voices
ENGLISH МАКЕДОНСКИ SHQIP
Magazine for all young people around the world
January 2020
EDITORIAL евелина ханска - УРЕДНИК НА ОВА ИЗДАНИЕ НА “ВОИСЕС” Ewelina chańska - EDITOR OF THIS EDITION OF “VOICES”
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К
But first, let us take you to ancient times of Sámi people. Have you even heard about them? Later on we are coming back to our times to brainstorm about the orientalism of 21st century. In this edition of VOICES, except travelling in time, you can also travel to different places in very personal stories of our writers. Dracula castle in Romania, Rome, Barcelona, Nice... just to come back straight to Struga and Skopje. Don’t worry, we have a perfect travel for physics lovers also – you can read about the famous theory of everything. If you like languages, one of our articles is about endangered ones. Have you ever wondered why languages are disappearing and how many of them is gone already?
Но, прво, да ве вратиме во античките времиња на луѓето Сáми. Сте слушнале за нив? Подоцна ќе се вратиме назад во нашето време за да направиме една бура на идеи за ориентализмот на 21 век. Во ова издание на ВОИСЕС, освен што ќе патувате низ времето, исто така ќе патувате и до најразлични места преку личните приказни на нашите писатели. Замокот на Дракула во Романија, Рим, Барселона, Ница... па ќе се вратите право во Струга и Скопје. Не грижете се, имаме совршено патување и за љубителите на физиката - ќе може да прочитате и за познатата теорија на сè. Доколку сакате јазици, една од нашите статии обработува загрозени јазици. Дали некогаш сте се прашале зошто јазиците исчезнуваат и колку од нив веќе исчезнале?
he end is the new beginning. With every new year coming people are still not done with new hopes, plans, fantasies, dreams, ideas... VOICES team is joining this global enthusiasm and we can promise you that we are not slowing down with fantasizing!
So, go on with your imagination. Don’t forget to share a smile on the way. And don’t forget to read – you may learn something random but how illuminating and taughtful!
рајот е нов почеток. Со доаѓањето на секоја нова година, луѓето не застануваат со своите надежи, планови, фантазии, соништа, идеи... Тимот на ВОИСЕС се придружува на овој глобален ентузијазам и ви ветуваме дека нема да застанеме со фантазирањето!
Така, продолжете со имагинацијата. Не заборавајте по пат да споделите и насмевка. И не заборавајте да читате - можеби ќе научите нешто попатно, но корисно и поучно!
Voices magazine is coordinated, designed and created by EVS and local volunteers with support of Erasmus+ program.
VCS DIRECTOR: Nikola Stankoski COORDINATORS: Andrej Naumovski Vafire Muharemi Goran Adamovski Goran Galabov YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR: Selina Niemi
VOLUNTEERS: Sascha Schlüter Kirsi Suomi Tanguy Payet Camille Labbaye
WRITERS: Ewelina Chańska Mathis Gilsbach Vitória Acerbi Ana-Marija Pejchinovska Izabela Celevska Elena Badaloska Ardit Osmani Angelka Markovska Kaltrina Tefiku Darija Ivanovska Veronika Cvetkoska Aleksandar Lazav
Translators: Maja Koleska Besmira Ibraimi Robert Raman DESIGNERS: Ewelina Chańska Kirsi Suomi Sascha Schlüter 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.4
4
TOPIC OF THE MONTH
4
Have you ever heard about Sámi people? - Kirsi
16
Sun is on my side - Ewelina
32
Дали некогаш сте слушнале за луѓето Сáми? - Кирси
24
Where the heart has never been
6
OPINION
6
The orientalism of the 21st century - Vitória
18
Love for ALL / Liebe für ALLE! - Sascha
14
Share a smile, share love - Ana-Marija
22
8
ERASMUS +
Lost voices? The death of languages and why it matters - Mathis
8
TC “Creative writing as a tool for community change” - Izabela, Elena
30
Zëra të humbur? Vdekja e gjuhëve dhe rëndësia e tyre - Mathis
12
YE “From trash to cash” MK - YE participants
20
TC “Creative writing as a tool for community change” MK+Shqip - Izabela, Elena, Ardit
26
YE “From trash to cash” Shqip - YE participants
10 10
SCIENCE Theory of everything - Tanguy
16
18
28 28
34 34
STORY
- Ana-Marija
REPORTAGE
POETRY The perception of time - Mathis
EVENTS International Volunteers Day
ТЕМА НА МЕСЕЦОТ
Have you ever heard about Sámi people? The indigenous Finno-Ugricpeople inhabiting northern side of Russia, Finland, Sweden and Norway, in a region called Sápmi. This article is about their ancient religions.
S
ámi ancient mythology was a religion of nature that embraced the universe in three levels: the celestial world, the terrestrial world and the underground world. Their world view can be described as living one with the nature and from it. They understood that humans were an integral part of nature. It was believed that breaking the balance of the natural relationship would result in the weakening of human power. Central believe was that everything had a spirit: people, animals, plants, rocks, islands, land, ocean, air, space…
The pre-Christian gods The gods were divided in three groups and each god had their own range of responsibilities. Celestial gods were maintaining the world order and controlling the forces of nature, for example wind and thunder. Terrestrial gods took care of secular things such as hunting and vegetation. Gods of underworld usually dominated events related to death and deceases. People sacrificed animals for the gods to maintain the natural balance and in the wish of good luck on various things.
Supernatural beings The nature spirits were beings who usually ruled and supervised one certain thing or area. It was believed that every nature object had their own nature spirit, for example trees and rocks just like humans as well. Their purpose was to take care and protect people and to supervise the behavior and morals of the village community. They differed from the divine in the way that they sometimes let people to see them. Their apostasy was thought to be a warning against abnormal behavior or of future danger. People didn’t have to sacrifice anything for nature spirits, they just had to take them kindly into consideration in everyday life. The underground beings, gnomes can be described as semi-human fellow creatures because of their similar appearance as human. However, they were a bit more beautiful, wealthier and happier and they appreciated decent and good behavior from people. They represented what life would be if we were living in a perfect world. Most of the time they lived in the underworld but sometimes their paths crossed with human. Their purpose was to help and give advice and to protect people. They were usually described as kind and friendly beings, but not always. There was a belief that if human children suffered from pain or some disability, that meant that a malicious gnome had come into the village and replaced the human child with their own senior citizen.
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TOPIC OF THE MONTH The soul
Shamanism and witches Shamanism means a certain type of cultural form, where there is a religious expert who can behave as a mediator between people and the outside worlds forces. The term shaman means “a person who knows”. They know how to sing shamanistic songs, recite spells, heal and to travel via trance to the underworld. Witches knew how to practice shamanism. They were healers who had the ability to travel through different worlds layers and retrieve peoples’ lost souls from the underworld. When a witch came to cure ill people, they did a ritual where they visit the afterworld through trance which they could reach by drumming shaman drum. It was believed that the underworld was a place which was upturned and the people who lived there walked their feet against our feet. The shaman drum reflects life and the universe in present, past and future time. The drum was usually made from reindeers leather and wood. Each drum has their individual patterns and symbols that depended on who uses the drum and for what purpose.
It was believed that humans had many different spiritual dimensions which we can call souls or parts of souls. There was “a life spirit” that was in the skeleton. According to their believes, if a dead body’s skeleton was buried intact and whole, the mighty forces in the underworld could build a new body for the deceased. The same applied to humans and animals. “The spirit of the soul” maintained bodily function and when it left the body, it meant death. The “free soul” which was able to move freely outside the body, for example during trance. It was believed to be a spiritual dimension that delivered person’s identity, most often inherited from the ancestors. Also, there was “a company ghost” that showed itself as a premonition, it was believed to be embodiment of person’s own nature spirit which took care of their humans’ well-being and happiness. That spirit was thought to be immortal and it stayed and hanged around at the grave of the deceased. Large part of the rites, myths and traditions of shamanic culture have been unfortunately obscured over time. But still many of the customs and beliefs have been passed from generation to generation in the form of folklore. Today, there are projects that investigate this very interesting ancient belief and Sámi culture in the hope that it won’t totally disappear.
Kirsi Suomi Sources: http://www.samimuseum.fi/maahisweb/suomi/tieto_kertojien.html https://www.samediggi.fi/saamelaiset-info/ https://unric.org/fi/pohjois-euroopan-saamelaiset-yksi-kansa-neljae-maata/ http://senc.hum.helsinki.fi/wiki/Etusivu
VOICES - 5
МИСЛЕЊЕ
T h e o r i e n ta l i s m o f Minimalism. Mindfulness. Meditation. Yoga. Silence of the mind. Elements very present in the present human western moment in time. One can’t go out for a walk in the neighbourhood - in a middle-sized town or a great city, in Europe or Latin America - without running into establishments offering services related to these activities. The great question is why. Maybe it was obvious to you, but not to me, so I took a moment to think about it and I think I found an answer.
D
igital native life colonizes our imagination, our body and our space. Our gadgets own us - our time, concentration, attention, data, social life we don’t own them. We need to have stuff, not to be. And we have to make it. Succeed, have a nice job (and not just any job, but a fulfilling one, financially and spiritually). We no longer dare to claim the right to boredom. Monotony and contemplation are rare, they become an allergy factor that disturbs and irritates one’s soul. We are being artificially trained all the time. We spend a large portion of it in conditioned spaces, movie theaters or amusement parks or gyms, which try to simulate in us perceptions and sensations that we could most genuinely and overwhelmingly feel outdoors, in our freedom, exercising to the fullness our body, our imagination. Working hours is the fancy name that baptizes the handful of hours we spend each day at the given workplace. However, it never ends. The cell phone notifies the email you receive regarding a commitment you have; vacations are spent planning the work to be done on the return; the weekend is blocked by the possibility of concluding - through unfortunately mobile devices to which we are addicted -
6 - VOICES
inconclusive bits from the previous week. Or advance those from the next. Some companies and countries begin to regulate it, but it is each and everyone of us who need more urgently to act. We no longer have rope around our necks or whips on our backs, but the introjected charge on our head perpetrates cruelties of approximate scale. Alertness never leaves us. The sense of duty “should be studying, should work harder, should be busy instead of wasting time on nothing” is a thief that hijacks our present moment without even a chance for rescue. We do not enjoy what we live, the company of those who are by our side. Our senses seem numb to the little everyday beauties, like a breeze caressing the leaves of the trees or our faces, the little girls leaving school in a row, the sun saying goodbye to the wonderfully nostalgic sky.... In the face of it all, the frenzy, the selftorture, the blurry life passing without us actually realizing it... We stop. Fortunately, we stop. We notice that any maltreated living organism - with bad energies or undernourishing substances - succumbs. It gets sick, loses its luster and color, expires. If even the machine, which we
Opinion
f t h e 2 1 st c e n t u r y consider almost unbeatable, surrenders, withers, falls ill from abuse, exaggeration, carelessness... We are certainly no less vulnerable. Happily, we begin to understand that if body and mind and spirit are in disarray, and so steadily, existence becomes fraudulent. Scam. An obligation that we impose on ourselves and that we carry out poorly, without passion A mechanical action that we perform without presence. By inertia. It is at this moment, I believe, of the timid but ever so important awakening, awareness of the madness of trying to follow the flow at the expense of one’s own health, one’s own power to live... That our eyes turn to Eastern wisdom.
Orientalism at this moment in the 21st century is therefore, I believe, a reaction. An adaptation that we have found to survive healthily the predatory chain of accelerated modernity. From the dictatorship of things. Adherence to this wave of orientalism is a decision that a growing number of us choose to take rather than medicine. It is a caress that we make ourselves, a path we follow in search of silence, calmness, balance. An option that, after being a lifebuoy, becomes a way of life. A surprisingly tranquil way of life, in such a crazy world.
VitĂłria Acerbi
In this old tradition of thinking, the most appreciated exercise is that of thought, not of body. It is the exercise that searches the spirit of transcendent beauty, full silence, its infinite interior, without noise or interference. That which connects one with oneself, and teaches that one is able to ignore all the disturbance that leads in the opposite direction. Because one has all the strength in oneself, and just needs to discover it. This exercise, this philosophy of peace, invites us to detachment. Because we do not need a large collection of things surrounding us. Thus, in addition to from the rush and daily cacophony, the alleged obligations that surround us, we learn to emancipate ourselves from possessions. Those things that often spoil our lives more than they add to it - after a certain point of possession of course. Those that hide the depth of our soul, fade our emotions or drive us away from ourselves. The essential is within us. The rest is just the rest.
VOICES - 7
ЕРАЗМУс+
training course
Creative writing as a tool for community change struga, Macedonia 09.12.2019 - 17.12.2019
27
enthusiasts for creative writing from 9 different countries, namely, Macedonia, Romania, Italy, Spain, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and the UK, took part in the training course “Creative writing as a tool for community change” which was held in Struga, Macedonia in the period 09.12.2019-17.12.2019. During these days we got acquainted with the basics of creative writing and its numerous usages. The process and usage of creative writing, which we also applied practically, was explained through different activities and workshops. We started each day with an energizer as an introduction to the following workshop. Afterwards, our day was filled with workshops concerning different aspects of creative writing. Larger part of the activities was devoted to group work, but we also had some individual activities, which we shared afterwards. At the end of the day we had group reflection and evaluation. We shared our thoughts and opinions about the programme and the day divided in several groups, and then our comments were followed through by a member of the group to the organisers of the project, in order to improve some things and reinforce the things we liked. One day was devoted to field workshops, which were with the purpose of getting a very useful and valuable firsthand experience about the functioning of different nongovernmental organisations. Through various workshops we learned something more about stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination and how to fight them through our creative writing.
8 - VOICES
Each day, the time after dinner was devoted to the intercultural nights where we got acquainted with each others’ cultures. Every participant had prepared something in order to represent their culture in the best light possible and to bring us closer to their culture.
ERASMUS+
At the end of this project we got introduced in depth to the Erasmus+ programme and the volunteering activities and opportunities it offers. The ending of our training course was officialised with a semi-formal party where we were presented with our certificates for our attendance in this project, i.e. our Youthpasses. This project enabled us to gain considerable experience and remarkable practical knowledge about the usage of creative writing as a tool for community change, overthrowing stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination. As individuals and participants, we are exceptionally content and proud to have been a part of this project and to have contributed with our effort, time, will and energy into it.
Izabela Celevska Elena Badaloska
Pictures (c) Sascha SchlĂźter
VOICES - 9
наука
Theory of Everything Quantum mechanics and general relativity: you have probably already heard about this. It sounds complicated and dedicated to an elite of gifted scientists. Actually, far from all these considerations, these concepts are approachable and chiefly fascinating! So, let’s start our journey from the infinitely small to the infinitely big (and mutually!).
Did you say quantum mechanics?
H
ere is a scaring word! But so, what is this famous theory? In fact, classical physics is able to describe our environment but doesn’t explain the microscopic behavior of atoms and particles. To explain in a not so boring way, in classical physics you have the particles (atoms for example) and the waves (light, electricity for example). In quantum mechanics we are able to have a superposition of these states: an atom can be at the same time a wave and a particle. We name this a “wave-particle”, and this superposition of states is named quantum state. For instance, a wave-particle can be at different places or at different speeds at the same time! Counter-intuitive, no?
Schrödinger’s cat! Conceived in 1935 by Erwin Schrödinger (1887-1961), this thought-experiment became really renowned because it allowed people to understand the paradoxical aspect of quantum mechanics. In this experience, a cat is located in a closed box, where there is a device which detects radioactive atoms and kills the cat if it detects that the atoms are disintegrated. In quantum mechanics, the atoms can be in different states at the same time: here, the radioactive atoms can be simultaneously intact and disintegrated. So we can say that the cat is at the same time dead and alive!
10 - VOICES
General relativity: explain to me, Einstein! Before Albert Einstein (1879-1955), the notions of gravitation came from Isaac Newton (1642-1727) who considered that the gravitation was coming from attractive and repulsive forces. By developing various reflections, Einstein leads to a new vision of gravity, which will replace the one from Newton: general relativity! According to him, Earth, for example, is not spinning around the Sun because this one is exerting a force on Earth, but because of a perturbation of spacetime. Let’s have an easy and famous popularization example. You start by stretching an elastic fabric. After, you put a stone somewhere on the fabric and logically the fabric will bend where there is the stone. In fact, the fabric is the representation of spacetime and the stone represents the sun for example. Now, try to roll a ball in a straight line close to the stone and you’ll see that the path will be deflected: not because of a force but because of the bending of the fabric (this is an easy way to understand the famous expression “curvature of spacetime”). Also, for Einstein, the time doesn’t have an invariant value: space and time are not different entities anymore, but just one, “spacetime”, with 4 dimensions (3 for space and 1 for time): this is notion of relativity. Space, like time, can be deformed by many things (like our previous fabric).
SCience
Theory of everything: crazy dream! The theory of everything is a theory which has not been discovered yet. Ultimate goal of physics nowadays, this theory aims to explain and describe, from only one fundamental law, all the phenomena in the nature, from the smallest element to the whole Universe. Unbelievable, isn’t it? Yes, but not so easy… Indeed, it’s needed to unify both previous theories, but the question of gravity remains insolvable. To be quick, there is an opposition about this in the nature of quantum mechanics and general relativity. More than the physical field, such a theory would have a strong influence on many philosophical questions. “Why the laws of nature are what they are?” or “why is there something rather than nothing?”.
So, there is many interesting questions and we can imagine that the answers will bring us again a whole world of new questions. Maybe it’s the definition of the human being: finding answers and having lots of questions?
Tanguy Payet Sources: http://www.cea.fr/comprendre/Pages/matiere-et-univers.aspx https://www.astronomes.com/la-fin-des-etoiles-massives/relativite-generale https://www.20minutes.fr/sciences/1757607-20151230cent-ans-apres-comprenez-enfin-relativite-generale https://www.astronomes.com/le-big-bang/theorie-tout https://www.science-et-vie.com/archives/le-reve-fou-dela-theorie-du-tout-31479 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chat_de_Schr%C3%B6dinger https://www.futura-sciences.com/sciences/definitions/ physique-mecanique-quantique-844/ https://www.futura-sciences.com/sciences/definitions/ physique-relativite-generale-3572/ A Brief History of Time - Stephen Hawking
VOICES - 11
ЕРАЗМУс+
ПАРИ, ПАРИ.... КОЛКУ СЛАТКО ТРЕБА ДА Е ВО СВЕТОТ НА ДЕПОНИИТЕ! Еднаш одамна, во едно далечно место, во Кралството Македонија живееа пет амбициозни, позитивни и љубопитни млади самовили. Еден ден, тие беа повикани во Советот на кралството наречено ВЦС (Волонтерски Центар Скопје) – место толку мало, но сепак, толку големо од топлината што ја произведува, љубовта што ја дава и можностите што ги обезбедува за многу, многу млади самовили и тролови на кралството.
В
о Советот имаше човек, кој ни ги отвори прозорците на светот. Ни рече да бираме, а ние ја одбравме Романија. Знаевме дека има место доволно топло да нè прифати и да ни овозможи засолниште во следните десетина денови, но, сепак бевме со мешани чувства затоа што не знаевме што да очекуваме. И така започна нашето патување… Беше 4 декември 2019 година кога пристигнавме во Бустени. Бевме топло пречекани од фасилитаторите, а ладно од временските услови, но едвај дури и ја забележавме температурата. Имаше толку многу други работи што требаше да се грижиме! Дали ќе се вклопиме, со кого ќе се сретнеме, какви активности ќе правиме... Нервозата не траеше ниту еден ден. Веднаш започнавме да се запознаваме. Прво, имавме неколку кратки и смешни активности, како игри со имиња, енергизери, тајна игра со пријатели (која траеше до последниот ден) и активности со цел да ги запознаеме сите останати учесници. Еден од нив беше крајно смешен: добивме хартија
12 - VOICES
со име и наша задача беше да ја пронајдеме личноста за една минута и да го нацртаме лицето. Со оглед на тоа што во просторијата имаше четириесет луѓе, ова беше исклучително тешко, но мислам дека тоа е она што го направи толку забавно! Овие активности продолжија во текот на целиот престој, развивајќи се од кратки игри до забавни задачи и некои добро познати игри за доверба. Во овој проект, сепак, најчестите активности беа оние што се однесуваат на рециклирање. Кога размислуваме за искуството на првата работилница што ја имавме во младинската размена за ѓубре и отпад „From trash to cash“ во прекрасниот Бустени, македонскиот тим веднаш се вљуби во топлината што ја произведе и љубовта што беше во воздухот. Да бидеме искрени, не се познававме. Немавме идеја кој е кој и која земја ја претставува. Сè што делевме до тогаш беше утринското кафе и масата за појадок. Можеби „здраво“ или „добро утро“, но можеше да ја почувствуваш срамежливоста кај сите. Но, сепак, сè што знаевме е дека имаме задача и некако моравме
ERASMUS+ да ја завршиме. Истиот ден нашите фасилитатори ни дадоа задача. Прилично тешко, затоа што прво, никој не сака отворено да зборува за состојбата со отпадот во својата земја и второ, тие нè одвоија од нашата зона за удобност. Што се покажа како одлично. Зошто? Затоа што сите добивме шанса да излеземе од нашата зона за удобност и всушност да започнеме да разговараме едни со други. Нашата задача беше едноставна: создадете колаж (постер) објаснувајќи на навистина краток и јасен начин за состојбата со рециклирање и отпад во вашата земја и други земји на ЕУ. Значи, споделивме некои вредности, споделивме некои информации, споделувавме многу забава и удобност околу, споделувавме информации, некои од нас преку интернет ги добивме вистинските информации/ факти, а некои од нас беа „моралната поддршка“, но дури и тоа се брои. Нешто што не можеме да заборавиме да го споменеме е туристичката посета во Бран и Брашов. Ах да, сигурни сме дека сите сте слушнале за Бран, градот на популарниот замок Дракула! Сè на сè, размената дефинитивно ги исполни нашите очекувања. Сакаме да им се заблагодариме на ВЦС што ни ја овозможија оваа прилика и секако на програмата Ерасмус+. Ако го читате ова и се прашувате дали да аплицирате за следната размена, ние ве советуваме да го сторите тоа! Има толку многу работи што не ги вклучивме овде, како што се интеркултурни вечери, испробување нова храна, танцување, странски зборови што ги научивме, луѓе со кои се приближивме... Но, на крајот на денот, некои работи се толку многу поубави кога ќе ги доживеете отколку само да слушнете за нив. Оваа размена беше сигурно едно од тие патувања, а сите петмина се надеваме дека повторно ќе ја посетиме Романија.
Ангелка Марковска Калтрина Тефику Александар Лазав Дарија Ивановска Вероника Цветкоска
VOICES - 13
МИСЛЕЊЕ
Share a smile, share love
14 - VOICES
Opinion SHARING IS CARING - short and quite simple saying. I believe we all have used it at some point, however what we should be asking ourselves is: Are we the ones saying it or the ones using it? Are we truly happy if we have it all, but no one to share it with? Let’s find out!
S H A R I N G
W
alking down the street, enjoying the refreshing ice cream you just bought, feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin, you find yourself in front of a petite child asking you for money to buy food. You look around spotting the family not far away. You notice that they have nothing but the cold cement they are sitting on. How does that make you feel?
because we know that we would have it the next day and the day after that as well, is someone’s wishlist. So if this was the way to make this wish come true, I wouldn’t do it any other way. The day that really made me broaden my horizons a little more was just around the corner. My school’s administrative team and I, alongside another nongovernmental organization and the Retvit team, started organizing and waited for the people to show up. Okay, I just want you to imagine the face of a happy child that got what he desired for Christmas, feel the happiness, take in the smile. Now, if you told me that this was not the most fulfilling sight, I wouldn’t believe you. One by one they were coming towards us. If I printed out every “thank you”, ”have a nice day” and “god bless you” I got, I would have a wall full of appreciation. I was touched by every smile I received. Seeing everyone happy at least in that moment made my day. As a philantrophist myself, watching the people around me satisfied, restored my faith in humanity. I can go on and on about the emotions this event evoked in me and I would never do it justice.
I have always felt uneasy looking at something like this. Just think about it. The world is a beautiful place, yet not everyone gets to enjoy it and everything it offers. We can change this. We can give, love, help. We can share, because just a small gesture towards someone can light up their whole day. Recently I had the pleasure to help. My school partnered up with ”Retvit meal” so we can participate in making more meals and feed the homeless. It was truly one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. We helped in the process of making the meals. It is true what they say… Combined forces are the way to go. The room was full of loving and caring people, which made it easier to get the work done. We chopped and peeled vegetables, cooked pasta, made sauce, the aroma that filled the room was just unbelievable. We then packaged the meals and wrote a short message on the blank space on top of them. I can’t even describe the feeling that went through my body when we finished the last meal. Knowing that this will bring happiness to someone makes it all worth it. On my way home I was rethinking the whole experience. What we take for granted every day, just
I S
There is so much we can do by doing so little. What we may think is nothing, is everything to someone. Why not put a smile on a stranger’s face, why not make people happy, why not spread love? Everything can be bought except love and happiness, so if you can share or give someone a taste of this – do it. We have it all inside us, we just need to open our hearts and help.
Ana-Marija Pejchinovska Photo by Caju Gomes on Unsplash
C A R I N G
VOICES - 15
приказна
Sun
is on my side
Believe it or not, but every time I will look into the face of the sun, from any place in this world, I will think of Macedonia. Sun was always on my side in here, giving me energy and leading me to do amazing. As well as the people, who are the soul and the heart of this sunny place.
Y
OU CARRY WITH YOU PEOPLE YOU MEET ON THE WAY People. This is a key word of my experience. I like to think of myself that I am a peopleholic. Because it’s true. My people are my inspiration and the source of knowledge. Suddenly you realize, how much you learn from those you are with. Finland is not as cold as you may think and although people indeed have their very Finnish moments, but they can also hug a lot and become your best friends for a lifetime. When you have Turkish people in the house, you will never be hungry or sick. They will feed you and they will heal you with every possible way they know. You suddenly find a lot of common words between Polish and German languages and in the evenings, just for fun, you’re watching Harry Potter in German (and with Finnish subtitles). French people can speak English and you can laugh at their accent but they will laugh at you trying to pronounce French words too. And they will go around rapping in French, which suddenly makes you enjoy rap music. You don’t know a single thing about Estonia and then your friend brings you from there the best chocolate in the world and the next thing is that you sing an Estonian song about your new shoes that are very muddy. Macedonians, finally.
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Beautiful nation, created of not many people, yet stronger than any nation I knew before, with open heart full of kindness. SLAV SISTER Is it really easier to understand and speak another Slavic language when you’re a Slav and you know other Slavic languages? Yes and no. I can say that I came to Macedonia straight from Bulgaria as I studied and worked in there and my head was full of Bulgarian and Serbian. Mostly, I knew Macedonian from traditional folk songs and also from my friends. So from the beginning of my stay I jumped into it, trying to have basic conversations with people in markets or anywhere else, where I couldn’t really use English. I discovered how extremely happy people are when they notice that I’m a foreigner and I can speak their language (or trying to speak, at least). During months I improved my Macedonian a lot, thanks to the best teacher ever and thanks to some of my friends who stubbornly kept talking or writing to me in their language. LOZANO VS STING Sounds odd, right? But when I came to Macedonia, one of my missions was to go at as many concerts as it’s possible and I wanted to see and hear
story everything that is Macedonian. So being here a month already I convinced my French friend to go with me at the concert of Lozano. I almost cried when I heard ‘‘Kilometri” and I really cried later on when suddenly Next Time band entered the stage to perform ‘‘Ja izlezi Gjurgjo”. For Macedonians it was just a regular concert as they’ve experienced it multiple times probably, but for me it was something new and amazing. I can mention many others. How much I was happy when I bought tickets for Foltin or Nokaut concerts. And every time I got the same surprised look. ‘‘You’re from Poland? -Yes. - And you’re excited about Nokaut? - Well, yes!”. I loved my musical routine in Skopje, when I was enjoying concerts of Fiction or Bona Dea almost every week. Summer concerts in City Park, where the most memorable was philharmonic concert Љубов и револуција (Love & revolution). In Dojran, on D-festival, I experienced one of the best concerts in my life, when in little church on the hill Vlatko Stefanovski was having his cameral concert. I love how much Macedonia enriched my music world. THIS IS SO RANDOM! I love my life in Macedonia and I love how random this life is. My friends made a quote out of it and every time something happens to us, we comment it with ‘‘This is so random!”. Everything is random and beautiful, starting from the people we meet to the places we explore and things we learn. The first day in Skopje we were wandering with my fellow Polish volunteer and we chose the wrong way searching for the nearest shop. We randomly made our first Macedonian friend. He is a good cook and he loves his city a lot, so at my first weekend we went to explore Vodno and we got our first truly Macedonian dinner. I have this volunteers gang that I was always with and random people who joined us during many events, staying our friends or being just a part of our experience shortly. It was a random discovery when one of the first places I found in Skopje was Beertija Pub in our neighborhood, that later on became our living room.
Partly because we were playing this legendary pub quiz every wednesday for months, just to win a jar of money shortly before I left Macedonia. Partly because one has always this kind of place in which feels comfortable and cosy. Mostly because I have people in there that became a family to me. This is so random that I started watching ice hockey in Macedonia, because my friend is Finnish and she’s crazy about it. As random as it may be, I became a tires painter, having absolutely no idea about painting before. Once, I randomly got an onion as a gift when I went on a film festival event. The same evening I was taking selfie with a volunteer dog on this festival. What’s random is also when we went to one lake near Prilep and when we reached the destination, there was no lake. Only a big desert remained, as a dried memory of a lake. I could put more on the list. Random bachata dancing at Vardar river after sunset. Random bridge in the middle of Kisela Voda with no river under. Random walk to streets Helsinki and Varshavska. Random finding of Harry Potter in Macedonian after weeks of searching. Random discovery of street Skopska in Skopje. Random party where we were closer to Kosovo than to Skopje. Random conversations. Ewelina Random Makedonska. GREEN ROOF OF HOPE I miss the view from my window at my home in Skopje. I could see Vodno from there. On the other side it was a distant silhouette of high mountains. They were covered with snow when I came and golden from an early winter sun when I was leaving. And this green roof of neighborhood building always attracting my eyes even before morning coffee. I didn’t say goodbye to my surrounding, to my everyday and to my friends. Maybe because I can’t say goodbye. Maybe because instead of a goodbye it’s better to say see you soon. And I have a hope that there is still a lot of marvels that Macedonia has to offer and I need to discover.
Ewelina Chańska
VOICES - 17
Репортажа
Love for ALL! Sharing the message
Ohrid, Macedonia
Love for ALL (german: Liebe für Alle) is a non-profit organization based in Leipzig (Germany). It originated from an action that a bunch of people in Magdeburg (Germany) started in 2012. The idea behind it is to fight discrimination and share the message of tolerance, solidarity and love around the world.
A
ccording to the activists "Liebe für Alle consideres itself as an action for more tolerance and solidarity and against discrimination of any type in all-day life. Our action stands for an open attitude towards supposedly strangers, new and "other" people. To connect and establish friendships, to solidarise and support each other are worth more to us than any distinction, that is being drawn based on origin, gender, sexual orientation, belief or social status." It all started with the pink, square shaped stickers, that people are supposed to share in any place they go to (on their facebook page or website, you can find a gallery with pictures from around the globe) and share the message. After short time, you could find such a sticker everywhere in the streets of (central) German cities like Magdeburg,
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Verdun, France
REPORTAGE Halle, Leipzig, Berlin etc. and soon it spread wider and wider. I myself found several stickers in pretty remote places like Vilnius (Lithuania), Katowice and Warsaw (Poland), Athens (Greece) or Verdun (France) and also shared a bunch with friends that I met during my journeys. Maybe you’ve even seen one somewhere throughout Europe already too?
But it’s not only about putting some nice stickers to streetlights, when you’re on vacation! The team of Liebe für Alle is hosting infostands on parties, festivals, concerts and other events, to share their attitude with other people, get together and discuss and oppose to discrimination and group-related misanthropy. And there’s even more: in 2014, the activists acquired some equipment for textile-printing and started their own small fashion label “tiefbunt” (“deep-colorful”) and produce fair and organic clothing like bags, hats, t-shirts, hoodies etc. to spread the word also on this way “...because revolution also starts in your wardrobe”. Therefore they’re running an online-shop, the earnings from selling their
Skopje, Macedonia
products are being used partly to support social/societal projects, organizations or initiatives. Even though, you cannot change the world over night, actions, campaigns and grass root initiatives like this one can be an important impulse to fighting inhumane attitudes and overcome the fussing and fighting among humans and they deserve to be supported. Being solidaric and open-minded is eventually up to everyone of us, but making this kind of statement - and making it visible - can maybe help to change people’s habits and attitudes in small steps.
Sascha Schlüter Pictures: Sascha Schlüter
Links: https://www.facebook.com/pg/LiebeFuerAlle. SpreadItAllOverTheWorld/ https://www.instagram.com/liebe_fuer_alle_official/ https://www.tief-bunt.de/
VOICES - 19
ЕРАЗМУс+
Тренинг курс
Creative writing as a tool for community change Струга, Македонија 09.12.2019 - 17.12.2019 Македонски
В
о периодот помеѓу 09.12.2019-17.12.2019 во Струга, Македонија на тренинг курсот „Креативно пишување како алатка за правење промени во заедницата“ учествуваа 27 ентузијасти за креативно пишување од 9 земји, имено, Македонија, Романија, Италија, Шпанија, Финска, Норвешка, Шведска, Данска и Англија. За време на овие денови се запознавме со основите на креативното пишување и неговите разни употреби. Преку разни активности и работилници ни беше објаснат процесот и примената на креативното пишување кои исто така и практично ги применивме. Секој ден почнувавме со кратки игри за активирање на телото и умот како вовед на работилниците. Потоа, денот ни беше исполнет со работилници поврзани со разни аспекти на креативното пишување. Поголем дел од работилниците беа во групи, но имаше и активности кои ги извршувавме индивидуално, кои потоа ги споделувавме. На крајот од денот имавме состаноци за евалуација и осврнување на самиот ден. Поделени во групи, го кажувавме своето мислење и став за програмата во текот на денот, а потоа нашите коментари беа проследени од еден член на групата до организаторите на проектот, со цел подобрување на одредени нешта и задржување на работите што ни се допаѓаа. Еден ден ни беше посветен на работилници на терен, кои беа со цел да добиеме многу корисно и вредно искуство од прва рака како функционираат различни невладини организации. Преку неколку работилници научивме нешто повеќе за стереотипите, предрасудите и дискриминацијата и како можеме да се бориме против нив преку нашето креативно пишување.
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ERASMUS+ Секој ден, времето по вечерата ни беше наменето за интеркултурна вечер каде што се запознававме со меѓусебните култури. Сите учесници имаа по нешто спремено за да ја претстават нивната држава во најдобро светло и да ни ја приближат нивната култура. На крајот од овој проект детално се запознавме со Еразмус+ програмата и волонтерските активности и можности кои ги нуди. Крајот на нашиот тренинг курс се официјализира со мала полу-формална забава на која ни беа доделени сертификатите за присуство на овој проект, или Youthpass. Овој проект ни овозможи да се стекнеме со значително искуство и извонредно практично знаење за тоа како креативното пишување може да се користи како алатка за промена во заедницата, победувајќи ги стереотипите, предрасудите и дискриминацијата. Како поединци и учесници особено нѐ прави задоволни и горди што бевме дел од овој проект во чија реализација го вложивме нашиот труд, време, волја и енергија.
Изабела Целевска и Елена Бадалоска
Shqip
Ç
do rrugë të çon në Strugë Një konstelacion kulturash vizitoi Strugën dhe për një javë e ngrohu qytetin e ftohtë, të mjegullt dhe me shi. Nuk ishte sezoni i zakonshëm kur une vi në kërkim për freski i nxitur nga temperaturat e larta të verës. Këtë herë isha në qytetin e poezisë për të takuar të pasionuarit pas poezisë dhe shkrimit kreativ, të cilët kishin ardhur nga shtete të ndryshme të Evropës. Ashtu sikur liqeni i Ohrit që furnizohet me ujë nga burimet perreth, poashtu edhe pjesemarresit e furnizuan me ide te ndryshme projektin. Dhe kur uji largohet nëpermjet Drinit te Zi, ashtu u zhvilluan dhe aktivitetet, rrjedhshëm dhe me përfitime të ndërsjella. Vërtetë, çdo rrugë të çon në Strugë.
Ardit Osmani
Pictures (c) Sascha Schlüter
VOICES - 21
Lost Voices?
РЕПОРТАЖА
The death of languages and why it matters.
I
magine you are in a quiz show and someone asks you to quickly name 5 languages. What would you come up? Probably your mothertongue and some of the big and popular languages. English, German, Spanish, French, Chinese. But do you know Lakota, Pirahã, Ainu, Guarani or Luxembourgish? No? Surprise, there are about 6000 languages in the world. Many only spoken by small groups and threatened by extinction, others are spoken by millions of people, such as Guarani an indigenous language of South-America spoken by 4,6 Million people in Paraguay. Unfortunately, within a century 50 – 80% of these languages could disappear from the face of earth as they are endangered. Endangered languages are under threat of disappearing because they are not taught anymore to children and the last speakers are slowly dying off. If that happens, they become exctinct languages. These are languages that are not spoken anymore in any community around the world. Some may have been recorded in writing or audiovisual media but many leave this world unnoticed, their last words dying with the last breath of the last speaker. There is a common misconception that talks about languages like Latin as dead languages, however linguistically it is very much alive in the form of its descendants such as Portuguese, Italian or Romanian. Latin is here defined as an earlier stage of these languages. There are a number of reasons for languages to become endangered or extinct. Often they are under some type of pressure by another, dominant, language. If the minority language is associated with negative stereotypes, with being poor and outside of society, parents might choose to not
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teach their children to protect them from these negative associations or in the hope to give them better economic chances. Also, people often think that it might be confusing or too difficult for a child to learn more than one language. Another reason is state supression. Still until the late 20th century many states had policies of assimilation towards minority groups. This often included forbidding schoolchildren to speak their native languages and to live their customs. Sometimes, for example in the US and Canada but also states like Norway, indigenous children were forced to attend boarding schools with the goal to ‘civilise‘ them. There they were forbidden of the use of their language and their customs. That led in many regions to a whole generation that could not speak their parents’ language anymore. Lastly, wars and displacement may completely destroy the community of speakers and, quite literally, wipe a language of the map. Now you may wonder, what does it matter? Wouldn‘t we be better off speaking one language to be able to understand each other everywhere? Well, seeing that I wrote this article you might have guessed that I disagree with that stance. For one, language is intrinsically connected to culture. It is the expression of how people think about the world, it contains the way they relate to each other and to their past and present. Language always relates to specific cultural practices, it connects communities to their past, via stories, tales and myths told in their language. They may have specific words for their dances, their rituals, their traditions. In that way language means identity. Take people‘s language and you will rob them of their identity.
How to say “I love you” in different endangered languages: Cornish – My a‘th kar Aleut – Txin yaxtakug Kashubian – Kuechum ce Northern Sami – Mun ráhkistan du
REPORTAGE
I Venda – Ndi a ni funa ch hà Seneca – Gönóöhgwa‘ bb d ir lïab Hawaiian – Aloha Au la ‘Oe Rapa Nui – Hanga rahi au kia koe
And there‘s evidence that underlines the importance of being able to connect with ones origin and ones community. Australian government data shows a correlation between a widerspread use of aboriginal languages and community health. Young aboriginal people that speak an Indigenous language are generally less likely to drink and take drugs irresponsibly. In British Columbia, Canada, youth suicide rates in communities where many people still speak native languages, are more than six times lower. Of course, that is not a direct result of speaking the language but the result of the community that comes from having a shared language and shared roots and customs. Then, there is a proven benefit for children that grow up bilingualy. In a number of studies researchers found that bilingual people are usually better at analysing their surroundings, multitasking and problem-solving. Instead of being confusing for children, one could compare learning a second language to an intense, long lasting work out for the brain. This of course does not only apply to endangered languages but it is a strong argument for parents to teach their children their language even if they see it as useless in a society that is dominated by another language. Lastly, the loss of languages also is a loss for our understanding of the human cognition. Each language can teach us something about how the mind works, how language has evolved in the first place and how the human mind works in general.
All this also has practical implications, for example in the development of AI, machine speech recognition and speech production. In developing new approaches to help people that lost their speaking capabilities after a stroke or approaches to language learning and teaching. And the more different languages we can observe, the better our understanding will be. There is hope however! Around the world speakers of endangered languages raise their voices to revive their languages and teach the next generation of speakers. One such example is Cornish, a Celtic language in Cornwall in the very Southwest of England. It is spoken by only about 3000 people. It is on the celtic branch of the indo-european language tree and as such related to Welsh, Irish and Scottish Gaelic. Around the 19th century the language had already been extinct by and far but it was revived over the course of the twenthieth century by reconstructing the language from old sources and popularising it again. Now there are again families where children grow up with Cornish as the main language spoken at home. Revival efforts like this take place all around the globe in communities striving to preserve their language and heritage. Which just serves as proof that endangered languages can be preserved and that they are perceived as valuable and important by their communities.
Mathis Gilsbach
Sources: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hide-and-seek/201807/beyond-words-the-benefits-being-bilingual https://www.linguisticsociety.org/resource/faq-what-endangered-language https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228465754_Aboriginal_language_knowledge_and_youth_suicide_Cognitive_Development_22_393-399 https://www.sapiens.org/language/endangered-languages/ http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/ http://www.unesco.org/languages-atlas/
VOICES - 23
приказна
Where the heart Have you ever wondered what’s beyond the borders? What lies deep under the ocean and up above the clouds? Do you find yourself dreaming about uncovering every story and legend hidden all around the world? Are you curious to see every beauty and miracle the world holds? Close your eyes and enjoy the ride.
Y
ou are standing on a crowded street in ROME. Catching glimpses of conversations happening around you. Cameras everywhere. You look up. You see the largest amphitheatre ever, THE COLOSSEUM, illuminating with it’s rich history. Showing you the remains of once gladiatorial contests, famous battles and animal hunts. Surviving wars and earthquakes, there it is, standing proudly in front of you. You look on your right, the sun is blocked by a cradle of culture, history and timeless beauty, THE PANTHEON. Once a temple, now a church, blinding you with it’s dome, ancient pictures and statues, gold purifying the walls and architecture beyond everyone’s reach. Your mind is now traveling through history, reliving every option of what might have happened here about a 1800 years ago. You look on your left, you can’t believe your eyes, breath of fresh air reaches your lungs, you are looking at one of the most beautiful things you have ever seen, THE TREVI FOUNTAIN. You feel like you are in your wildest imagination, but it’s reality. From horses galloping on the water, gods, goddesses, horns, angels to engraved designs, you are speechless. You then hear a legend going around so you decide to give it a try. Throwing a coin with your right arm over your left shoulder you make a wish. The 20 centuries old house of the opera, THE VERONA ARENA, the church, home for the tombs of the ancient lords of Verona,
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SCALIGER TOMBS, and finally the gate, PORTA BORSARI, welcome you in the beautiful city that is VERONA. You are now standing on the balcony of Juliet’s house, looking at her life-like statue in the garden downstairs. Shakespeare’s Juliet, Romeo and Juliet, you are standing in the center of the biggest and greatest love story of all times. All of a sudden you are on a boat, on your way to the city that floats, VENICE. Passing every bridge you get to know Venice a little more. You see a gondola dropping off a girl coming back from work, excited tourists taking pictures and now you are in a gondola crossing the GRAND CANAL. You try to take it all in as you stand in ST. MARK’S SQUARE surrounded by masterpieces such as ST. MARK’S BASILICA and THE DOGE’S PALACE. You finish your day off with the most delicious slice of italian pizza. THE METROPOLITAN CITY OF MILAN, fashion capital, home of art, finance, design and tourism. Like it’s not charming enough, it lures you in by firstly showing you the largest cathedral in the world, THE MILAN CATHEDRAL. Amazed by this view you go deeper. Milan reveals the ROYAL PALACE OF MILAN as well as THE SFORZA CASTLE. Just moments after you are in the centre, surrounded by every high brand in the world, every new piece of clothing, jewellery and
story
t has never been accessories. This city carries what some would call the most incomparable bit of art, DA VINCI’S LAST SUPPER. Suddenly, you find yourself in France, NICE, to be exact. Wondering are you in a movie or are you actually standing in a hotel room just like the ones you see in the pictures about France. You go on your small but cosy balcony and you are greeted by the never ending beach, crystal blue water and blood-like sunset. You scavenge the city and get a grip of it’s inner beauty. You fell like you’ve been enchanted when you reach the top, and you have Nice on your hands. The blend of the sea, the city and the sky above make you feel like you are in a fairytale. You are looking at every handprint and footprint that belongs to every world known actor and actress in CANNES. The host of the Cannes Film Festival is known like the home of the rich and famous. You have never seen more gold, lights and luxury in your life. MONACO has it all. People in expensive clothes, arriving in their matt black limousines, their bodyguards holding the door for them, you feel like you have just entered another world. Hearing laughter, joy and happiness from the casinos make you love the nightlife even more. This city has the power of making you feel rich from the
moment you set foot in it. You love it. You stop by to be astonished once more. THE SAGRADA FAMILIA, 137 years old from one side, modern from the other. Always upgrading, hiding every secret from the past. You can look at it all day and all night for all eternity and there would still be a detail you may miss. Such a monument like no other. This has your heartbeat going faster and your breath shorten. You wonder how does such thing even exist. The only thing you want to do is shake hands with the one responsible for such a miracle coming to life. BARCELONA doesn’t fail to impress once more. You get to THE MAGIC FOUNTAIN. Its elegant motion, vibrant colors and soothing music make your jaw drop. You feel like the angels are singing you a sweet lullaby. Time stops while looking at something so stunning. The atmosphere makes you so happy you want to scream and cry at the same time. Your journey doesn’t end here. There is still a whole world for you to explore. Pack your suitcase and let your heart choose the next location.
Ana-Marija Pejchinovska Pictures: Ana-Marija Pejchinovska
VOICES - 25
ЕРАЗМУс+
PARAJA… SA LEHTË MUND TË VIJË NGA NJË BOTË ME MBETURINA Njëherë e një kohë, në një vend të largët të quajtur Mbretëria e Republikës së Maqedonisë jetonin 5 zana shumë ambiciozë, pozitivë dhe kuriozë... Kështuqë një ditë ata vendosën të bëjnë vizitë në konsulatën e mbretërisë të quajtur VCS (Qendra Vullnetare, Shkup) një vend kaq i vogël, por aq i mbingarkuar nga nxehtësia që prodhoi, dashuria që dha dhe mundësitë që ofronte për shumë, shumë zana të mbretërisë.
I
shte një njeri në konsultë. Me krahët më të mëdhenj të mundësive që kemi parë deri më tani, ai na priti në mbretërinë e tij dhe ne biseduam pak. Kështu që pas bisedës, njeriu i madh me krahë të mëdha na dha një detyrë të vogël: “Zgjidhni”, tha ai ... bota është e juaja. Ne zgjodhëm, Rumaninë. Dhe kështu filloi rrugëtimi ynë… Ne e dinim që vendi ishte mjaft i ngrohtë për të na strehuar dhe për të na siguruar strehim për 10 ditë, por prapë kishim ndjenja të përziera sepse nuk dinim se çfarë të prisnim. Udhëtimi ynë filloi në 4 dhjetor 2019, kur mbërritëm në Busten. Me një ngrohtësi përvëluese u pritëm nga organizatorët dhe me ftohtësi nga moti, por mezi kemi vërejtur temperaturën. Kishte kaq shumë gjëra të tjera për të cilat duhej të shqetësoheshim! nëse do të përshtatemi, me kë do të takohemi, çfarë aktivitetesh do të bëjmë, etj. Nervozizmi nuk zgjati asnjë ditë. Filluam të njiheshim menjëherë. Së pari, kemi pasur disa aktivitete të shkurtra dhe qesharake, të tilla si lojëra me emra, energjizues, një lojë të fshehtë me miqtë (e cila zgjati deri në ditën e fundit), dhe aktivitete
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për të njohur të gjithë. Njëra prej tyre ishte jashtëzakonisht qesharake: na u dha letra me emër dhe detyra jonë ishte të gjenim personin për një minutë dhe të tërhiqnim një fytyrë. Duke pasur parasysh që dhoma kishte dyzet njerëz në të, kjo ishte pak e vështirë, por unë mendoj se kjo është ajo që e bëri atë shumë argëtuese! Këto aktivitete vazhduan gjatë gjithë qëndrimit, duke filluar nga lojërat e shkurtra deri te detyrat argëtuese dhe disa lojëra të njohura të besimit. Në këtë projekt, megjithatë, aktivitetet më të zakonshme ishin ato që kishin të bënin me riciklimin. Kur mendojmë për përvojën e punëtorisë së parë që kemi pasur në këtë projekt rreth mbeturinave “Nga mbeturinat në para të gatshme” në qytetin e bukur të Bustenit, ekipi maqedonas menjëherë humbi shikimin për ngrohtësinë që prodhoi dhe dashurinë që kishte në ajër .. Për të qenë e sinqertë, nuk e njihnim njeri-tjetrin. Ne nuk e kishim ide se kush dhe çfarë vendi përfaqësonte. Gjithçka që ndamë deri atëherë ishte kafja e mëngjesit dhe tryeza e mëngjesit. Ndoshta një “mirëmëngjes” ose një ‘ka kafe’, por prapëseprapë, gjithçka që dinim ishte se kishim një
ERASMUS+ detyrë dhe disi duhej ta përfundonim. Një detyrë shumë e vështirë, sepse së pari, askush nuk dëshiron të flasë hapur për situatën e mbeturinave në vendin e tij / saj dhe së dyti, ata na kanë ndarë nga zona jonë e rehatisë. Kjo doli e shkëlqyeshme. Pse? Sepse të gjithë patëm një shans për të dalë nga zona jonë e rehatisë dhe në të vërtetë fillouam të bisedojmë me njëri-tjetrin. Detyra jonë ishte e thjeshtë: Krijoni një kolazh (poster) duke shpjeguar në një mënyrë vërtet të shkurtër dhe të qartë situatën me riciklimin dhe mbeturinat në vendin tuaj dhe vendet e tjera të BE-së. Pra, kemi ndarë disa vlera, kemi ndarë disa informacione, kemi ndarë shumë argëtim dhe komoditet përreth, kemi shkëmbyer informacione, disa prej nesh kanë marrë informacionin / faktet e duhura në internet, dhe disa prej nesh ishin “mbështetje morale”, por edhe kjo u konsiderua. Një gjë që nuk mund të harrojmë ta përmendim është vizita turistike në Bran dhe Brasov. Ah po, jam e sigurt që keni dëgjuar të gjithë për Branin, qytetin e Kalasë popullore të Drakulës! Në përgjithësi, shkëmbimi përfundimisht i përmbushi pritjet tona. Ne dëshirojmë të falënderojmë VCS që e bëri këtë të mundur për ne dhe natyrisht projektin Erasmus +. Nëse po e lexoni këtë dhe po pyesni nëse do të aplikoni për shkëmbimin tjetër apo jo, ju këshillojmë ta bëni këtë! Ka kaq shumë gjëra që ne nuk i përfshimë këtu, siç janë darkat ndërkulturore, provimi i ushqimeve të reja, vallëzimi, fjalët e huaja që kemi mësuar, njerëzit që jemi afruar, etj. Por në fund të ditës, disa gjëra janë aq më të këndshme kur i përjetoni ato sesa thjesht të dëgjoni për to. Ky shkëmbim ishte sigurisht një nga ato udhëtime, dhe të pesë ne shpresojmë të vizitojmë përsëri Rumaninë një ditë në të ardhmen....
Angelka Markovska Kaltrina Tefiku Aleksandar Lazav Darija Ivanovska Veronika Cvetkoska
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ПОЕЗИЈА
time
Perception
of
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POETRY
H
ow life is sometimes running and sometimes crawling, depending on what we do with it. Days filled with Life and Events are gone in the duration of a moment. Days filled with boredom and burdens, drift around without end. Like a summer nights dream, the easy days. Like waiting for death, the heavy days. Yet the image turns in remininiscence. Like glowing Diamonds, the reveries of life. Crumbled into dust, the long days of hardship. Soon I want to forget them, sweep them under the carpet of thoughts. But diamonds, I want to collect, filled with the beaming glory of the ever living memory. Mathis Gilsbach Photo by Igor Ferreira on Unsplash
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REPORTAZH
Zëra të humbur? Vdekja e gjuhëve dhe rëndësia e tyre.
M
endoni sikur jeni në një shfaqje kuizi dhe dikush ju kërkon të emërtoni përnjëherë 5 gjuhë. Cilat do të ishin ato? Me shumë gjasa gjuha juaj amtare dhe disa gjuhë të tjera që janë tepër të populluara, si: anglishtja, spanjishtja, frëngjishtja apo kinezishtja. Por a e njihni gjuhën lakote, piraha, ainu, guarani apo luksemburgishten? Jo? Epo në botë ekzistojnë rreth 6000 gjuhë. Shumë prej tyre fliten vetëm nga një grup i vogël dhe janë të kërcënuara nga zhdukja, kurse të tjerat fliten nga miliona njerëz, siç është Guarani, një gjuhë vendase e Amerikës Jugore e cila flitet nga 4.6 milionë njerëz në Paraguaj. Fatkeqësisht, brenda një shekulli 5080% e këtyre gjuhëve rrezikohen të zhduken sepse janë të kanosura. Gjuhët e rrezikuara janë nën kërcënim të zhdukjes sepse ato nuk ju mësohen më fëmijëve dhe folësit e fundit të këtyre gjuhëve dalë ngadalë po vdesin. Nëse kjo gjë ndodh, ato shndërrohen në gjuhë të vdekura. Këto janë gjuhët që nuk fliten më në asnjë bashkësi në botë. Disa prej tyre janë të regjistruara me anë të shkrimit ose nëpërmjet mjeteve audiovizuale, por pjesa tjetër zhduket pa asnjë gjurmë, fjalët e tyre të fundit vdesin në frymën e folësit të fundit. Ekziston një koncept i gabuar që flet për gjuhë si latinitshtja si gjuhë e vdekur, mirëpo gjuhësisht apo nga ana linguistike kjo gjuhë është mjaft e gjallë në gjuhët pasardhëse si portugalishtja, italishtja ose rumanishtja. Gjuha latine definohet si një fazë e hershme e këtyre gjuhëve. Ekzistojnë disa arsye se pse gjuhëve u kanoset rreziku apo zhduken. Shpesh herë këto gjuhë janë nën një lloj presioni nga një gjuhë tjetër dominante. Nëse gjuha e pakicës është e lidhur me steriotipe negative, të qenurit i varfër dhe jashtë shoqërisë,
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prindërit mund të mos e zgjedhin atë gjuhë për t’ia mësuar fëmijëve të tyre për t’i mbrojtur ato nga shoqëria negative apo duke dashur tu ofrojnë atyre mundësi më të mira ekonomike. Poashtu, njerëzit shpesh mendojnë se është e vështirë për një fëmijë të mësojë më shumë se një gjuhë. Një arsye tjetër është shtypja e shtetit. Deri në fund të shekullit 20 shumë shtete si pjesë të politikës së tyre kishin asimilimin e pakicave. Kjo shpesh përfshinte edhe ndalesën e mësimit të gjuhës amtare në shkolla. Për shembull në Shtete e Bashkuara dhe në Kanada, por poashtu edhe në shtete si Norvegjia, fëmijët vendas ishin të detyruar të ndjekin shkolla në të cilat si qëllim ishte të ‘civilizojnë‘ gjuhën e vendit. Atje ato ishin të ndaluar të përdorin gjuhën dhe zakonet e tyre. Kjo gjë çoi deri aty sa në shumë regjione një gjeneratë e tërë të mos mund të flas më gjuhën e prindërve të tyre. Së fundmi, luftrat dhe zhvendosjet mund të shkatërrojnë gjuhën e një bashkësie të tërë, duke e fshirë atë gjuhë nga harta. Tani ju mund të thoni, po ç’rëndësi ka kjo? A nuk do të ishte vallë më mirë të kishim vetëm një gjuhë që të gjithë ta kuptonim kudo që të ishim? Siç e shihni këtë artikull e kam shkruar pikërisht se nuk pajtohem me këtë qëndrim. Së pari, gjuha në thelb është e lidhur ngushtë me kulturën. Ajo është shprehje e asaj se si njerëzit e shohin botën, ajo tregon mënyrën se si ato janë të lidhura me njëra tjetrën, por edhe me të kaluarën dhe të tashmen. Gjuha gjithmonë lidhet me praktika kulturore specifike, ajo lidh bashkësitë me të kaluarën e tyre nëpërmjet tregimeve, rrëfenjave dhe miteve në po atë gjuhë. Ato kanë fjalë të ndryshme specifike për vallëzimet, ritualet dhe traditat e tyre. Në këtë mënyrë gjuha paraqet identitet. Nëse ju merr njerëzve gjuhën e tyre, ju ke vjedhur identitetin.
Si të thuash “Të dua” në gjuhë të ndryshme të rrezikuara: Cornish – My a‘th kar Aleut – Txin yaxtakug Kashubian – Kuechum ce Northern Sami – Mun ráhkistan du
REPORTAGE
I Venda – Ndi a ni funa ch hà Seneca – Gönóöhgwa‘ bb d ir lïab Hawaiian – Aloha Au la ‘Oe Rapa Nui – Hanga rahi au kia koe
Ekzistojnë fakte të cilat theksojnë rëndësinë e lidhjes me origjinën apo bashkësinë tonë. Të dhënat e qeverisë australiane tregojnë një korrelacion mes përhapjes së gjuhëve aborigjine dhe një shoqërie të shëndoshë. Të rinjtë vendas që flasin një gjuhë indigjene në përgjithësi janë më pak të prirur për të pirë apo marrë droga pa përgjegjshmëri. Në Kolumbinë Britaneze, në Kanadë, shkalla e vetëvrasjeve tek të rinjtë është 6 herë më e ulët tek komunitetet ku shumica flet ende gjuhët amtare. Sigurisht që e gjithë kjo nuk është rezultat direkt i të folurit të gjuhës por edhe i shoqërisë me gjuhë, rrënjë dhe zakone të përbashkëta apo të përziera. Pra, shohim se ekzistojnë beneficione të vërtetuara për fëmijët të cilët janë bilingual. Një numër i madh studimesh tregojnë se si personat bilingual janë më të mirë në analizimin e rrethanave, kanë aftësi multitasking dhe janë më të mirë në zgjidhjen e problemeve. Kështuqë në vend se të jemi konfuz për përvetsimin e një gjuhe të dytë, përkundrazi, ne duhet ta shohim atë si një ushtrim për trurin. Sigurisht që ky argument nuk vlen për gjuhët e rrezikuara, mirëpo mund të jetë një argument i fortë për prindërit që ato t’i mësojnë gjuhën e tyre fëmijëve sado e parëndësishme të duket ajo në krahasim me gjuhën dominuese në atë shoqëri. Së fundmi, humbja e gjuhëve është poashtu humbje e të kuptuarit të njohjes humane apo njerëzore. Cdo gjuhë mund të na mësojë se si mendja apo intelekti ynë funksionon, se si gjuha dhe aftësia jonë mendore ka evoluar. Kjo poashtu ka edhe implikime praktike, si përshembull në zhvillimin e IA (inteligjencës
artificiale), në njohjen dhe prodhimin e të folurit në makineri. Gjithashtu në zhvillimin e qasjeve të reja për t’ju ndihmuar njerëzve të cilët kanë humbur aftësinë e të folurit ose qasjeve në mësimin e një gjuhe. Sa më shumë gjuhë të ndryshme të mund të studiojmë, aq më shumë mund të njohim e kuptojmë. Megjithatë ende ka shpresë! Folësit e gjuhëve të rrezikuara nëpër botë po ngrejnë zërin për të kthyer në jetë këto gjuhë edhe për t’ua mësuar ato gjeneratave të ardhshme. Një shembull i tillë është gjuha korneze (Cornish), një gjuhë kelte në Kornuall (Cornwall) në Jugperëndim të Anglisë, e cila flitet vetëm nga 3000 njerëz. Në trungun e gjuhëve indo-evropiane kjo gjuhë është degë kelte e lidhur me gjuhë si ajo uellsiane, irlandeze dhe ajo gaelik skoceze. Rreth shek. 19 kjo gjuhë pothuajse ishte e zhdukur mirëpo ajo u ringjall gjatë shek. 20 duke e rindërtuar atë nga burimet e vjetra e duke e popullarizuar. Tashmë atje jetojnë familje ku fëmijët rriten me gjuhën korneze si gjuhë kryesore në shtëpi. Ringjallje të tilla ndodhin ende rreth globit, në ato shoqëri të cilat përpiqen të ruajnë dhe të trashëgojnë gjuhën e tyre. Kjo shërben si dëshmi se gjuhët e rrezikuara mund të shpëtohen dhe të ruhen, dhe se ato janë mjaft të rëndësishme dhe të vlefshme për shoqërinë.
Mathis Gilsbach Përkthim: Besmira Ibraimi
Burimet: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hide-and-seek/201807/beyond-words-the-benefits-being-bilingual https://www.linguisticsociety.org/resource/faq-what-endangered-language https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228465754_Aboriginal_language_knowledge_and_youth_suicide_Cognitive_Development_22_393-399 https://www.sapiens.org/language/endangered-languages/ http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/ http://www.unesco.org/languages-atlas/
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ТЕМА НА МЕСЕЦОТ
Дали некогаш сте слушнале за луѓето Sámi? Тие се луѓе кои потекнуваат од северниот дел на Русија, Финска, Шведска и Норвешка, во регион кој се нарекува Sápmi. Овој текст е за нивната древна религија. НАТПРИРОДНИ СУШТЕСТВА
Д
ревната митологија на луѓето Sámi била религија за природата, која го претставувала универзумот на три нивоа: небесниот свет, светот на земјата и светот во подземјето. Нивното гледање кон светот може да се опише како спојување со природата и постанување на една целина. Тие разбирале дека човекот е дел од природата. Се верувало дека кршењето на рамнотежата на односот со природата, ќе предизвика намалување на моќта на човекот. Главно верување било дека СЕ има свој дух: луѓето, животните, растенијата, камењата, островите, земјата, океанот, воздухот, вселената....
БОГОВИТЕ ПРЕД ХРИСТИЈАНСКОТО ВРЕМЕ Боговите биле поделени во три групи и секој бог имал свои одговорности. Небесните богови го одржувале редот во светот и ги контролирале моќите на природата, како ветрот и громот. Боговите на земјата имале како задача да се грижат за работи како лов и вегетација. Боговите на подземјето владееле со смрта и болестите. Луѓето жртвувале животни за боговите да ја одржуваат рамнотежата на природата и како желба за добра среќа.
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Духовите на природата биле суштества кои владееле и надгледувале еден регион. Се верувало дека секој природен објект имал свој природен дух, на пример дрвата и камењата имале дух исто како и луѓето. Нивната цел била грижа и заштита на луѓето и надгледување на односот и моралот во општеството. Тие се разликувале од боговите, така што понекогаш си дозволувале да бидат видени од човекот. Нивната апостазија била предупредување против абнормален однос или како предупредување за проблеми во иднината. Луѓето не морале да жртвуваат ништо за духовите на природата, само требало да зборуваат убаво за нив во секојдневните разговори. Подземните суштества, како гномовите може да се објаснат како пола-луѓе, бидејќи имале сличен лик како човекот. Меѓутоа тие биле поубави, побогати и посреќни и многу сакале луѓето со нив да се однесуваат на добар начин и со почит. Тие биле олицетворение на тоа како би изгледале доколку живееме во перфектен свет. Нивната цел била да им помагаат на луѓето и да им делат совети. Тие биле објаснувани како добри и пријателски суштества, но не секогаш. Имало верување дека ако некое дете страда од болка или некое друго нарушување, тогаш гномовите дошле во градот и го замениле човечкото дете со старец од популацијата на гномови.
TOPIC OF THE MONTH ДУША
ШАМАНИ И ВЕШТЕРКИ Шаманизмот претставувал еден тип на културна форма. Шаманите биле религиозни експерти кои служеле како медијатори помеѓу луѓето и силите кои владеат во светот. Зборот шаман значи ,,човек кој знае’’. Тие знаеле како да пеат шамански песни, да искажуваат магии, да лечат и да патуваат преку подземјето. Вештерките знаеле да практикуваат шаманизам. Тие лекувале и имале способност да патуваат низ различни светови и да ги враќаат изгубените души на луѓето од подземјето. Кога некоја вештерка била повикана да лекува, имало ритуал во кој преку транс, се посетувало подземјето и со отчукување на тапан се свирела шаманска песна. Се верувало дека подземјето е превртен простор, и луѓето во подзмејето оделе со нозете спроти нашите нозе. Тапанот на шаманот го отсликува животот на универзумот во сегашноста, минатото и иднината. Тапанот бил направен од кожа на елен и дрво. Секој тапан имал свој ритам и симболи кои означувале кој го користи тапанот и за која прилика.
Се верувало дека луѓето имаат повеќе духовни димензии кои биле дел од душата. Постоел ,,дух на животот’’ кој се наоѓал во коските. Според верувањата, ако коските на мртовецот се закопале цели, без да се оштетат, големите сили на подземјето можеле да изградат ново тело за починатиот. Истото се однесувало и за луѓето и за животните. ,,Духот на душата’’ го одржувал животот во телото и кога ќе го напуштел телото, човекот умирал. ,,Слободниот дух’’ се движел слободно и надвор од телото, на пример за време на транс. Се верувало дека има духовна димензија која му го давала идентитетот на човекот, кој најчесто го добивал од предците. Исто така, постоел и ,,дух другар’’ кој се појавувал како привидување и бил олецитворение на духот на природата на самиот човек, кој се грижел за човековото битие и за човековата среќа. Тој дух бил бесмртен и се движел околу гробот на човекот кој го поседувал. Голем дел од обичаите, митовите и традициите на шаманската култура се изгубиле преку времето. Меѓутоа и ден денес, многу голем дел од обичаите се пренесуваат од генерација на генерација во форма на фолклор. Денес има проекти кои го истражуваат ова многу интересно верување и културата на Sámi луѓето и нивните надежи нема никогаш целосно да исчезнат.
Кирси Суоми Преведувачка: Маја Колеска Извори: http://www.samimuseum.fi/maahisweb/suomi/tieto_ kertojien.html https://www.samediggi.fi/saamelaiset-info/ https://unric.org/fi/pohjois-euroopan-saamelaiset-yksi-kansa-neljae-maata/ http://senc.hum.helsinki.fi/wiki/Etusivu
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настани
volunteer for Earth
Trash hunting
34 - VOICES
events
International Volunteers Day 5th of December
Panel discussion about “why volunteering matters?� in American Corner Skopje
open stage in beertija pub
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