UNMIK on
Air
By Andrea
Saula
Hello and welcome to UNMIK on Air.
Today we are taking you to the village of Novo Brdo
in southeastern Kosovo where some month ago, the first local media with the
broadcast license has been launched.
In this multi-ethnic village that has been considered
as one of the poorest municipalities in Kosovo and where currently, as
estimated, 400 inhabitants live out of some 4000 that lived before the
conflict, opening of the radio station brings back hope to its residents that things
in their Municipality will start functioning again.
The first radio station in Novo Brdo is a
multi-ethnic and multi-lingual media. It is primarily an entertainment
programme and for the time being only the village of Novo Brdo is covered by
its programme.
Manager of the radio station Vladan Milovanovic
explains how it all started.
Actuality No. 1 The radio station has been launched within the NGO “Youth
Voice”. Young people of Novo Brdo came to this idea. We have established this
NGO aiming to open a radio station with the same name. We have been working on
some other projects but the radio station was our priority. (edit to) The
Municipality and UNMIK supported us.
The Municipality of Novo Brdo has been considered also as an example in Kosovo in setting up good multi-ethnic relations. To help maintaining these relations ‘Caritas Italiana’ decided to help Youth Voice project.
Luigi Biondi, legal
representative of ‘Caritas Italiana’ in Kosovo says that his organization
worked together with NGO “Youth Voice” and that they found potential in their
work. Caritas got funding from the Tuscany regional administration.
Actuality No. 2 The idea was to support this group
because they are multiethnic association, they are trying to cooperate, to do
things together, so it was pretty interesting situation. (edit to) At certain
point there was this idea of a radio station that came from them. They said that
in Novo Brdo there isn’t any radio station so it could be interesting to have a
multiethnic radio station.
Currantly six people, 3 K-Albanians and 3 K-Serbs are empolyed with ‘Youth Voice’ radio station and they produce 13 hours programme per day.
Enver Makoli, who is working as radio technician gives us
the details of the programming.
Actuality No. 3 Daily program goes like this: from 9am
until 1200h is in Albanian, then from 1200h to 1300 is in Roma language, so
Roma do have access here with 10 % of the program, from 1300 until 1900h is in
Serbian language and then we start again from 1900h until 2200h.
Although they have necessery radio equipment, still they don’t have Internet excess and they are not receiving any daily news papers.
Manager Vladan Milovanovic is
aware that much work has to be done in order to improve the quality of the
program.
Actuality No. 4 Our main goal is to influence the people
not the politicians. We would like to see people be conscious of their
situation. Also we want to spread the spirit of tolerance and understanding
among people. Maybe later we could influence some assessments of the policymakers.
And to be aware of the situation
in Novo Brdo means to know the fact that the unemployment rate is reaching its
top in Novo Brdo.
A fiew people are employed with
the Municipality or with UN administration.
The place have one shop and one
caffe. Esspecially young people don’t have anything to do but also they are
disconected from the rest of Kosovo, explains Enver Makoli.
Actuality No. 5 Youngsters have big
problems here. They don’t have a place to go out. Education is the problem too.
We are too far from towns. For an example Gnjilane/Gilan is 20 km away,
Pristina 40 km. We have no organized transport. We have a mini bus that goes
once per day; departures in the morning and returning in the evening. There are
no activities that could amuse the youngsters. Nothing functions and there’s
nothing for the youngsters to do.
Back announce: Not only for youngsters. Novo Brdo, that historians are mentioning as one of the eldest
setlements in the Balkans, today don’t have water that is fit for human
consumption. Roads in this municipality are still unpaved. However, ‘Youth
Voice’ people do hope that their work will help, at least, bring hope back to
the residents of Novo Brdo.
That would be all for today’s edition.
Stay tuned.