Voices
English Makedonski Shqip
Topic of the month
Road-Trip Albania Greece travelling
Siberia sport
Slavic Yoga
Summer 2017
STAFF Coordinators Nikola Stankovski Gjoko Vukanovski Ivana Angjelovska
EDITO Summer…July and August are always the hottest months of the year…The weather forecast says that we will experience tropical heat in the days to follow… What to do? VOICES team have the perfect solution for you…Seat in the shadow, put your air conditioner or ventilator on, put the VOICES magazine in your hand and start traveling…The first destination should be “Siberia” to take some cold wind from there, continue to “Istanbul”…From there you can take a peak of “Ohrid” and “Change your life”. Afterwards, you can have a “creative talk with Edi Muka” while you are seating in the “St. Naum’s monastery”. You can stretch by using the “Slavic Yoga” and continue to “Follow your dream”, while watching “Ice Hockey”.
European volunteers Aisen Bragin Aleksandra Grzyb Juliette Caron Laura Babaityte Laurene Duvert Ugur Dogus Igor Giammanco Valeria Ferrante Writers Igor Pop Trajkov Aleksandra Krstevska Emilia Apostolova Oliver Andreevski Ogi Anchevski Translators
If you are bored a bit by local things, you can always go more international by taking part in “TC in Podgorica” or even a “YE in Brajchino” during the “Midsummer”. Travel in your mind to “Poland” and learn about “Paratisima”… In order to conclude the summer in the best possible way, it is time to attend a typical “Sicilian/ Italian wedding”… We guess we gave you plenty of possibilities for this summer… We hope you will use them! Enjoy reading the summer edition of our magazine… Where ever you go, whatever you do, take VOICES with you! ;) By Gjoko Vukanovski
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Mihajlo Donev Sokol Makolli Luiza Nazifi
Contact Volunteer Centre Skopje Emil Zola 3/2-3, 1000 Skopje Tel./Fax. +389 22 772 095 vcs_contact@yahoo.com www.vcs.org.mk
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P.4 P.12
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TOPIC OF THE MONTH 4 Road Trip Albania-Greece - Laurène Duvert
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ERAMUS + 7 Brajcino - Ogi Anchevski
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Travelling 8 Poland Part II - Aleksandra Grzyb 10 Siberia and far East - Aisen Bragin 14 Istanbul - Александра Крстевска
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Culture Italian Wedding - Valeria Ferrante Ohrid Lake - Emilia Apostolova
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CONTENT
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Opinion
21 Changing life - Ugur Dogus 22 Follow your dream - Александра Крстевска 24
experience
24 Midsummer - Laura Babaityte 25 Тraining in Podgorica -Oliver Andreevski
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Interview
26 Interview Edi Muka - Igor Pop Trajkov
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Sport
28 Slavic Yoga - Aleksandra Grzyb 30 Hockey - Ivana Angjelovska
St Naum - Igor Pop Trajkov
Paratissima Skopje - Ivana Angjelovska VOICES - 3
topic of the month
Road trip Albania-Greece Me and my French friend Juliette, who is also volunteering in VCS, decided to make a road trip around South Albania and Greece to discover this wonderful part of Europe. We chose to make 6 stops during this journey, 2 in Albania and 4 in Greece, let me show you our trip ;)
Albania ! Dhermi was first stop of our trip in South Albania, we left Skopje on Friday afternoon to go there, to be honest the road was long (9 hours with some stops) and quite dangerous considering Albanian drivers … but landscapes were so beautiful. Just before arriving to Dhermi, we stopped on the mountain road during the sunset for a panoramic view of Dhermi’s beach and we felt this travel was going to be incredible.
First, we were surprised by the smallness of the town but the day after our arrival we discovered this beautiful place by boat. We went to pirate cave, swam in the turquoise sea and chilled on the beach. When the temperature was less hot we decided to go to the village on the top of the hill to see the monastery. To go there we passed cute little streets welcomed by Dhermi’s children. We went to the top, unfortunately monastery wasn’t really interesting but the view and atmosphere was amazing and so relaxing!
Next, we left Dhermi to go to the second destination, Saranda. Before going to the city we went to see Blue Eye, such a beautiful place where turquoise water was coming from the source, we felt like in the jungle surrounded by these plants. Despite ‘no swim’ restriction we found a quiet place to swim a little bit in this so beautiful and so COLD water. After this refreshment we decided to go to Ksamil beach to enjoy the sun but during the trip we were stopped by the hail… it didn’t stop us, we went there hoping it will get better, we spent some time there, had a lunch with seaview and decided to go to Saranda to take a rest and enjoy Albanian food.
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Greece !
topic of the month
The day after we headed to Greece, a word of advice: never follow GPS in Greece because you will get lost … obviously, we got lost (first and last time during the trip!) and it took us a long time (3 hours more) to get to our next step in Kryonéri close to Mesolongi in the West part of Greece. These days were a little bit messy for us and we were exhausted after the trip. We chose this location just to sleep close to a port before going to Greek island! But we didn’t miss on eating our first real Greek Burger and testing Greek beer in cute town of Mesolongi. The next step of the trip, Zante Island, took us a full day and for me it was the best part of the trip, the day I realized my dream! During Greek part of the trip we wanted to go to an island but a « cheap » one and not so far from our itinerary (it was hard to find). But I dreamt about seeing the shipwreck of Zante Island for a long time. So we woke up early in the morning to take the ferry to Zante Island with the car. The day before we easily found port, boat, hotel and information on how to go to the famous shipwreck beach accessible only by the sea. We decided to take a boat from the north of the island from the little port of Porto Vromi. The trip to port took one hour by car and it was an opportunity to discover Zante that is quite a big island!
We boarded and navigated to the beach in around 15 minutes. I was so excited to see the beach that I awaited to see for such a long time (this 15 minutes lasted forever for me!). We passed a huge cliff and the incredible shipwreck beach emerged, we saw turquoise sea and white beach surrounded by a huge cliff, it was even more beautiful than in comparison with my dream!!! We berthed on the beach I felt like a child in a candy shop, I ran everywhere with shiny eyes, for me it was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. We spent one hour to take photos, videos, climb on the shipwreck and swim in this paradise.
After this (so short) hour the boat came back to pick us up but we were not that much disappointed because we had yet another fantastic plan for the day!… ship captain had some idea on how to make this day more awesome and on the way back he decided to show us some caves and little beaches. He stopped the boat close to rocky inlet and asked if someone wants to swim a little bit in this amazing landscape « Is it a question? Of course we want!! ». We dived into the water from the front of the boat and I had a doubt about this day, was I dreaming or not?! After that we came back to the port and went back to the hotel for the next activity of the day… Horse riding!! It’s one of my passions and I wanted to share it with Juliette, it was first time for her. She was a little bit stressed but she got on the horse and tried to relax because two hours of horse riding waited for us.
VOICES - 5
topic of the month
After one hour way we arrived to the beach and we were surprised when we understood we will swim with the horses in the sea! It was also the first time for everybody and yet another dream too. So we swam with horses in warm water during sunset, I wanted it to last forever, we came back to the stable with smiling face. Exhausted we came back to the hotel to drink cocktails and to go to sleep because a long road waited for us the next day. Third Greek destination of the trip was Athens! It was a long road to the capital but we were so happy and excited to discover the famous city. We didn’t know Athens but with a help of internet we found a place to drink a cocktail with a beautiful view « A for Athens », I drank there the most delicious cocktail ever with Parthenon sunset view, awesome! We stayed two whole days in Athens, I can’t relate everything in a small article, we visited famous Parthenon, Agora, we saw a
lot of ruins, we went to botanic garden to get some fresh air, and we walked around the market and tried some delicious Greek specialties as well as local beer. We made touristic shopping and almost died cause of the temperature, we were looking for free tour of the city all day long but finally we found it and discovered a part of Athens’ myths and history. Finally we left this beautiful capital and headed to Greek mountains.
The last step of the trip was Meteora place with monastery built on the top of the cliff in the north of the country. When we arrived in the little town of Kalambaka we felt a bit nostalgic to finish this trip. We walked a little in the street with cliff view and we were really curious to see monasteries the day after. We went to the monasteries by car and visited three of them, the atmosphere was quite touristic. Landscape was amazing we felt so small surrounded by these cliffs and immensity of the mountains. Unfortunately it was time to come back to Skopje but not without last meal of the trip: Tzatziki! It gave us motivation to come back home with the next trip on our mind. By Laurène Duvert
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Erasmus +
Brajcino In the period 17-26 June, Volunteers Centre Skopje, in cooperation with ARKTOS from Antwerp, Belgium, is hosting the Youth Exchange ”Increasing Quality of Youth Work: Vulnerable Youth in Focus” in the beautiful village of Brajchino on the foothills of Pelister, together with partners from Spain, Latvia, Croatia and Greece. The project involves 40 young people aged 16 – 30. The project focuses on vulnerable youth categories, youth coming from rural areas in particular, since this group faces many difficulties in the participating countries and these young people from rural areas do not have at their disposal quality activities that can provide them with opportunities for personal and professional development. The project is also an excellent opportunity for intercultural learning where, in addition to interacting with each other, the participants from the participating countries present their country through informative videos, traditional music, food and drinks, involving also the locals who are taking part in the activities, for which we can rely on the great cooperation with the local Brajchino association and their members. The convenience of good company with the beautiful place are one of the most important things. I want to say a few words about Youth Exchange that took place in Brajcino. It was a one-time experience for all who took part in this Youth Exchange.
I want to share some of the activities with you: such as the photography workshop, the climb to the nearby church located on the Baba Mountain, explore Brajcino, the creative workshop (in order to improve the life in the village?)Etc.And especially I liked the ambiance in the village, the locals who lived in Brajcino, the nature that it had in abundance, the taps through which flowed water from the mountains. As part of the activities of the Youth Exchange, the participants are photographing the nature and architecture of this part of the Prespa region, creating short videos interviewing the locals, and organizing action for cleaning and refurbishing the relaxation spots around the village. On Saturday(24.06.2017) there will be a presentation of the Erasmus + Programme during which the opportunities that the program me offers to the young people from Macedonia will be presented, particularly to the young people living in rural areas in the Prespa region, and the event will be rounded with an exhibition of photos taken by the participants and a music show. Below you can view moments of the atmosphere during the project. This project is supported by Erasmus +Program fo your by National Agency of Belgium–“JINT”. By Ogi Anchevski
VOICES - 7
travelling
Polish capitals Capitals – cities of origin of every nation, the ones forming history and identity of the state, the essence of its people. Poland, a country on wheels as one of my friends describes it, changed it shapes and geographic location quite radically throughout our dynamic history which resulted in various headquarters of the state during that time. Career of some ended quickly but the others lasted for centuries. Are they worth-visiting?
Wikipedia Commons, by Radek Kołakowski Warsaw – (1815-1831, 1918-1939, since 1945 till now) current capital of Poland, the biggest city in the country that has the same amount of inhabitants as Macedonia on its own. Around 2 millions of people live in this eclectic metropolis almost completely destructed by the World War II. The capital didn’t lose its charm so you can still find the signs from the past as the city was partially rebuilt. Next to old town you can easily bump into district full of skyscrapers and modern architecture stuck in between older buildings. Nowadays the city lures tourists with innovative, interactive museums such as Warsaw Upraisal museum, Polin, Kopernik Centre, vibrant nightlife, ongoing festivals and cultural events. Former beloved city of the nation, the centre of Polishness, destroyed in vengeance, made almost extinct, whipped off the map by the war including its inhabitants is nowadays’ posh capital mostly linked with the centre of finances and power. The city where old and new coexist, where you can find XVIIIth century palaces, symbol of socialism; Palace of culture and science, royal gardens and modern skyscrapers.
Wikipedia Commons, by Ziarno Cracow – (1039/1040-1079, 1138-1290, 1296-1795) former beloved capital of Poland, the city of kings with truly Polish architecture style, amazing old town, Jewish district and castle above it all has definitely an atmosphere. Cracow miraculously escaped the general destruction during the war thanks to which nowadays we can admire narrow cobbled streets among tenements houses encircled by city’s green lungs – Planty. Cracow preserved its medieval location so if you enter the old town passing by Barbican via one of the gates leading you through tight streets to splendid town square you can experience a journey back to the past. Cloth hall, St. Mary’s Basilica, multiple temples, and palaces, impressive amount of museums and national galleries including famous Schindler’s factory, Museum of Contemporary Art or Beksiński’s exhibition can attract many.
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travelling
Wikipedia Commons, by Diego Delso
Gniezno – (940-1039/1040) the very first capital of Poland, the place where prince Mieszko I was baptised so he can introduce Poland to the arena of international politics. The birthplace of Christianity on Polish territory and nation on its own. The main cathedral is like a treasure chest with relicts of St.Adalbert and famous door presenting the life of the saint. City’s name refers to the nest as Gniezno is supposed to be the first location of Lech, legendary ruler of Polans. During his journey he noticed eagle’s nest up in crown of the tree, he considered it a good sign and decided to settle down, this also explains Polish emblem – white eagle. Old town is definitely worth a stroll, get lost in the streets and reach the square with its hall to enjoy the experience.
Poznań – (1290-1296) Historians argue about the role of Poznań at the time when Gniezno was capital, according to some sources it used to be more important. Either way Poznań made it to the top and become a capital for a short while. The city is famous of its town hall inhabited by two fighting goats, trumpet call, charming square with surrounding it tiny colorful houses and castle rebuilt from the basics in XXI century. It is an academic city of music, hosting one of the best choirs and universities. Ostrów Tumski district with charming streets, low buildings, newly set up museum and outstanding cathedral may give you an impression that you are just visiting a separate small medieval town. Artificial lake, eco reserve, Citadel memory park, XXth century Imperial castle are reasons enough to check the capital of Greater Poland. Płock – (1079-1138) probably the smallest and the least impressive capital is still worth visiting for more small town vibe with a nice old town including impressive town hall, lovely streets, basilica, prince castle and modern amphitheater. This themed trip through the capitals can give you an idea of country’s history and how it constituted the state. Enjoy Capital experience!
Wikipedia Commons, by Diego Delso
by Aleksandra Grzyb
VOICES - 9
TRAVELLING
Dimri po afroet! Në fillim të këtij artikulli,unë patjeter t’iu informoj se jeta ime ka filluar ne nje nga vendet me te ftohta ne bote. Ndoshta tani ne mendjen tuaj,ju po imagjinoni pinguinet dhe ajsberget ne Antartike,por jo e keni gabim dhe duket qe jeni shume larg nga e verteta. Une mundem qe t’iu torturoj per aq kohe sa te dua,por kjo po qe do te ishte dicka e merzitshme per lexuesit e mi. Me lejoni qe ta filloj tregimin tim me acarrin e Siberise dhe te Lindjes. Rusia eshte shteti me i madh ne bote dhe une kam lindur atje,une nuk mund t’iu flas per te gjithe statistikat e shtetit tim pasi ju mund t’i gjeni ato ne Wikipedia. Vetem nje informacion mund te jete i mjaftueshem,ne Rusi jetojne me shume se 180 popuj te ndryshem me karakteristika nga me te ndryshmet(ngjyra e lekures,pamja,fytyra etj). Pjesa lindore dhe Siberiane e Rusise shtrihen ne kontinentin e Azise dhe qe nga koherat e lashta deri me sot,banoret lokal te ketyre territoreve kane qene Aziatiket. Kus7htet klimatike ketu jane jashtezakonisht te ftohta saqe ekzistojne dhe disa permafroste. Shume njerez zakonisht pyesin:”Si mundeni te jetoni ne kete vend?” Pergjigja eshte shume e lehte:
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Per ne eshte shume e lehte dhe ne tashme jemi mesuar si t’i mbijetojme temperaturave prej -50°C. Por ne te gjitha territoret ka oscilime te shumta te temperatures. Neqoftese gjendeni ne pjesen Arktike te Rusise,pa dyshim qe nuk do te ndjheni shume rehat,pasi ne dimer do te perballeni me nete polare dhe dielli nuk do te lind gati per nje muaj. Sa i perket pjeses jugore,eshte e zakonshme dhe normale te kete dimer te shkurter me temperature -30°C per rreth pese muaj. Natyra ne Siberi dhe ne pjesen Lindore eshte multi-dimenzionale: Nga Taiga ne shkretetire.
TRAVELLING
Ne te gjithe Rusine ekzistojne rreth 22 republika,ne te vertete per to duhej te pergaditej nje artikull i gjate,por une dua t’ua prezantoj vetem vendet me interesante ne regjionin Aziatik: Republika e Jakutit dhe Republika e Burjatit. Çdo republike ka kushtetuten dhe simbolet e veta shtetrore-flamurin dhe stemen. Per te gjithe keto territore gjyha e dyte zyrtare eshte rusishtja. Nje numer i madh i njerezve kane paraardhes te cilet kane migruar nga Estonia,Latvia,Lituania, Belarausi,Moldavia,Polanda dhe Gjermania. Fatkeqsisht Xhozef Stalini ishte pjese e historise tone,por le t’i kthehemi republikave. Republika e Jakutit eshte e njohur sepse ketu gjendet poli i Verkhojanskit dhe Ojmjakonit te ftohte ku temperaturat njehere kane arritur -67.8°C dhe -77.8°C. Jo te gjithe njerezit jane ne gjendje per ta vizituar kryeqytetin e R.Jakutsit ne dimer. Mbase nuk eshte vendi me i ftohte ne bote por prape nuk eshte ngrohte (-50°C). Banoret e Jakutit kane zhvillim interesant te gjuhes dhe etnografise. Zhvillimi me i madh eshte bere ne fund te shekullit XIX dhe ne fillim te shekullit XX nga intelektualet mergimare te pjeses perendimore te Mbreterise Ruse. Nje nga mergimtaret me te njohur ishte polaku i njohur Eduard Pekarski. Ai ishte themeluesi i alfabetit fundamental te gjuhes se Jakutit. Pas kesaj u krijua dhe literetura e Jakutit,drejtshkrimi zyrtar dhe zhvillimi intelektual i njerezve te pacivilizuar. Pas me shume se njeqind viteve,mund te themi se ky vend u be nje nga vendet me te zhvilluar dhe me te suksesshme ne bote.
Republika e Burjatit eshte nje vend i njohur turistik. Shume vizitore vijne ne Ulan-Ude nga e gjithe bota dhe tentojne qe ta shijojne jeten autentike te banoreve te Burjatit. Ketu ndodhet tempulli me i njohur Budist i Rusise-Ivolginski Datsan. Ne qender te qytetir mund te shihni statujen me te madhe te kokes se Leninit. Kuzhina popullore e Burjatit eshte mjafte e pasur me ushqime nga me te ndryshmet-me i njohur nga te gjithe ushaimet eshte “buuz”,nje petull e mbushur me mish. Çdokush qe e ka provuar kete ushqim,duket sikur eshte dashuruar dhe gjithnje ka tentuar ta gatuaje ne shtepi. Ne fund une dua te them se pse njerezit zgjedhin kete vend per te kaluar kohen. Ketu gjendet edhe liqeni Baikal-liqeni me i gjate,ne i thelle dhe me i fresket ne bote(emri jozyrtar eshte edhe Deti Siberian). Ketu mund te vini ne vere dhe ne dimer pamja perseri mbetet e mrekullueshme. Miresevini ne Siberi dhe ne Lindje te Rusise.
by Aisen Bragin Translated by Luiza Nazifi
VOICES - 11
travelling
Winter is coming!
At the beginning of this article I must warn you, my life started in a very cold place in the world. Maybe you imagine in your had penguins and iceberg in Antarctica? No, you are not right and you are so far from the truth. I can torture you with a riddle as much as I want, but it will be so boring for all my readers. Let me begin my story about crazy Siberian and Far East wilderness! Russia is the most largest country in the world and I was born there. I will not say to you about all official information about my government - you can find it on Wikipedia. Just one remarks will be enough - we have more than 180 ethnicities with different types of beauty (appearance, look, face, skin colors). Siberian and Far East part of Russia stay in Asian continent and from the historical time till now this territories local residence was Asians. Climatic conditions there so cold and we have in some regions permafrost. All people every time ask me: “How you can live in this place?”. Answer is very easy. For us it is normal and we just know how to survive when we have -50 degree. But in all regions have different maximum of the temperature. If you standing in Arctic part of Russia, it will be really not so comfortable, because on the winter you will have polar night - sun is going down for almost one month. But in the southern part is usual for having just short and warm (-30 degree) winter for five months.Nature in Siberia and Far East really so multi-dimensional: from Taiga to desert. In whole Russia we have 22 republics, it supposed to be really huge article about all of them, but I just want to introduce most interesting places in Asian region: Yakut Republic andBuryat Republic. Every republic have they own Constitution and government symbols - flag and coat of arms. Plus for all of this - second official national language on an equal footing with Russian language. A lot of people has a great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers who was exile from current Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Poland and Germany. Unfortunately Joseph Stalin was part of our history... But let’s back to our republics!
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travelling
Yakut Republic is famous because here is located pole of cold - Verkhoyansk and Oymyakon, where once was -67,8 degree and -77,8 degree respectively. Not all people are ready to visit capital of republic Yakutsk city in winter. Maybe it is not most coldest place in the world but still is not warm (-50 degree). Yakut people have interesting story of progress in language and ethnography. Big part of work was made in the end of XIX and at the begging of XX century by exile intellectuals from the Western Part of Russian Empire. And one of the most famous was Polish exile Edward Pekarski. He made Yakut fundamental dictionary of Yakut language. After this was formed Yakut literature, official script (or writing?) and intellectual development of uneducated man and women. After more than one hundred years we can say - this is the one of the most progressive region in country and have a lot of success in the world. Buryat Republik is popular touristic place.A lot of travelers come to Ulan-Ude from all around the world and try to feel authentic life of Buryat people. Here is located most visited Buddhist Temple in Russia - it is called IvolginskyDatsan. In the city centre you can see biggest statue of Lenin’s head. Buryat traditional cuisine is really so large variety of meals - best of them is “buuz”. This is a steamed dumpling filled with meat. Every person who ate it fell in love with this dishes and try to prepare at the home. And the end I want to say why people are choosing this place for spending time. In this republic is located Baikal lake - largest freshwater lake by volume and most deepest in the world (unofficial name is Siberian Sea). You can come here at the summer or winter - view still will be so beautiful! Welcome to Siberia and Far East! By Aisen Bragin
VOICES - 13
TRAVELLING
Работи кои не треба да ги направите во Истанбул Истанбул
е најнаселен град во Турција, како и нејзиниот културен и финансиски центар. Се наоѓа на двете страни на Босфорот, тесниот теснец помеѓу Црното Море и Мраморното Море, Истанбул ги премостува Азија и Европа и физички и културно.
Не нарачувајте филтер кафе во локалните кафулиња. Пробајте турското
кафе и добијте го вашето богатство откако ќе го прочитате. Турското кафе е подготвено со печени и фино мелени кафени гравчиња варени во тенџер. Шеќер се додава додека се готви. Се служи во мали чаши; Основите се населуваат на дното од шолјата, оставајќи опасно силно, но навистина вкусно кафено течно на врвот. По пиењето понекогаш луѓето го замавуваат кафето во круг, ја ставаат чашата наопаку и чекаат да се олади. Како основа на дното на чашата, тие создаваат форми и форми.
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Не одете во скапи бањи.
Наместо тоа, одете во автентичен турски хамам. Постои прилично неверојатен амбиент создаден од пареа, со светло филтрирање низ дупките на таваните што ја осветлуваат ориенталната архитектура. Ќе имате повеќе незаборавно искуства за капење отколку што можете во фенси, скапи бањи. Чемберлиташ, Галатасарај, Килич Али Паша, Хасеки Хурем Султан во Истанбул се некои од најдобрите хамами во светот.
Не пазарувајте во трговски центри. Посетете ги локалните и историските пазари. Големиот пазар во Истанбул е најпознат. Но, Кемералите во Измир и локалните чаршии во населбата Улус во Анкара можат да ви покажат поавтентични аспекти на пазарната култура, без сите видови на туристи.
TRAVELLING
Не грижете се за накачувањето на тежината.
Бидете сигурни дека целосно ќе воодушевите на турската кујна. Од западниот брег до источниот дел на северот на југ, Турција нуди примамливата локална кујна, а секоја провинција има свои специјални деликатеси. Главните јадења и колачи на турската кујна се фузија на култури на храна кои се акумулираат во текот на стотици години, па затоа тука сериозно јадеме. Турско задоволство, некој?
Не ги носете вашите слушалки. Откријте
ги сите видови турска музика, која драматично се менува од регион до регион. Од турска класична музика до народната музика, Арабеск до современиот. Истанбул е градот каде што се добива вкусот на сето тоа во "жива" форма. Излезете од градот за да ја слушате традиционалната музика од Црното Море и да ги слушате турските балади.
Не останувајте само во хотелот. Пробајте
да останете и дома. Тоа е најдобриот начин да се вклучите со богатите локални култури и да уживате во турското гостопримство. Постои, исто така, можност да останете во еколошки/пермакуларни фарми и да ви дадат малку време за волонтерска работа. Здружението Bugday спроведува проект наречен TaTuTa, кој организира еколошка фарма престој во Турција за туристите.
Немојте. доколку сте машко, да зборувате или седите до слободна и млада турска девојка. Таа може да се чуствува загрозена.
Не
им нудете на луѓето храна, пијалок па дури и цигари во текот на денот. Месецот на Рамадан е исламски месец на постот, кога побожните муслимани се воздржуваат од јадење и пиење од зори до зајдисонце. Покажете некоја учтивост додека јадете во јавноста во текот на денот.
Александра Крстевска
VOICES - 15
culture
Dasma Italiane
Traditat jane pjese e kultures Italiane,si: krishtlindjet,pashket, ditelindjet,pervjetoret, lindjet dhe padyshim dasmat kane traditat e tyre. Te gjithe shtetet ne bote kane nje kostumografi dhe tradita te ndryshme ku edhe Italia nuk perjashtohet. Traditat italiane sa i perket dasmave jane shume te gjalla dhe te ndryshme per shkak se ndryshojne nga regjioni ne regjion edhepse keto tradita respektohen cdokund. Hap pas hapi ketu do te ndiqni traditat me te rendesishme te dasmave: Fejesa Ditet e sotshme nje burre i propozon gruas ne menyre direkte duke ia dhuruar nje unaze me diamant,qe eshte simboli i dashurise se perjetshme,nje premtim per martese,hapi i pare drejt nje bashkejetese dhe ky premtim tradicionalisht eshte i shoqeruar me nje puthje. Unazat e fejeses kane ekzistuar qe nga koherat me te lasht dhe sot jane nje prej traditave me te pershtatshme neper te gjithe boten. Qe nga ky moment,çifti mund te quhet zyrtarisht i fejuar. Ceremonia e fejeses Kjo feste nuk eshte pjese e tradites italiane si te kulturat tjera,ajo cfare ndodh eshte se cifti organizon nje takim me te dy familjet e tyre,per t’iu lejuar atyre qe te njihen me njeri tjetrin neqoftese tashme nuk jane njoftuar dhe per te marre bekimin e tyre per te ndare nje jete familjare. Nata e Kenes dhe festa Bacheloerette Nata e Kenes ose festa Bacheloerette jane nje zbulim i ri qe ka filluar ne Amerike ne vitet 1970. Ne Itali keto festime jane nje mundesi per te shijuar nje darke te kendshme dhe per t’u kenaqur me shoqerine por edhe me ata te cilet nuk jane te ftuar ne dasem. Kjo eshte nje nate jashte me shoqerine qe zhvillohet zakonisht nje ose dy jave para marteses.
16 - VOICES
Pergaditjet ne lidhje me martesen Nje nuse italiane e kalon naten para marteses te shtepia e prinderve te saj. Nje nuse nuk duhet te veshe florinj perpos unazes se fejeses diten e marteses,per shkak se kjo konsiderohet si fatkeqsi. Menyra e veshjes Eshte rregull qe askush tjeter perpos nuses te vishet ne te bardha. Fustanet e zinj jane duke u bere cdo dite e me te njohur sepse konsiderohen shume elegant vecanerisht per nje martese ne pasdite. Hyrja ne ceremoni Dhendri nuk duhet qe ta shohe nusen para ceremonise se kurorezimit,ai ndodhet ne altar bashke me deshmitarin dhe e pret nusen qe te vije e shoqeruar nga babai i saj qe do t’ia dhuroje ate atij. Babai i nuses e puth vajzen e tij,ia jep doren dhendrit dhe kthehet perseri ne rendin e pare te te ftuarve per t’u ulur prane nenes se nuses. Me e pershtatshme per disa martesa katolike eshte qe per nje martese civile,dhendri bashke me nusen te kalojne neper hollin e marteses te shoqeruar nga familjaret dhe shoqeria e tyre. Ne disa regjione dhendri me nusen ecin se bashku ne kishe ,ne disa regjione te tjera dhendri sjell nje buqet me lule ne martese ose e mban nje cope hekuri ne xhepin e tij. Pas ceremonise se marteses Pasi te mbaroje ceremonia,te afermit bertasin Auguri(gjithe te mirat) dhe duartrokisin. Orizi i hudhet ciftit kur del nga ceremonia(nga kisha) per shkak se simbolizon fertilitetin. Te gjithe te ftuarit i pergezojne te sapomartuarit pasi dalin nga ceremonia e marteses. Ne disa regjione pas marteses cifti duhet te prese nje shirit ne dy pjese me gershere te perbashketa. Kjo simbolizon bashkepunimin e ciftit gjate jetes
culture martesore. Nje tjeter tradite e rendesishme eshte te lidhesh nje fjongo perballe kishes. Fjongoja simbolizon besen e lidhur te dhendrit dhe te nuses. Ne vend te cakrrimit te gotave,ndiqni traditen italiane te dekorimit te ambientit me lule,qe do te ju shpijej per ne jetesen e embel. Pritja e te ftuarve ne dasem(Festa) Pritja e te ftuarve eshte vazhdimi i ceremonise. Te ftuarit arrijne perpara ciftit ne restaurantin e dasmes. Kamarieret i gostisin te ftuarit me dicka perderisa ato presin ciftin te vijne nga seti i fotografimit. Shume aktivitete interesante organizohen gjate nje martese italiane krahas aktivitetit kryesor i cili eshte ngrenia e nje numri te madh te ushqimeve te shijshme te shoqeruara me pijet(Vena) me te mira,Likeret dhe Limoncellet. Perpara se pasta te sherbehet ne tavolinat e darkes,ngrihet nje dolli per t’i uruar ciftit njeqind vite lumturi,nje shekull me fat,me se shpeshti me nje gote prosecco,(verzioni italian i shampanjes). Nje tjeter urim tipik eshte edhe (Ura per ciftin). Zakonisht gjate banketit,te ftuarit i cakrojne gotat me thikat e tyre,per t’i inkurajuar te sapomartuarit per t’u puthur disa here. Dhendri dhe nusja shkojne ne cdo tavoline,per te biseduar me te ftuarit me qellim qe ata te ndjehen te mireseardhur. Deri diku shoket e ciftit largohen per te pergatitur disa lojera ne forme te kurtheve per ciftin,duke hedhur puder ne shtrat,peshqi
ne banjo,fshehin kepucet etj. Eshte e ditur qe gjate ceremonise nusja hedh lulen ne drejtim te zonjushave beqare ne fund te baketit. Kushdo qe e kap lulen,do te jete ne rradhe per t’u martuar. Torta e marteses eshte e bardhe(per pasterti),eshte me disa kate dhe ne maje ka nje simbol te dhendrit dhe te nuses. Nusja dhe dhendri marrin pjese ne ceremoni deri ne fund te saj,disa nga shoket e tyre shpesh ju bashkangjiten per te pire dicka apo i shoqerojne edhe deri te shtepia e tyre e re. Dhuratat Ne fund te dites se marteses,para se te ftuarit te largohen,nusja dhe dhendri japin dhurata per te ftuarit e tyre ne shenje te falenderimit. Italianet i quajne bombonjere,te pergaditura ne forme te dhuratave, keto mund te jene gjera te embla dhe te dekoruara me fjongo. Keto dhurata jane simbol i jetes familjare. Numri i ketyre dhuratave eshte shume i vecante,duhet te jete nje numer tek, ku cdonjeri te sjell fat te mire. 5 gjera fatsjellese Italianet kerkojne nga nusja te sjelle 5 gjera me vete ne diten e marteses(Kjo eshte nje tradite tjeter nga AngloSaxon) - Dicka te vjeter-simbolizon jeten qe le pas dhe rendesine e te kaluares,e cila asesi nuk duhet te harrohet ne pajtueshmeri me jeten e re.
- Dicka te re-simbolizon jeten e re qe do ta filloje,qellimet dhe ndryshimet e reja. - Dicka te huazuar-simbolizon dashurine e njerezve per te,te cilet do te jene prane saj gjate levizjeve nga jeta e vjeter ne ate te re. - Dicka te kaltert-simbolizon pastertine,ne te kaluaren e kalterta ka qene ngjyra e pastertise dhe ngjyra e dhendureve ne diten e marteses. - Dicka qe e ka marre si dhurate-kjo eshte e nevojshme per t’ia kujtuar asaj njerezit qe don. By Valeria Ferrante & Igor Giammanco Translated by Luiza Nazifi
VOICES - 17
culture
Ohrid Lake - a piece of paradise
Macedonia - a small country full of natural beauty. Growing up here you breathe fresh air and swim in the clear waters of its stunning lakes. You climb mountains and drive through roads surrounded by the trees. You harvest your own fruits and vegetables and collect the flowers from your garden. It is small but breathtaking. Ohrid Lake is the biggest of three natural lakes in Macedonia. It is one of Europe's deepest and oldest lakes. When I think about Ohrid Lake I think about peaceful, crystal clear water and almost magical views. Surrounded by 365 churches Ohrid town it is a story for itself. But the Lake is the heart of the town. For me personally it was the highlight of the summer when I was growing up whenever we went to visit Ohrid Lake. Now that I am older I still get excited. On a hot day, the area of the city is full of people bathing, drinking and dinning. The cool water is translucent and inviting, the cliff-backed setting is sublime and strolling this stretch of coast up to the Church of Sveti Jovan is an Ohrid must do. Whenever you want to dive in the magnificent water surrounded by endemic ecosystem, jump from the mountain paragliding over the blue water or just sit on the beach and relax, Ohrid has it all. This is just a small part of what Ohrid can offer. Do not hesitate to stop by this tiny little piece of paradise. Trust me I have done it and it was so worth it.
By Emilia Apostolova 18 - VOICES
culture
The Monastery of St. Naum Picturesque Environment with Devine Patina
Saint Naum of Ohrid died on 23rd of December 910. He was one of the most renowned followers of the work of the brothers St. Cyril and Methodius. Together with the other follower- St. Clement of Ohrid he initiated and realized the idea of founding the first university (according to some- the first university in the world) in Macedonia. The university was organized by setting up working groups that were observed by the selected monk, since all the studies were held within the monasteries, but the practice was always in the nature. Different subjects were established and they were always with a very practical purpose. Since Clement and Naum believed knowledge should be in benefit of people, they taught their disciples how to respect the older and the family, how to eat healthy, how to keep the soil fertile, how to graft the fruits etc. But they also focused on literacy- in Western academies this university is called Ohrid Literary School. According to some sources unlike Clement that was a tolerant teacher, Naum was very tough with his students (at that time only male students were accepted). If parents have brought to him their son and the son was not enough dedicated to his education, he would be placed in a cell or even in a special fetter where the student will have to stay on his knees for hours. St. Naum was buried by St. Clement inside the monastery.
When you place your ear on the stone of his grave you can still hear his heart beating- I can tell you this is truth since I heard it. The monastery church of St. Naum impresses with the beauty of its architecture that is perfectly matched with the beautiful nature and the spring of the river Drim along it. The original building was constructed as almost identical with the church of St. Panteleimon in Ohrid. It was destroyed between the 10th and the 13th century and it was rebuilt in the 16th century. In a fragment found in beneath of the church-floor it says that the today’s frescoes were painted by the artist Trpo, son of the artist Constantine from Korce, and were finished at the time of Abbot Stefan- which is approximately the 15th century. According to the legend Naum found his first investment for the monastery from a reach man whose daughter was “cured” from boldness by him. Due to its miraculous reputation (of its icons and stream) in the monastery was established a fair. At first this was held on the date of the patron’s death- 23rd of December, but the archiepiscopal council of Ohrid in 1720 decided this event to be held on 20th of June due to the better climate in this period of the year and due to its timing with Christmas. This event wasn’t stopped even during the time of communism, when just for this date all the believers could arrive here with no passports, which was a wonderful possibility for believers from Albania.
by Igor Pop Trajkov
VOICES - 19
culture
Paratissima Skopje
The idea of Paratissima Skopje originated from simple vision - art should be for everyone. With this idea of open art, Paratissima Skopje does not limit the format of expression which artist wants to use, as well as the selection of participants. For the fair artists with professional background, those who take art like occupation and tool for creative expression can apply. Paratissima Skopje calls for participants who will apply to join the experiment, to bridge and transform the traditional norms and rules of art. The motto of Paratissima Skopje is that everyone from everywhere can participate! Every year Paratissima Skopje chooses curator who is in charge of carrying the display of the exhibition and a three-member jury composed of professionals in creative field whose task is to select participants who will receive an award to exhibit in the Macedonian Pavilion of Paratissima in Turin. Fourth edition of Paratissima Skopje was held in Youth Cultural Centre in Skopje where three-day program was filled with workshops, lectures and three musical performances. In the event participated 130 independent artists, over 30 of them were out of Macedonia, there were 6 special projects and over 6 thousand people attended during three days. There were several awards – jury selected 11 independent participants who will have an opportunity to exhibit their works at Macedonian Pavilion of Paratissima Turin, two independent exhibitions were assigned to Pasvord Production rooms, five independent participants were selected by art festival, DrimON, they will have opportunity to expose their pieces in Struga, at the end of July, two independent exhibitions were selected by independent participants of Concept 37. The next edition, Paratissima Skopje is expected to grow and to allow young Macedonian artists to upgrade professionally in the frames of the exhibition and festival. The plan is to set one artistic network which will connect young Macedonian artists and that will allow to express their talent outside our borders and gain experience improving them in professional manner.
By Ivana Angjelovska
20 - VOICES
Changing Life
Opinion
A lot of people in the world are not happy with their life that is one of the reason why people always want to posses some aim in their life. In this way most of people think like this aim will bring to them happiness. Actually from one hand having an aim really nıce and helpfull thing what will help to gain willpower, and the other hand if this aim becomes your passion that means your aim is out of the road and formed something else. When you got passion there is a something arise inside of you and want more and lust after everything which you think it will make you happy. But it is not, unless somebody say stop it. Otherwise it is gonna be endless crave. So people are already happy but it is forgotten . We dont need even more to get happy.
Also one of the biggest obstacle reach to peace in our life is invest our lıfe to the future in order to gain happiness and that cause missing out at the moment. Alot of people unconsciously live in that trap due to overthinking next steps . So many times we think like ‘ I would rather to be there or near the sea’ this is a thought concept which looking for happiness.. It is bit interesting but almost nobody tell ‘ I would rather to be here’ . Let’s acknowledge it this is what it is .
And a lot of people are state of jammed in continuous monotone life circle, working,shopping,paying Loan, earning losing and earning again, competing eachother so on and so forth. Lets change our life take a break for a while and get out from this incessant circle. Let’s do something that we haven’t had courage to do it before. Let’s discover essence of ourselves without influencing by labels and concepts.
By Ugur Dogus
VOICES - 21
Opinion
Следи го својот сон Соништата не се само епизоди кои играат во вашата глава кога спиете. Соништата може да се опишат како страсти за кои треба да правиме во поголеми и поголеми работи. Дали мислите дека Мајкл Џордан се разбудил еден ден и одлучил дека ќе биде познат следниот ден? Не, тој работеше напорно затоа што имаше сон. Дали мислите дека Робин Вилијамс би бил толку неверојатен комичар ако немал страст за тоа? Не воопшто. Ако мислите дека сте значајни да направите нешто големо, како да сте познат актер или музичар, и допрва треба да направите нешто во врска со тоа, вие не сонувате доволно . Ако имате страст да поседувате ресторан кој ќе биде популарен меѓу вашата заедница и немате идеја што да направите, не сте доволно големи за сон. Сонувањето е процес со повеќе чекори. Иако идејата за тоа како сакате да го поминете животот е важна, постапувањето по таа идеја е половина од битката. Вашите соништа се она што може да ве извлече дури и во најлошите денови. Ако се борите, вашите соништа се причина да продолжите. Тие се, зошто се будите наутро и обидете се повторно. Тоа е она што го прави целиот свој живот вреден за живот. Без нашите соништа, ние не сме ништо. Не само тоа, единствено што можам да сонувам доволно големо е за мене. Никој друг нема контрола над мојот живот.
22 - VOICES
Opinion
Јас имам една општа идеја од тоа што сакам во животот. Како и да е тоа не беше додека некој претстави друг начин на гледање на оние соништа дека сè почна да има смисла. Јас целосно верувам дека постојат три вида на луѓе во светот. Оние кои сонуваат, оние кои ги поттикнуваат сонувачите и оние кои не прават ништо. Јас сум толку благословена да кажам дека мојот шеф влијаеше на мојот живот на таков начин што сега можам да ги видам минатото од моите стравови и да го дадам сето тоа или ништо. Животот без соништа е депресивен. Пребарајте далеку и пошироко за свое, и направете ветување за себе дека ќе почнате да ги извршувате. Откако ќе стигнете на патот кон вашата цел, ќе забележите различна промена во тоа како се чувствувате. Ова можеби ќе биде здодевна статија за вас, но со зборовите што ги наведов погоре дека постојат три видови на луѓе во светот. Но не само тоа, ако некој направи чин на љубезност кон вас, јас целосно верувам дека сте избран да го предадете. Значи, на оние кои се сонувачи, не дозволувајте некој да ви каже дека не можете да направите ништо. Имав колеџ професор кој ми кажа дека моето пишување беше ужасно, а сепак, вие го читате. Соништата никогаш не се доволно големи додека не дејствувате на нив. Може да продолжите да кажувате на себеси и на вашите пријатели дека ќе бидете овој врвен сонувач еден ден. Сепак, додека не дејствувате на таа изјава, сонот е само идеја. Животот е краток. Нашите денови се нумерирани, па зошто ги трошиме ако неправиме нешто што не го сакаме? Време е да донесеме одлука за тоа. Јас сум за! Дали си и ти?
Од Александра Крстевска
VOICES - 23
experience
23.44°
Joninės, Jans, Sankthans, Jonsok, Noc Kupaly, or in one word, that everyone knows, Midsummer – is one of the most important occasions in northern countries during the summer. It‘s the collision of both pagan and Christian customs that solemnize summer and fertility through the centuries untill this day. We all celebrate the same festive, but there are some differences going from country to country. If you happen to end up in nordic countries on Midsummer, I do guarantee, you‘ll witness a lot of singing, dancing and eating (and drinking). Since it‘s the period of time centered upon summer solstice, and the nights at this point are short or almost non-existant, people celebrate untill morning. It‘s a big tradition to make wreaths on Midsummer and to wear it through the whole celebration. And you‘re the lucky one if your name is John, or any other non-english version of the name. Goes for the girls as well. Water has a big meaning on this occasion in Lithuania. Besides the fact, that it alsways rains on Midsummer, it also helps nature to bloom and brings luck. At the end of the evening people always put their wreaths on the surface of lakes or rivers, to have happy and healthy year. Lithuanians, we have a national holiday on Midsummer. No exceptions, everyone gather together and celebrate. My cousin who is 10 month old and my grandma who is 70 will be next to me on the longest night. We start bonfires, listen to folklore music and dance. It‘s also a tradition for people to jump through bonfires at the end of the evening. A lot of superstitions still surround this holiday. On midsummer nights people are going into the woods looking for the fern blossom, which should bring luck for the next year for the one, who would find it (don‘t be tricked, it doesn‘t bloom). Witches, trolls and gnoms are believed to walk in the forests during this night. The ones who swim in the water are believed to be healthy and wealthy for the whole next year. The herbs collected on Midsummer‘s morning has special remedy powers and there are so much more beliefs about Midsummer day‘s magic. In Sweden Midsummer is the second most important celebration after Christmas. You won‘t find Sweds in the city during the Midsummer, everyone is in the countryside, surrounded by birds, trees and water. After making their garlands it all starts with the lunch containing lots of potatoes, meat and nubbe (Swedish vodka). When food is finished, maypole comes to the center of attention. When it‘s in the place, dancing starts. Everyone dance the „Little frog dance“. They gather around the maypole, hold their hands behind
24 - VOICES
their backs and starts jumping like frogs while singing songs. Might be a bit strange as a first time spectator, but it‘s definitely entertaining and if you join in you‘ll have hell of a fun. After filling themselves with carbs while eating desserts, Swedish people engage in physical activities. Tugs of war, horseshoe tossing, egg and spoon races, boot throwing or apple bobbing would be the choices. And then the barbecue starts. It‘s up to their own preference how they want to end the evening, whether by having a quiet night, a sauna, a swim, a few more drinks, reflection on the day or they can just hit the dance floor! By Laura Babaitytė
experience
Healthy relationships and domestic abuse
In terms of Erasmus+ program, last month from 12th until 18th June in Podgorica, Montenegro was held a training course in which Oliver Andreevski and Andrej Naumovski took part as representatives of Volunteer Center Skopje. The sessions held on the training course tackled the challenges that occur to people who are in relationships (friendly, intimate etc.) facing different forms of abuse. Later on we discussed forms of abuse, how to recognize the abuse from outside, how to react to recognized abuse as an outsider and how to prevent it. On the training course participated two youth workers from Ireland, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Estonia, Greece and Albania, and each one of them shared their insight on the topic. The sessions were fruitful, everyone shared their stands and thoughts, as well as statistics and researches from the partner countries involved in the project. During the project, we discussed the upcoming youth exchanges which will be implemented in Limerick, Ireland. On these exchanges the accent will be put on the topic of abuse in social media and young people will be the target group. In
terms of the youth exchanges, an attempt will be made to raise awareness between young people about the risk of sharing private and intimate information in written or visual form, and how can they be misused on the internet, especially on the social media. The final result is estimated to create an effective tool for nonformal education for young people about the abuse in social media and internet in general. Apart from the topic of the project, the youth exchanges were widely discussed on the training course. We tackled draft agenda and obligations of youth workers and organisations – partners that follow afterwards, we also went through presentation on organizations and their contribution to the project as a topic of the first session. By Oliver Andreevski
VOICES - 25
interview
Technology, what does it offer?
Edi Muka was in Skopje for the public discussion “Investing in Art/The Culture or Possibilities for Demasking” within the program “The Perfect Artist” curated by Ivana Vaseva. He is one of the most prominent curators in Europe. He’s been co-founder and director of Tirana Biennale, co-curated the third edition of the International Art Meetings in Medelline, Colombia; he curated together with Joa Ljunberg the fourth edition of the Gothenburg International Biennale for Contemporary Art; he was a curator in Roda Sten Kunsthall in Gothenburg; and since 2014 he is a curator in Public Art Agency in Sweden…
- In your comment during today’s discussion you mentioned that during 90s. when Albanians were required to have visas, artists were the last ones to receive it; artists then couldn’t travel almost anywhere. Who from the art world, EU and from the western societies showed empathy with Albanian artists then? Receiving of visas then was always obtained through different individuals that were employed in different western embassies; depending on how much responsive and interested they were for culture and artists. This was because of the Schengen agreement according to which if you got visa for one country you may travel to the others. We were always using this kind of direct relationship. A cultural attaché was attentive so one can provide visas for artists. Then they could travel where the exhibitions were happening, in other countries as well. - You cannot remember anything else in
particular?
No there wasn’t anything or anybody else. It was a personal relationship.
- How do you define the cultural and the art-map in Europe now? Can you separate it on Nordic and Southern, and on Eastern and Western 26 - VOICES
part? Or do you think that now everything has much become part of the globalization, even a pan Atlantic appearance… Depends what you mean more precisely- the production or the product. In the organizational manner for example in the Nordic countries the state is more supportive toward the artists, in the southern countries not so much, in America there is no ministry of culture. Ivana (Dragsic) mentioned this term precariat. And I think this is what applies to the artists on the global scale. In some countries there are better supportive mechanisms; in a sense that these mechanisms are not for the protection of the artists but just for their supporting. In others these mechanisms don’t exist at all. But there are always other kinds of differences. For example in North-Western Europe there is institutional
interview support but there is no such thing as large art market there. In South-Western Europe, in Italy for example, there is no institutional support but there is a big private gallery scene that provides opportunities. Both of the systems in their essence are problematic because within both of these schemes there is a sort of a dictate within which the artists have to structure the way they operate. But again the position of the artist remains as such- as a precariat all over the world.
- How would you define our region; as a Mediterranean, or as an ex-socialist or excommunist environment for the artist? How would you define it in a sense of its aesthetics?
- How do you see the role of the technology in the today’s artists` career, so to speak? Does it help - now when the artists have less space or perhaps less money to express themselves? Or maybe you see this in another way; because some say that, for example, the computer arts are the future, due to the computers the artists will have more money?
- Where do you find the place for the volunteering because a lot of exhibitions, shows and even this event could be organized due to the fact that many people wanted to work for nothing? Do you see this as a very important thing for the future of the art in Europe? And how do you find it here regarding the space in the Nordic countries?
The thing is- I am not technologically a very advanced person. Also I don’t know a lot about the artists that are working with the technology. I believe the technology has helped a lot in a way that with it you can communicate about what you do. With the technology plenty of room and platform is offered to us. As well there is another aspect- with it you can be informed much better and quicker than before- in a way that everyone may be better informed what the other artists and institutions are doing. So as a communication tool it is good, but not necessarily fundamental; so far it hasn’t caused any radical change in the odds of the artist to succeed, not at all.
The art world like everything else couldn’t function without any volunteering. Some countries like the Nordic ones have longer tradition for this. So some are better in this issue but some are more creative.
I would tend not to use those categories. But if I had to use one I would have to use the term that defines the region- Balkan artist and Balkan aesthetics.
-How did you like the art scene in Macedonia including this event? The art scene I’m still unfamiliar with. But you are going Interviewer and photographer: By Igor Pop Trajkov
VOICES - 27
Sport
Slavic yoga
What is actually yoga? Fitness for lazy? Meditation technique? System of beliefs? Exercise practise? Current practice would make old masters’ hair raise. Nowadays you can do it in sauna, holding a beer, accompanied by a goat or a cat, balancing on the board, participating in karaoke or even taking part in yoga rave. The number of modern variations is outstanding, so called Western people lost in the daily routine are desperately catching more attractive yoga innovations adjusted to the needs of XXI century.
by Svetlana Tikhonova Even though it seems as if yoga lost the spiritual meaning it’s hard not to treat the practise in a holistic manner. Quite far from laziness, it involves whole body and mind, not only strengthening the muscles, improving flexibility, soothing down but also curing if applied correctly. If we consider ourselves people from the West in comparison with far away land of India it seems that body awareness on this side of the world was never a strong point. But is that entirely true? Bereginya, rings a bell? Not for many, a forgotten Slavic practise that for untrained eye reminds the moves and postures from yoga. Its present form is based on ethnographic research of Giennadij Adamowicz, Oksana Sergunova , Vladislav Meszalkin and Ksenia Silajewowa. They brought bereginya back to life from the past and implemented it as a new Eastern European trend.
This system of exercise consists of 27 dynamic poses in total, divided into three Worlds of Slavic mythology, 9 poses each - The Upper World (Prawia), The Middle World (Jawia), The Lower World (Nawia). Each of the poses represents a trait, virtue or an aspect of life, has its own symbol/sigil, as well as other correspondences (affirmations, spells, purpose). From all 27 poses, you receive a set of 7 personal exercises, calculated based on your date and location of birth. A personal set consists of 6 basic poses (2 from each of the three Worlds) + one main pose that represents your life's purpose or mission.*
28 - VOICES
sport
Wikipedia Commons, by Dennis Yang Bereginya - goddess from Slavic mythology - as its name indicates is definitely more addressed towards women, focusing on thighs, hips, abdomen, uterus and female reproductive system not only strengthens muscles but also improves functioning endocrine system preventing development of diseases. Even though quite often called practise of sorceress Slavic yoga cannot be harmful for men, if at all it can be less profitable the worst. 10 minutes daily practise performed braless and barefoot in loose clothes is supposed to bring you back to the roots, regaining and enhancing the lost link not only with nature but also with yourself. Balancing between resolving health and psychic issues doesn’t seem to be that far from the basics of yoga which as a term comes from sanscrit’s yuj meaning unity. This energy ritual passed from generation to generation, it’s much more than just a set of exercises, it’s a medicine, philosophy and wisdom of tradition where bad charm is locked down by talismans hidden in embroidered symbols. Are you willing to try? by Aleksandra Grzyb
Wikipedia Commons, by Pracar *(http://mnomquah.blogspot.mk/2017/01/slavic-way-bereginya-slavic-gymnastics.html)
VOICES - 29
Sport
Жена и Хокеј на Мраз ?!
Моника Пижевска има 19 години и моментално е прва година на Правниот фауклтет при универзитетот “Св. Кирил и Методиј” во Скопје каде што студира Политички науки. Уште на 4 годишна возраст таа го запознава и го засакува лизгањето како спорт и тоа благодарејќи на нејзините родители кои ја носеле на лизгалиште. На почетокот, се разбира, немала некои особени вештини, но нејзините родители го почувствувале талентот кој го има и со текот на времето и со долгите часови поминати на мразот Моника научила многу работи кои и до денес и се од големо значење. Се разбира, во Македонија условите за лизгање на мраз не се идеални, но и покрај едномесечните тренинзи годишно, желбата да да се биде на мраз не згасна. Во првите нејзини години на мразот таа немала тренер, но за нејзините вештини е му благодарна на татко и кој ја превземал таа улога и покрај тоа што самиот не лизга, многу се разбира во уметничкото лизгање. Покрај хокеј на мраз, Моника се интересираи за други активности, пред се во полето на младински организации. Обожава да изучува јазици и да патувам.
30 - VOICES
Моника Пижевска е македонски играч во Хокеј на мраз која цврсто чекори на мразот испишувајќи ја Хокејската исторја на Македонија. Хокејот на мраз е спорт кој со години е популарен во Северно Американските земји, како и во Русија. Во Македонија за овој спорт знаат, меѓутоа не се сите информирани дека постои како школа за хокеј кај нас. Се разбира, првите реакции на луѓето кога ќе кажам дека тренирам хокеј се многу интересни. Но, како и за се друго, мислењата се поделени. Некои го сметаат тоа за убаво и интересно, со оглед на тоа дека е многу различно од конвенционалната идеја за девојка. Но, постојат и луѓе кои сметаат дека таков вид спорт не доликува на едно девојче заради неговата грубост и мажественост.
Sport
Сепак вториов поглед е поредок. Зачудувачки е тоа што некои луѓе пак, никогаш не слушнале дека постои хокеј во Македонија, па нивните реакции ми се најинтересни. И покрај тоа што моето запознавање со хокејот беше првично преку уметничкото лизгање, сепак транзицијата не беше лесна. На почетокот бев скептична бидејќи никогаш не сум се интересирала за хокеј, но по неколкудневно размислување одлучив да пробам. Неверојатно беше чувството што го имав кога ја ставив цела таа опрема на себе, бидејќи во уметничкото лизгање сме минимлно облечени. Можам слободно да кажам дека на почетокот ми беше смешно, но со оглед на шансите за повреди кои можат да се случат во играта, ја согледав неопходноста од толку многу заштити. Тренинзите се одвиваат пет пати во неделата, по час и пол. Пред секој тренинг неопходно е загревање надвор од ледот, со цел да се загреат мускулите и да се одбегнат повреди. Тренинзите вклучуваат вежби за лизгање, кондиција, вежби со палица и пак, а најчесто на крајот од тренингот имаме време за кратка утакмица.
Имам учествувано на повеќе натпреваи каде го градев ноето искуство за овој спорт. Дефинитивно најинтересниот натпревар на кој имам учествувано досега беше напреварот Макеоднија – Канада, каде имав чест да се напреваувам со екипа од Канада во која имаше и машки и женски хокејари. Имам желба во иднина да се натпреварувам и да бидам дел од поголеми наптервари како што е Балканската Лига . Искрено имам очекувања и надеж дека во иднина кон овој спорт ќе се приклучат повеќе девојки и ќе станат дел од хокејот. Популаризацијата ба овој спорт кај девојките ќе помиогне да се отскокне од традиционалниот поглед на масшки спорт, а воедно ќе допринесе до поголема еднаквост на половите . Хокејот е спорт на кој треба да се гледа со страст и да се искуси, нема граница дали е машки или женски спорт, тој е предизвик и уметност истовремено – Моника Пижевска.
Од Ивана Анѓеловска
VOICES - 31
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