Exhibition
of Roma and Ashkali Culture
.
Atmosphere Track poetry in the Roma language
…a poetry recital given by Gazmend Salijevic during a rare
celebration of Roma and Ashkali culture – part of an exhibition that opened
last week in the lobby of Kosovo’s Assembly building.
Hello and welcome, from the studios of UN Radio in Kosovo…
In a place like Kosovo, Roma and Ashkali culture often suffers
from a lack of exposure. Displaying paintings, photos and poetry of Roma and
Ashkali youth, exhibition organizers were hoping to bridge this cultural
divide.
Syla
We want to show to all Kosovo communities that Roma and
Ashkali are also talented and are capable of doing the same things that other communities
in Kosovo are doing. With help from OSCE we managed to organize this
exhibition.
Bekim Syla is manager of the Roma and Askali Documentation Centre a non-governmental organization that hosted the exhibition.
The event drew respective local and international political
officials including Pascal Fieschi deputy special representative for the Oranization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Fieschi asserted that an exhibition in
one of Kosovo’s high profile buildings would help raise awareness of the
vibrancy and strength of Kosovo’s Roma and Ashkali communities.
Fieschi
This exhibition
shows how much diversity is not far from the main reaches of any society. The
OSCE has worked for a long time with the Roma/Ashkali Documentation Center and
supported it, and working with communities it’s not just art but also an
education.
In 2004, the OSCE released its Minority Assessment and where the Roma and Ashkali are concerned - the fear of harassment, intimidation and provocation remains part of the everyday experience of these minorities in Kosovo.
Efforts to integrate the Roma and Ashkali minority into Kosovo society are slow-going. The Ministry of Education has organized accelerated learning classes in 8 Kosovo municipalities, and vocational training programs are also springing up.
Bekim Syla, manager of the Roma and Askali Documentation Centre, says he hopes that the exhibition is a way to foster cultural integration.
Syla
They are not very integrated but in the time they will be. At
this exhibition we also want to show to the Roma and Askali communities that
they can do a lot for Kosovo. They need not only to lock them selves in their homes,
they can go out and start living like other Kosovo communities.
One Kosovo Assembly member, Fatmir Sejdiju, addressed the
crowd on behalf of the provisional legislature. He said that the Assembly is
the best possible place to feature a Roma and Ashkali exhibition, emphasizing that
the Assembly’s work has implications for all of Kosovo’s communities.
Sejidju
These pictures represent life after war in Kosovo and should
encourage the work of these artists and others to do more work in this
direction. (edit to) These pictures express development and a joint lifestyle,
which should be developed further in our democratic institutions for the future
benefit of Kosovans.”
Meanwhile, leaders from eight central and eastern European
countries are meeting today in Sofia, Bulgaria to present a set of action plans
for integrating Roma into European society. The move is being hailed as an
“unprecedented effort to fight the illiteracy, unemployment and isolation
rampant among one of Europe’s largest minorities.”
The Roma-Ashkali exhibit is Kosovo’s way to shine a spotlight
on a neglected community. The exhibit is in the lobby of the Kosovo Assembly
building and will close in the first week of February.
And with this, we end today’s program – produced in the
studios of UN Radio in Kosovo. Thanks for listening and stay tune.