without moving muscles and peripheral nerves. Next year, this dream may come true as its creator announced Neuralink would start implanting its brain chips in humans’ brains.
M
usk has a history of overpromising and underdelivering on project timelines. Neuralink's narrative makes no exception: in 2019, Tesla's boss said that Neuralink hoped to begin human testing by the end of 2020. So what makes this announcement more credible than the previous one? In the meantime, lots of progress has been made.
they have had or if they were given any, which seemed to be the case. That being said, this demonstration does not prove in itself that the operation is without danger. Brain damage sometimes has inner consequences on human beings (difficulties to talk, mood change, disappearance of some skills, loss of sensation), and it is all the more difficult to notice on a pig.
At this stage, Neuralink has only created prototypes on pigs. The last one was presented in late August 2020 in a live video: the shown implant was 23 millimeters wide and 8 millimeters thick. Inserted under the skull, a few millimeters deep inside the brain, it is composed of 1024 extremely thin threads. The device can be reloaded daily by induction. These threads detect the activity of the neurons or emit electrical signals in order to stimulate them. Their activity can be recorded by means of a mobile phone application. The implant is connected to a smartphone thanks to a Bluetooth Low Energy connection.
This implant has been called a "breakthrough device" by the Food and Drug Administration, the American agency in charge of regulating medication and medical equipment. This program enables the marketing authorization on the American territory, which is the next major step of Neuralink. Before being commercialized, Neuralink's implant will have to be tested on humans to certify that it is both an efficient and harmless device.
This new version of the Neuralink prototype (called N1 link) enables to read pigs' brain activity when they move or sniff food in a more discreet way than the previous brain implant developed by Neuralink, as well as offering more advanced functionality. The demonstration of this prototype was performed on a pig called Gertrude, and it was possible to read and predict Gertrude's brain activity related to its legs' muscles. Two other pigs were also present to perform the experience correctly: Joyce, which was not given any implants, and Dorothy, which had one implant for a two-month period before it was withdrawn from its brain. Other pigs were given several implants simultaneously, connected to different parts of their brains. According to Musk, the aim was to show that animals are "happy and in good health," no matter how many implants
Elon Musk seems to be rather confident about the outcome of the process, as bespeak his words: "We are planning to implant this device next year into human beings who suffer from serious spinal cord injuries, for example, tetraplegics or quadriplegics," before adding confidently "our norms related to the implantation of the device are far more numerous than the FDA rules. So are our security norms with Tesla more numerous than what the American government requires". In the short term, the company aims to offer a solution for all people who suffer from neurological diseases or spinal cord injuries, for example, to enable people with physical disabilities to recover their movement capacity by controlling digital
devices with their minds. Later, Neuralink hopes to help blind people regain their eyesight with a device more deeply connected to their brains. Neuralink is not the only firm to be interested in brain-machine interfaces. Still, it is the only one to promote the idea of minimally invasive surgery in the absence of any "medical need" to the general public: Facebook, for example, is working on a device enabling people to type letters without a keyboard. But its device consists of a wristband capable of detecting electrical signals sent by the brain to the arms' muscles, which therefore does not require any medical intervention. Yvan Barbeau Sources:
Futura Tech: Neuralink: les premiers essais sur l’être humain commenceront en 2022, d’après Elon Musk. L’usine digitale: Elon Musk présente le nouvel implant cérébral de Neuralink, qui a été testé sur des cochons. L’usine digitale: Neuralink, la start-up d’Elon Musk, lève 205 millions de dollars pour commercialiser son implant cérébral. Republicworld.com: Elon Musk says Neuralink will start implanting chips in the human brain by 2022.
VOICES - 19
reportage
Human entertain ment at the cost
s l a m i n a f o 20 - VOICES
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The very idea of locking animals so that people can see them sounds wrong. And this has become a reality that people live with every day. So, is a place to watch species that have their home elsewhere totally bad?
I
t all, of course, started with the rich who wanted to show off their goods. And how else to show them if not through wild animals? These first zoo were called menageries. The origins can be traced back to 2500 BC, when the first menageries were created in Egypt and Mesopotamia. There is evidence that there were expeditions to acquire exotic animals. The owners hired the right people to look after these animals while they got them. Later, the zoo also existed, but the ones known today date back to the 18th century. It was related to the Age of Enlightenment. It was then that science came first, so people also wanted to learn more about the animals on the planet. To do this, scientists had to keep them locked up, but which resembled the natural habitats of the animals. The first modern zoo was established in Paris. Such as in France, zoos were more like museums of living animals than natural habitats. Animals were kept in small display areas, with as many species as space would allow. The history itself shows how much evil there is in the zoo. One of the main reasons for the creation of this place is to provide entertainment to man. People pay to be able to see the animals they cannot on a daily basis. This
alone causes animals to be deprived of their liberty. Kept in confinement, they are not able to be in their natural environment. So they are regarded as the achievement of human goals. It is wrong to keep animals in a place where they life would be less pleasant than outside of it. Although the government has power over many zoos, this does not make the conditions in which the animals live are appropriate. Quite the opposite.
Suffering in confinement is an appropriate description of a zoo. Animals, like humans, are made to live in freedom. The space provided by the zoo is much smaller than that in the wild. Observation by humans every day causes animals to suffer not only because of the place where they are, but also because of the surrounding environment. Noisy children, repeatedly taken photos, harassment of people is not suitable for animals.
“
Zoos explain that they are keeping animals threatened with extinction in order to be able to extend the species. Which is not entirely true. The vast majority of species kept in zoos are not endangered. So instead of releasing these species into the wild, they are holding them up for people to see. And people love to watch babies, especially little animals. The zoo’s programs under the guise of protecting species are getting rid of surplus animals. Because a vast majority of the animals kept in zoo will spend their whole lives in captivity, which will end of dying or being killed. This practice happens especially in Europe.
Zoos are not good for animals for a number of reasons. They are deprived of their natural habitat. Due to poor conditions in some zoos, they may not have enough space to live. It is unnatural for animals to be deprived of the natural social structure and companionship, and to be forced to stay in close proximity to other species, and most of all humans. This causes these animals to feel bored and depressed many times. And although the conditions provided by the zoo mean that many species live in them longer, the quality of life is often much lower.
Some say that zoos are a suitable place to save endangered species and protect animals. However, these arguments fail to win with humans reaping many of the benefits of keeping animals in cages. There is little difference between the rich boasting wild animals in their resources and the people visiting the zoo today.
Animals, like humans, are made to live in freedom. The space provided by the zoo is much smaller than that in the wild.”
Anna Marek Sources: National Geographic: ZOO BBC: Animals for entertainment
VOICES - 21
topic of the month
на
Модер
љу б о в
Испотени дланки, забрзано срце и пеперутки во стомакот – скоро сите ја знаат оваа состојба. Љубов... Влегувањето во љубовна врска денес е сосема различно од времињата на нашите предци. Поразлично било и пред само 20 години. Што се има променето? Што е љубовта во време на Тиндер? 22 - VOICES
тема на месецот
О
вие денови, се “сопнуваме” на љубовта на секој чекор. Гледаме романтични филмови кои ни се сервирани на екраните и читаме книги кои ни дпставиваатљубовни приказни преплавени со страст. Зборот љубов во различни контексти се појавува на секое ќоше по социјалните мрежи. Таа визија за љубовта која е насекаде прикажана ја буди вербата во нас за потрага по нашата друга половина. Ние си замислуваме дека љубовта е како стрелата на Купидон – не руши и не ни дозволува да оддолееме на љубовната магија. Но љубовта е само збор сè дури некој не му даде значење. Ги прашав моите пријатели за нивната дефиниција за љубов. Што кажаа тие? “Љубовта е освежителна како утринско ветре” без двоумење вели Енес. Маријана е сигурна дека “љубовта е варојатно најдебатираниот збор, но колку и да е иронично, бе треба напиот мозок да го дефинира руку нашето срце” Марлена вели “љубовта е едноставно зборување, длабока емоционална поврзаност со друга личност – моќна и безусловна. Кога сакаш некого, ти си комплетно несебичен со таа личност – мислејќи на нивната благосостојба и среќа пред твојата”. Љубовта не е лесно да се опише во неколку зборови. Може да биде необично чувство, врска, или состојба која резултира од преклопувањето на биолошките, хемиските, социјалните, историските па дури и економските фактори. Има толку дефиниции за љубов, колку што има луѓе во светот. Голе дел од тоа ако ја разбираме љубовта доаѓа од вредностите со кои сме пораснале и врските кои сме ги искусиле како деца. Ако почнеме да гледаме во историјата н врските и нивните различни форми, доаѓаме до заклучок дека најчесто креираната визија за романтичната љубов, заснована на слободниот избор на партнер, е фундаментален нов концепт. Дури на крајот на 18-тиот и 19-тиот век, со индустријализацијата и придружната визија за општество изградено на економска слобода, се роди современиот концепт на брак заснован на љубов меѓу партнерите. Претходно, при влегувањето во врска се водел главно од рационални премиси. Чувствата биле оставени зад себе.
Денес, ние очекуваме нашиот партнер да исполни многу наши потреби како близина, нежност, забава, донесување одлуки,внимание и грижа кои ни се овозможени благодарение
на припаѓањето во заедницата на пријатели и роднини. Шансите за содавање на врска која ги задоволува сите наши потреби се малку нереални. Ние слушаме сè повеќе дека луѓето не се создадени за да се совпадат еднаш засекогаш. Дополнително на фактот дека живееме подолго и подолго, една “доживотна“ врска не може да трае 3040 годии туку над 50-60 години. Милениумците кои пораснаа гледајќи ги Дизни анимациите со зацрвенети лица се жртви на визијатаза романтича љубов. Тие многу добро го знаат концептот на “half-orange“ (“половинапортокал“) кој треба да го задоволиме за да нè исполни нас и љубовта која нема крај. Новите генерации веројатно ја перцепираат љубовта малку поразлично. Тие се помалку романтични и имаат помалку верба во “среќно до крајот на животот“ бидејќи имаат искуство со нестабилни родителски врски почесто од другите. Поради ова, тие исто може да чувствуваат дека поврзувањата се безначајни. Кога се зборува за љубов во 21 век, невозможно е да не се спомне нашиот најблизок придружник-мобилниот телефон. Можеме да најдеме стотици апликации за запознавање кои ни дозволуваат да истражиме
и воспоставиме врски на интернет. Сепак, речиси неограничениот избор може да донесе и ризик. Бидејќи како би можеле да знаеме кој е нашиот иден партнер? Апликациите за запознавање исто може да ја отежнат стабилноста на врската. Бидејќи што се случува кога криза во врската ќе не удри или нешто ќе тргне наопаку? Дали “случајно“ ќе ја уклучиме апликацијата да видиме дали имаме некои подобри можности? Важна улога во промената на перцепцијата за љубовта имаат и стриминг слугите како Нетфликс. Врските на телевизиските серии се прикажани многу пореалистично, и љубовта не е толку евидентирана таму. Движењето за слободна љубов од 60тите, популаризацијата на контрацептивните апчиња, ЛГБТИ+ исто така го имаат променето нашето разбирање за интерперсоналните врски и сексуалноста. Но промените кои сме ги опсервирале во последните години не се само поради законодавните и социјалните проблеми Еден од есенцијалните аспекти е пристапот кон телото и голотијата, и во последниве години исто до порнографијата. Секс налик на порно, авантури за една ноќ, блискост и проблеми со посветеноста – со ова се соочуваат луѓето кои сакаат да бидат во врска. Дали се бориме со љубовна криза? Љубовта во 21 век изгледа проблематична. Можеби затоа што живееме во лавиринт од сигнали и различни визии за љубовта, сè повеќе сме изгубени и, во исто време, неспособни да се вклучиме во врска. Дали треба да прифатиме дека љубовта е комплицирана и да престанеме да се грижиме за наоѓање на нашиот господин/госпоѓица правилен? Треба да одиме сигурно и да живееме како што сакаме, но треба да бидеме повнимателни и кон оние околу нас, а не само кон нашите потреби. Јоланта Чиопчинска Преведувач: Мартина Даниловска Извори: Olga Kamińska: #LOVE. Jak kochać w XXI wieku. The Guardian: Love in the 21st century.
VOICES - 23
opinion
8
филмови и серија
24 - VOICES
Popular Library New York, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Со новонастанатите компликации поврзани со коронавирусот јас, како и многу други, повторно често се наоѓам меѓу четири ѕида. И се разбира, покрај другите интровертни активности, имав прилика да изгледам и многу убави филмови кои би сакала да ги споделам со вас:
Lubbock Evening Journal, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
мислење
7. Лудиот Пиеро (1965)
Овој филм е одличен доколку ви е потребен материјал за размислување и сте фан на егзистенцијализмот. Но, и самото тоа што Ана Карина и Белмондо се во главните улоги е доволно добра причина за гледање на филмов.
8. Двенеделен рок (2002)
За љубителите на романтична комедија. Случајно го начекав на МРТ една вечер и морам да кажам дека сум среќна поради тоа. П.С. Сандра Булок е прекрасна, а јас допрва сега дознавам... Во ред, сега откако ви дадов филмови за гледање по еден за секој ден од неделата и еден плус доколку ги изгледате сите пред недела, време е да ви ја откријам најслаткопрекрасната серија на светот....
Девојките Гилмор 1. Одвеано од виорот (1939)
Ја започнувам листава со најпрекрасниот филм на сите времиња, според мене. Преработка на класиката ,,Одвеано од виорот” од Маргарет Мичел, иако 4 часа долг, не дава простор ни една минута за да земете вздив. Феноменална сцена после феноменална сцена. СЕ е прекрасно, од костимите, до пејзажите, до квалитетот на снимката, а да не зборувам за изборот на глумците и за самата приказна. Доколку ви е досадно, не мислете се што да правите повеќе од миг, туку уживајте во оваа прекрасност!
Комплетно сум заразена, па добро е што сум на распуст. А сега толку од мене, одам да си ја продолжам епизодата.... Чао!
Дафина Веселиноска-Дафне
2. Тома (2021)
Доколку сакате да се изгубите во друго време и имате потреба убаво да се исплачете, ова е совршениот филм за такви животни моменти. Освен тоа што ќе живеете во Југославија тие два-три часа, ќе се сретнете со прекрасни песни, кои ќе ви бидат заглавени во глава следните неколку дена.
3. Малите жени (2019)
Кога би можела да го опишам овој филм со еден збор, тоа би бил зборот мирна удобност. Овој е еден од оние филмови кој е измислен за врнежливи денови, домашни колачиња, чаша какао и меки ќебенца. Ќе се почувствувате како повторно да сте дете.
4. Спенсер (2021)
Новиот филм за Дијана е ремек-дело и го препорачувам од сЕ срце. Ја претставува како токму она што била. Силна жена, која успеала да се избори за слобода.
5. Седумгодишното чешање (1955)
Ќе ве расположи и уште еднаш, ќе ве потсети колку е Мерлин Монро прекрасна!
6. Високо општество (1956)
Овој филм е совршенство, само така може да се опише триото на Френк Синатра, Бинг Крозби и Грејс Кели! Deems Taylor Published by Simon & Schuster, New York, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
VOICES - 25
opinion
How does the
coNsumption
of recreational Drugs
feed
violence in
Latin America ? Photos: Comité Internacional de la Cruz Roja | Flickr Marco Verch | Flickr Agência Brasil | Wikimedia Commons David Peterson | Pixabay
26 - VOICES
мислење
“
It’s clear that western cocaine users have to accept they are contributing to violent crime that has left hundreds of thousands dead in Latin America over the past decades.” Iman Amrani, The Guardian
Selected for a student exchange program, I stepped into Brazil for the first time in July 2012. I was a 19-year-old innocent girl very passionate about the Portuguese language and Brazilian culture. My biggest culture shock was undoubtedly while entering a bank: security revolving doors equipped with a metal detector and the presence of armed guards carrying shotguns. It took me 365 days to understand the reality of violence in Brazil and how drug trafficking slowly destroys Latin America.
D
rug trafficking, gang violence, and police shootout are daily news in Brazil. In big cities, many Brazilians live with the daily fear of venturing into the street day and night. Walking on the street means running the risk of losing one's wallet, phone, or own life. Yet, by then, Brazil was the country of the future: the Brazilian economy was booming, and the country was heralded as a ‘new player on the global stage’ as it became one of the top 10 wealthiest nations in the world. A few years earlier, Rio de Janeiro had captured the right to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics, marking the first time a South American nation had been selected to host the event. In the early 2010s, security for tourists visiting Brazil became a high priority. For years, Rio de Janeiro engaged in an epic struggle to convince the world that it was the right choice to hold Brazil's two major sports events. In Rio de Janeiro, many favelas have been controlled by gangs of armed drug dealers. So Rio's government sought to implement "communityoriented policing" called Pacifying Police Unit to stop organized crime and drug dealers. In 10 years, many favelas were 'pacified' –
including some of the most dangerous slums such as the infamous City of God and Complexo do Alemão – sometimes looking like war scenes with tanks, assault rifles, and military equipment. Some favelas like Vidigal and Rocinha opened to tourists with great hostels and the best parties. As if Brazil's endemic violence was only a bad souvenir. But as the Games began, Brazil suffered its worst economic and political crisis. A few months before the Games, the Marvelous City unraveled: the government declared a state of financial emergency. In other words, the state was bankrupt, leaving thousands of government employees unpaid and causing funding shortfalls for police forces. As a consequence, crime resurged across Rio de Janeiro state. From January to October 2016, murders increased by 18%, and street robberies jumped by 48% compared to the same period the previous year. Rio de Janeiro's slums have returned to neglect, and gangs have retaken control of several socalled pacified favelas; shootouts with traffickers have become routine again. Violence in Latin America has been deep-rooted for decades. According to a report conducted by the World Bank, the continent accounts for only 8% of the world's population but 37% of the world's homicides. In 2012 alone, close to 150 000 people in Latin America fell victim to homicide – corresponding to more than four homicides every 15 minutes – compared to 350 000 dead in the Syrian civil war over ten
VOICES - 27
opinion
years. The memory of a Brazilian mother mourning for her dead son killed by a stray bullet during a police intervention on TV will remain etched in my mind forever. The carnage is appalling. Every time I would ask Brazilians about the situation, they would shrug shoulders: "Isso é Brasil," literally "This is Brazil." Violence takes on an air of normality. In Brazil, the line between death and life is fragile. Cariocas' way of enjoying life as if there is no tomorrow began to make plenty of sense to me. Latin America is the world's leading supplier of cocaine, marijuana, opiates, and methamphetamine – particularly Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and Mexico – much of which is shipped to the United States and Europe, which are the world's largest consumers. The paradox of drug consumption is that despite the high availability of illicit substances, the central druggrowing countries do not consume as much of the drugs. In Colombia, the world's top producer of cocaine, less than 0.9% of the population (or about 0.5 million people) reported using cocaine in the past 12 months (2017) as compared to 1.9% of the US population (or about 5.2 million people) aged 12 or older (2020). Most Latin Americans are disdainful of drug users, especially Westerners seeking to travel to Latin America to experiment with mind-altering substances. Drugs used for recreational purposes are one of the leading causes of violence in Latin America. Although they fail to see the connection, Westerners hold a large part of the responsibility for it. Iman Amrani, a journalist, currently working at the Guardian, wrote: "It's clear that western cocaine users have to accept they are contributing to violent crime that has left hundreds of thousands dead in Latin America over the past
28 - VOICES
decades." In 2018, the Metropolitan police commissioner of London also accused British middle-class cocaine users of fueling the drug trade, who in her words: "[…] will sit around, happily think about global warming and fair trade, and environmental protection and all sorts of things, organic food, but think there is no harm in taking a bit of cocaine. Well, there is. There is misery throughout the supply chain." Cocaine is to blame and all other drugs produced or transited through Latin America, including cannabis. My university, an 11-story massive edifice, provided a clear view over Mangueira, a slum marred by gang violence and poverty. While sitting at the academic library, I couldn't help but stare at the slum wondering how Brazil ended up being one of the most violent countries in the world. Drug use and addiction spread like a powder trail along the drug trafficking route. Given its long borders with several other South American countries, Brazil is a significant transit country for illicit drug trafficking to Europe. Cocaine destined for Europe mainly departs Latin America via São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. This has resulted in an increasingly crucial domestic market for cocaine consumption: Brazil has recently become the world's top crack market and the second biggest destination for powdered cocaine. São Paulo's Cracolândia – literally "Crackland" –, the largest and most impactful open-air scene of crack usage in the world, is symbolic of the country's drug epidemic. Drug trafficking flourishes mainly due to the growing demand for illicit drugs by developed countries, as well as poverty and the lack of viable economic opportunities for the youth living in Latin America. Drug traffickers take advantage of
juveniles and lure them with incentives like money and robbed electronics to encourage them to join drug trafficking and smuggling contraband. In countries where education systems are often underfunded, juveniles are easily brainwashed and think that studying is a waste of time. Although an academic study suggests less than 1% of Brazil's favela dwellers are involved in drug trafficking, they are often blamed as the source of drug-related violence instead of being considered 'collateral victims’ of the drug trade. Slum residents often get unjustly stigmatized and discriminated against by the labor market, resulting in a growing 'social apartheid'. The use of recreational drugs is one of the "stones" that hinder the definitive solution for violence in Brazil. As long as there will be drugs produced in or transited through Latin America consumed in Europe or the United States, there will be violence in Latin America. Lucile Guéguen Sources: The Guardian, Here in Colombia, the hypocrisy of western cocaine users is laid bare Sociologia, Problemas e Prática, The evolution of drug trafficking and organized crime in Latin America Latin American Development Forum, Laura Chioda, Stop the violence in Latin America, A look at Prevention From Cradle to Adulthood National Institute on Drug Abuse, What is the scope of cocaine use in the United States? Drug Policy Alliance, How many people use cocaine? QUARTZ, Brazil now consumes 18% of the world’s cocaine United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Brazil, Country profile (2003)
еразмус+
Imagine, Improvise,Integrate! Creative writing and storytelling are powerful tools to address issues of stereotyping, discrimination, and hate speech. It helps people express anger, helplessness, exclusion and similar feelings in a constructive way. These creative methods are focused on speaking up, raising your voice about injustice, racism, sexism, etc., and hate speech that is usually used against marginalized groups. And it is just as much about listening and hearing the issues of other youth from different backgrounds. For this reason the project “Imagine, Improvise, Integrate” was brought into being, to spread the word about how creativity can be used as a tool towards integration and against ostracism.
F
rom November 25th to December 3rd, about 30 youth workers from eight countries came together in Struga, Macedonia to take part in the training course “Empathy trough creativity” as part of the project “Imagine, Improvise, Integrate”. The training course was designed by Asociacija “Aidinti karta” from Lithuania and organized in cooperation with the FAYO Foundation from the UK, which coordinated the activities. Volunteers Centre Skopje was the host and implementer of the project that was funded by the Erasmus+ program. The training course empowered the participating youth workers and educators to motivate and lead youth by using informal, non-formal, and artistic methods such as improvisation, theatre, storytelling, and creative writing to fight discrimination and promote integration. During the sessions of the training course, the youth workers have experienced different concepts of human personality, methods of creative writing, and techniques of improvisation, and they will be encouraged to explore these tools further on and implement them in their work with young people in their communities. Furthermore, also the Erasmus+ program was integrated in the
activities of the training course. The participants got informed about the opportunities of writing their own projects within the Erasmus+ framework and thus spread those good practises and creative approaches outside of the youth workers’ local circle. At the end of the Erasmus+ session, the participants wrote their own project ideas and the presentation of those promising hopefully future projects marked the end of this successful training course in Struga. Besides all the professional knowledge that the youth workers gained within this eventful week, something else enriches their lives from now on, new friendships. Those friendships between people with different cultural and religious background, friendships that don’t know any borders, are the small representation of what this project is aiming for in the big picture and tells the message: we are friends, not enemies, and we all belong to the human family. Understandably, after spending such an intense and joyful time together, saying goodbye was very hard, but luckily this was only the first part of the project. The second part will be the training course “Out of the zone” and will take place in London, UK one year after the first mobility. So after all it was not an “Adieu!”, but a “See you again next year!” and everybody can be curious what will happen and which impact those young people have made in their societies. Christopher Machold
VOICES - 29
reportage
! I T T L LE L RO Eco-friendly, bamboo, recycled, three-ply, scented, or soft as velvet. Toilet paper. Very much mundane, but for some of us, essential. During the pandemic outbreak, the shops lacked various goods. However, toilet paper turned out to be the most desirable. What did people wipe with before toilet paper?
W
e treat many things that we use daily as ordinary and evident as they have always been and are always at hand. We realize how much they are needed when they run out. The sudden sight of an empty toilet roll is one of the less pleasant experiences, but it turns out that throughout history, people have coped in different ways with the lack of toilet paper.
People, forced by necessity, used whatever they had at hand to clean themselves, depending on where they lived and what social status they had. It could be woolen, lace, or hemp fabrics. For a poorer society, which could not afford the luxury of materials, there were leftover rags, grass, hay, moss, corncobs, snow, or… just their hands.
It was sold for 50 cents (16 dollars in today’s money) in packages of flat sheets, medicated with aloe and watermarked with the inventor’s name Joseph C. Gayetty. This product and the next that came weren’t successful as people still preferred to use free copies of newspapers delivered at their door. Rolled and perforated toilet paper was invented around 1880. The paper was not impregnated with aloe and therefore cheaper, so the sales grew. By 1930 toilet paper was finally manufactured splinter-free, and its popularity took off and remains so to this day.
The use of toilet paper was and still is neither as common and obvious, as it may seem nor as hygienic as we would like to think. We cannot forget that back in the day and now, people worldwide, particularly in the Middle East and Asia, don’t even bother with toilet paper, preferring instead to finish their toilet visit with a clean rinse of water.
There are regions where vegetation was not lush, especially in summer. Unfortunately, many of the options there could be pretty painful. There is one exciting toilet paper alternative that comes from ancient Greece. The smooth flat stones or pieces of rounded ceramics known as pessoi were not as soft as velvet. According to archeologists, we can find Nowadays, toilet paper is produced in many pessoi immortalized on a 2,700year-old drinking cup colors, patterns, fragrances, lengths, thicknesses, that shows a man squatting and making use of his softness, etc. Its historic alternatives show us that stone. This piece of art can be found in the Museum as mundane as using toilet paper is, it gives crucial of Fine Arts, Boston collection. According to other insight into whom we were, whom we are, and ancient sources, Romans used tersorium - a natural where we are headed. sponge on a stick, which was kept in a bucket of saltwater or vinegar, and the Chinese used bamboo sticks with a piece of cloth. It’s not sure if they used Jolanta Ciopcińska this device to clean themselves or the toilet. * The article was written at the request of the Voices In more recent times, in the first decade of the 18th team :) century, the use of pages from newspapers and books started to be very popular. The big problem of that Sources: period was that the paper produced contained a lot of Nationalgeographic.com: What did people do before toilet splinters. In the 19th century, the “official” prototype of paper? History.com: All the Ways We’ve Wiped: The History of Toilet toilet paper was created. The first mass-produced toilet Paper and What Came Before paper in the Western world was called “Medicated paper for the water closet.”
30 - VOICES
Our monthly magazine has a very simple, yet powerful, mission to be the voice of youth. And how do we do that? We encourage young people to take an active part in today’s society through journalism and designing by giving them a platform to express themselves. VOICES is produced in Skopje, Macedonia, and published online every month and four times per year as a printed edition.
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