More than 50 authors from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Romania and Hungary presented their works on the Book fair in Leipzig, bringing the readers a mosaic of Balkan literature and its modern tendencies.

© albinfo.ch

Poets, storytellers, literary critics and experts discussed the dynamic and to some extent even dramatic changes of cultural expressions in the southeastern Europe. The similarity of the brutal dictatorial past once again proved to be an inexhaustible inspiration for the Balkan writers.

Since 2014 marks the 100^th anniversary of World War I breakout, literary reflections on this major historical event, triggered by the infamous Sarajevo assassination were one of the highlights of Leipzig’s Book fair. One of the writers who discussed the topic was Fatos Buxhaku from Albania who wrote a book titled “The Red Umbrella- Story of Austrian-Albanian fates in XIX-XXI”.

Following what’s been turned into a tradition by now, authors in this fair were not grouped based on countries or languages they represented, but in panels with authors from multiple countries. “Turkish or Greek coffee, Albanian or European?  Slovene or Yugoslav?” – was the name of the panel in which Besnik Mustafaj from Albania and Goran Vojnović exchanged thoughts. They discussed topics based on experiences they lived through and spoke about in their works; they talked about their stands and perspectives regarding cultural stereotypes, prejudices and ideologies that shaped one’s depiction of the other despite close vicinity (vicinity which shows similarities in tradition, culture and language).

© albinfo.ch

The Albanian-Hungarian panel had Arian Leka and Gyorgo Spiro discussing “The absurdity in the life of people under dictatorship”. In his novel “Discretization” Gyorgo writes the story a Jew who despite being a determined communist is arbitrarily declared a criminal and communism’s enemy. Through this character the author elaborates on the Roman’s dictatorship massive terror. Arian Leka, on the other hand, tells us about the Port of Durres and how it turned into a diplomatic window in a hermetically closed Albania, enabling people to communicate with the world that they were no longer visiting or seeing.

In another rather interesting presentation, an Arberesh spoke about his fellow-men in Italy, their language and culture and their relations with ethnicities in Italy and the Mediterranean region, as well as of what it meant to be part of multi-cultural societies.

Stories of emigrants living between two languages and worlds were also portrayed on this fair, in the panel “The multi-voiced southeastern Europe, The multi voiced Switzerland”. Shaip Beqiri from Kosovo who writes in Albanian and Eugene Meiltz from Romania who writes in French exchanged their takes on this particular topic.

The original article was posted at Albinfo.ch Click here to read the original article.

Alongside the schools of Rungsdorf and Tannenbusch, there is another school that has recently started implementing additional classes of learning Albanian language.

© albinfo.ch

The program is implemented on the after school teaching style. Pupils like Doreart Perzhaku, after finishing their regular studies, continue to their other school where Albanian language course is offered. Mimoza Mehana, the teacher of a group of 20 pupils starts the day off by reading some stories in Albanian and asks them to write down unknown words, this way, the pupils are active listeners.

“Communication in the mother tongue is one of the main goals of the course” says Mrs. Mehana. “The pupils are of varying age and come from different schools, some of them come from mixed marriages thus the level of Albanian varies from pupil to pupil”.

© albinfo.ch

Mrs. Mehana is currently furthering her own studies in Germanic languages , a descendant of a family of teachers where her father Fevzi Mehana is considered an important contributor to Albanian learning in Germany (ever since 1979). Similarly, her mother Xhyzdija has been a teacher of Albanian language for quite some time now.

Each of the parents, bringing their children to their Albanian classes, talk with great admiration for the work being done there. Some of them remember their past teachers and many express joy that their children have the opportunity to learn their mother-tongue.

While the total number of Albanians in Bonn is unknown, the Albanian course here has been operating with great success. The opportunities that the municipality of Bonn gives to emigrants are stellar and in turn, such a commitment contributes to the integration of immigrants within the general culture of the city while keeping their cultural heritage.

The original article was posted at Albinfo.ch – Click here to read the original article.

As part of the “Sofra Poetike”, an annual cultural event organized by our diaspora in Sweden, seven books have been promoted from Albanian writers, as well as prizes were given for the best poetry of 2013. 

© kultplus.com

The Albanian Writers Association and Artists “Papa Kelmendi XI” and Cultural Center “Migjeni” in Boros, Sweden, have organized the cultural event known as “Sofra Poetike”(Poetic sit-down). At this event, there were many local and international intellectuals, creators, writers and journalists, as well as plenty of people from the local diaspora.

“I highly appreciate this event,it is vital to promote and keep the Albanian language and culture alive. This event inspires all other writers whom are willing to contribute and create better literature as well as contribute to a greater national cause”- this was a statement taken from Mr. Fetah Bahtiri’s speech from the cultural organisation “Papa Klementi XI”.

The following are the books promoted at the event “ Kur i mbusha 70 vjet” – Fetah Bahtiri, “Malli për atdhe” – Nuha Zullufi, “Loti mbeti në gjirmë të zemrës” – Avdyl Uka, “Vrragë pështerri” – Hamit Gurgurit , “Zëri i Kosovës” – Bahtir Latifit as well as books such as “Edhe ne jemi Bota” and “Djali dhe tigri” by Sokol Demaku, a book dedicated to 4-grade education.

“Sofra Poetike” has a rather competitive feature where 23 poets have competed with 90 poems.

The original article was posted at Kultplus. Click here to read the original article

Six writers have traveled to Romania in search of promoting the newborn country of Kosovo.

© koha.net

“Writers promoting Kosovo” is the title of the activity organized by the regional organization “Teuta”. Basri Çapriqi, Albina Idrizi, Smajl Smaka, Ali Daci, Natasha Lako and Ibrahim Kadriu will have a tight agenda during their travel. They will be meeting various representatives ranging from the Minister of Culture to the head of Romanian Writers association, as well as the representatives from the Albanian Community of Romania.

Working closely with “Dora d’istria”, an organization that works on enhancing Kosovo-Romanian cooperation, the writers aim to present their literary works in Albanian, in an attempt to raise awareness over the issue of Kosovo among the Romanian people. Mrs. Ajete Beqiraj claims that “through this project, they attempt to send a message to the public that Romania should consider recognizing Kosovo as they have recognized 100 other countries”.

Similarly, Mr Capric, the head of PEN Center in Kosovo was eager to read his poetry and explain how vital such an exchange is. “It will definitely be a scientific journey in search of restoring old cultural ties between the two countries”.

The original article was posted at Koha.net Click here to read the original article

“Trio Harkor Kosova” will soon hold three concerts throughout the cities of Germany; starting from Berlin and Frankfurt and  closing it with Dresden. Alongside the group, the concerts shall be accompanied with piano player Desar Sulejmani, the event was organized by Intercultural Network KultUra. 

© kultplus.com

The trio is inseparable when it comes to conveying an emotion through classical music. This expression is apparently best expressed through uniting a violin, viola and violoncello ;played by Sihana Badivuku, Blerim Grubit and Aristidh Prosit, the key members of “Trio Harkor Kosova”. This time the trio had decided to travel to Germany, with the first concert in Berlin on 14th of April.

The event is comprised of the following plays : “Humoreska fur Klavierquartett” by Fatos Lumani, “Bareshën”  by Rexho Mulliqit, a play by Simno Gjoni and Aleksandër Lekovski-Lekaj, “Salut Albanians” and Brahms. The concert has been made possible by the support of the Kosovo Embassy in Germany.

The original article was posted at Kultplus. Click here to read the original article.

Original Article Source

The European theater translation network “Eurodram” , organized at around 40 countries of different languages, has chosen among its best of 2014, specifically the best dramatists of 2014. Among the winning names are also Doruntina Basha, Jeton Neziraj and Stefan Capalik.

The Kosovar plays have been valued as contemporary and of high quality, plays that have a profound impact within the network. The competition has declared a total of 45 winners from various countries such as Denmark, France,Greece, Italy,Spain and Ukraine.

Doruntina Basha has been acclaimed for her play titled “Gishti”, Jeton Neziraj with “One flew over the Kosovo Theater” and Stefan Capaliku for “General Rehearsals for the Independence”. Each year, members of the network from each country pick their favorite, the aim is to translate the chosen plays and translate them as well as have them shown to the audience of Eurodram members.

The original article was posted at Kosovalive360. Click here to read the original article.

At the integration center of Aargut Canton, Agron Bajrami had the chance to present his culture through pyrography. 

Agron Bajrami is well known at the local Albanian community in Switzerland as a dancer, and as a founder of the Folk dancing school “Shota” in Aarau. The school celebrated its 20th year, and Bajrami presented some of his work in pyrography during the celebratory activities in the honor of this event. For many of those present, this was a wholly new side of Agron, even though he has been practicing this craft for 15 years now.

The exhibition included landscape imagery from Switzerland, Kosovo and Albania, animal portraits as well as historical figures. Mr. Bajrami explains that the works presented at this exhibition were his latest ones and were created in 2012-2013. “I have been working on this craft ever since the end of the war and I have plenty of projects at home and many others given as gifts to my friends and relatives. In here, you will find 30 of my projects that I have worked on this past year” says Mr. Bajrami.

The head of the integration center, Lelia Hunziker, as the host of the gallery, opened the exhibition. During the exhibition, Shukrije Ramadani, the head of Kosovar Cultural Center in Zurich, was also present.

“When we opened the center around two years ago, we were facing white and empty walls. This made us wonder what a proper solution to this problem is, and an idea that most of us agreed to was to have artists exhibit their works here. We were set on having artists of foreign origin who live and work here.” explained Mrs. Hunziker.

The original article was posted at Albinfo.ch – Click here to read the original article.

The art of dance brings joy and connects people on daily basis through its rhythmic movements and expressions. Ardena Gojani, Kosovo’s own dancing queen, is enthusiastic to change the world through her passion for dance. She has now also taught and studied dance in several countries as well as runs her own successful studio, Argo dance & fitness in Norway.

This inspiring story of the talented dancer takes us back to 1999 when she immigrated to the United States, with hopes to live the American dream. While she was a student in high school, Ardena started working as an active volunteer for the International Book Project (IBP), a non-profit organization. “I raised over $100,000 dollars to ship over 15,000 books to Pristina, 5,000 to Gjakova and thousands more to Albania and Macedonia” states the talented dancer.

The ambitious Kosovar dancer continued her education in college but never stopped dancing. Ardena balanced her studies with her passion for dance. She received her bachelor degree in Leadership Development and Psychology at the University of Kentucky. At the same time she was dancing professionally at Arthur Murray, a prestigious ballroom school in Kentucky. Ardena then decided to further explore the art of dance as well as her dance abilities and thus attended the Healing Arts Academy School, where she received the National Academy of Sports Medicine diploma.

Ardena told Kosovo Diaspora that: “I began ballroom dancing at the age of six for Art Design (Jeton Vorfri) in Gjakova and have never stopped”

Ardena got married and moved to Norway where her husband lives. In Norway, she started her master’s degree at the University of Life and Science in International Development. Ardena also started teaching dancing in two different universities and dance clubs. In the summer of 2013 the talented dancer went abroad to study in Tanzania. The time in Tanzania was an eye opening experience for Ardena as she realized that she was meant to change the world through dance. Upon her return to Norway she decided to open her own studio, Argo Dance & Fitness were she put all her energy and love into training and teaching dance.

Ardena says: “Every country I lived in, worked or studied, I used dancing as a way to integrate myself in a new society. I danced salsa when I lived in Costa Rica, traditional Georgian dancing in the Republic of Georgia, swing in Norway and African tribal dancing in Tanzania. I have always believed that dancing is a basic human need and we should all have the opportunity to do it. When we dance no matter the age, gender, ethnicity, and religion, we all smile and feel joy through the common universal language of the art of body movement”

Today Ardena has several ideas and projects she wants to accomplish. She is currently organizing an action research project in Norway in order to teach partner dancing to immigrants along with the Norwegian citizens. This project will raise awareness on how the art of dance can change perceptions in terms of integration into a new culture says Ardena in the interview. The experience of her journey has proved her the positive effects of partner dancing, such as communication skills, confidence, social skills and teamwork abilities. This has led to the idea of opening her own non-profit organization where she wants to implement programs for partner dancing on an international. Ardena indicates that “Partner dancing does not only help improve the aforementioned skills but also helps break the social barriers and gender inequalities worldwide”.

When asked about how she sees the art and culture scene in Kosovo, Ardena says that: “Kosovo´s art and culture scene has proceeded forward quickly and in a positive way. As far as the dance scene, there are many who have begun their own dance schools and have weekly dance socials out in pubs in Prishtina, however this is mostly young singles. While partner dancing is growing, specifically salsa and bachata, it is not common to see women or men in relationships dance with others outside of the relationship, In fact many who began dancing for Art Design or other partner dance schools in Kosovo, by the time women and men find stabilized relationship’s they often quite dancing. However, with generations to come this mentality will change and partner dancing will become a success for the future of Kosovo. “

The Kosovar dancer expresses the importance of maintaining the traditional dances in Kosovo, while expanding and exploring other different cultures of dancing. Ardena believes that schools should make it mandatory to learn the traditional dances from an early age and from there she hopes that they also start implementing partner dances such as tango or swing, among many other genres.

“The joy of communicating through the common language of movement is powerful and it will help unite us like no other activity, therefore I encourage all to dance and let it be the therapy for your mind, body and soul“

Alberina Shabani is a 13 year old passionate writer who has won the first place with her essay at the “Say Multi” competition. An annual competition held in Austria where children are encouraged to share their essays.

© Infoglobi

Alberina’s essay is written in such a way where her grandfather narrates the hardships of children in Kosovo, orphans of the past war as well as the child workers whom are engaged in daily struggles of securing food. Alberina’s essay was titled “Education is a human right” a strong and important message aimed at improving the living conditions of many struggling families in Kosovo.

The Jury from the Economical Integration Society, the actual initiators of the competition, has chosen a total of 16 essays from the competing 407 that had been submitted from throughout Austria. Only three from the total competing works had been chosen as winners.

At the final evening event, Alberina had the chance to hold a speech in both German and Albanian, where it is important to note the presence of Vienna’s mayor Mr. Michael Häupl, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sebastian Kurz, Alev Korun from the Austrian parliament as well as businessmen and family members.

The Kosovan (Alberina), currently living in Grieskircheni of Austria has been chosen alongside two other youngsters to hold a speech as a mean of appreciating her work.

The original article was posted at Albinfo.ch – Click here to read the original article.

Ilir Blakçori, the creator of “Heroinat” has been awarded the golden award at the “A Design Award Competition” held in Milan,Italy.

The project “Heroinat” had been chosen amongst thousands of other entries and has been valued for its interesting design and architectural quality. The award has been given for the architectural, construction and the design of the project.

“Ilir Blakçori, the designer of the “Heroinat” memorial has been able to demonstrate the pain and contribution of women during the Kosovo war, a contribution that has yet to be given the importance that it deserves. The memorial as it is, honors each and every unknown contributor, to an individual level.” – were among the reasons that jury members decided to award the memorial.

The original article was posted at Illyriapress.com Click here to read the original article.

The Kosovan Minister of Diaspora, Ibrahim Makolli has been the host of 50 Albanian students from Austria whom will be touring around Kosovo and Albania for the upcoming days.

Mr. Makolli has spoken in front of the students over a range of topics concerning the importance of preserving tradition, history and the Albanian language. “Even though you are born and raised abroad, you should not forget your origin, where your roots are, where the Albanian language is spoken. Throughout Kosovo, you will be able to see many statues and memorials of people whom gave everything to preserve this language” were among the points that Mr. Makolli raised on his speech.

The students were also urged to socialize with one and other, to influence their peers on learning the language and preserve the culture. Mr. Makolli was especially grateful to the teachers and academics that are actively engaged in the teaching of the language.  The students have been organized and lead by Osman Ademi,Miradije Berishaj, Milaim Zyrapi and Roza Ndrecaj, all teachers of Albanian language in Austria.

The students will be touring both Kosovo and Albania in seek of a better understanding of their cultural origin.

The original article was posted at Albinfo.ch – Click here to read the original article.

Albanian journalist Rexhep Rifati from Ferizaj recently published the monographic work “1001 sights” or “1001 pamje.” Rifati was born in Komogllavë near Ferizaj in 1942 and worked for the Albanian journal “Rilindja” from Prishtina for 25 years. Rilindja was the biggest Albanian journal in former Yugoslavia. Rifati graduated at the University of Prishtina in 1973 with a degree in Albanian language and literature. He is now living for 25 years in Switzerland and actively contributing to the life of the Albanian diaspora there. 

In an interview with Rexhep Rifati, we found out a little about his life. He told us that he immigrated to Switzerland in 1995 and got political refugee status in only 2 months. “The reason for my emigration from Kosovo was the unstopping pressure and threats from the Serbian authorities. They wanted to stop me from publishing articles in which I denounced the injustices perpetrated against the Albanian people of Kosovo. It is precisely because of this life-threatening violence that I left Kosovo. There is even a concrete example of this which was documented by Transparency international in 1992″ says Rifati.

Rifati finished high school in Ferizaj in 1966 and graduated at the faculty of philosophy in Prishtina 7 years later. From the very beginning he was passionate about journalism and started working for the daily journal “Rilindja” from 1967 until 1995. He adds: “I was mainly active in my hometown of Ferizaj where I also took part in cultural activities. I founded the assembly for music and dance “Kastriotet” and the solidarity found for scholarships.”

Rifati committed only to writing once he left for Switzerland, not wanting to be a part of any political group. He thus committed himself to the cultural activities organized by the cultural clubs “Me Agim Ramadanin” and “Feniks.”

When asked about his new publication he says: “Even though it can be perceived as an album with its 1200 pictures and the title “1001 sights”, it is indeed a monograph.Every picture has a description and a quarter of the book is with text which makes it even look like an encyclopaedia according to some critics. It is a chronic of the Albanians in Switzerland. Throughout the pictures I do not want to analyse something special but only illustrate the everyday life of the hardworking Albanians here in Switzerland.

I shot those pictures during the different cultural, political and sport activities. I also visited the Albanians in their everyday life, either in Albanian schools, universities where Albanians studied, in clubs or at their work. The monograph shows only a small piece of my photo-collection which has thousands of pictures. It was a particular pleasure to immortalize the moments of the cultural activities which are sometimes even bigger then in Kosovo. I also enjoyed taking pictures of the Albanian students. I had the chance to take some pictures from the Albanian singer Vaçe Zela from her first participation at the assembly of music and dance in 1984 until she passed.”

Rifati says that he believes that the Diaspora has a crucial role, especially due to his huge economic contribution for Kosovo. He adds that he sees its financial function being, fortunately, overshadowed by the successes of the younger generations. He laments that the new state doesn’t pay enough attention to them and their talents. Rifati adds: “Despite the big accomplishments of the Diaspora the main weaknesses remain in the economic and political area. We still need to become a more modern society with a better organization and therefore renounce to split into political groups. I appreciate the love the Diaspora got for our homeland but would like to see more parents educating their children in every aspect and also in teaching the Albanian language.  The Albanian diaspora in Switzerland has its qualities and its weaknesses just like the others. It is easier for them to communicate because of the fact that Switzerland is a small country. The Albanians in Switzerland have several associations, two cultural institutes that publish scientific and cultural texts in several languages, not to mention the numerous private businesses in the gastronomic, economic or industrial sector. We currently have more than ten medicine specialist with their own private ordinances.”

In terms of how the Albanian Diaspora is perceived in Switzerland Rifati says: “A large majority of our diaspora is respected for its work and efforts to be part of the Swiss society. Currently we have more than 40 .000 Albanians who have the Swiss nationality but the main difficulty to show this image is the lack of communication with the Swiss people and media. Very often the media shows the few excesses of some individuals and that way damages the image of the majority, except when it comes to the football players who are the heart of the Helvetic football team. More need to be done in order to improve our image and therefore we should start promoting our successes instead of gossiping about the bad stories.”

If you want to order the “1001 sights” monograph please contact the following e-mail address: rexheprifati@hotmail.com

BAKC (British Albanian Kosovar Council) starting from 3rd of May 2014 will begin with its weekly (every Saturday) call for unique and all inclusive projects. Young people, old, women and men as well as children are all invited to part-take in these eventful days.

There will be Albanian language lessons, English lessons, history, poetry, traditional dances, travels, concerts, yoga and meditation. All in all, the participants are all in for a treat. The council is also very open for new ideas and suggestions.

The British Albanian Kosovar Council, alongside with Chrysalis Family will also be there for free counseling over you career and well-being. There are countless other surprises!

Kosova Club, every Saturday, starting from 3rd of May 2014 at QK Academy,12pm-14pm.

Adress:
QK Academy
Quintin Kynaston
Marlborough Hill
London
NW8 0N

For further contact:

Nora Abullahu Kastrati – Project Co-Leader:
Mobile: 07883077426 Email: noraabdullahu@bakc.org.uk

Beqir Shillova – Project Co-Leader:
Mobile: 07956414024 Email: beqirshillova@bakc.org.uk

After a year long brake, the “Noma” restaurant, owned and operated by the Danish-Albanian Rene Rexhepi, has once again been selected as the best in the world.

© albinfo.ch

“Noma” has topped the list of over 50 competing restaurants through the years 2010,2011 and 2012. It is only last year (2013) that the price had been grabbed away by the spanish restaurant “El Celler de Can Roca”. With a comeback, “Noma” is again back on the first place this year.

On Monday, at the ceremony, Rexhepi had explained how his inspiration comes from his team and that he acknowledges that often, he is a difficult person to deal with. He adds that  the goal is yet to be reached, there are yet many other inventions and creations to be made.

Rene Rexhepi is the son of a Tetovo Albanian and Danish. On 2012, with the celebration of the 100th year of Albanian Independence, he had visited Tirana.

The original article was posted at Albinfo.ch – Click here to read the original article.

London, Toronto, Detroit, Chicago and Dallas are the latest cities to join the far reaching Diaspora Business Network. The Kosovar ministry of diaspora, with cooperation and aid from IOM and UNDP has continued the creation and link creation between Diaspora Business communities. The project aims the creation and strengthening of business ties between diaspora businessmen, thus encouraging investment in host countries.

As part of the project,networks have been created in London,Toronto, Detroit, Chicago and Dallas.The delegation from the Kosovar Ministry of Diaspora was consisted of Mr. Ibrahim Makolli, Naim Dedushaj,Ardian Spahiu from UNDP,Roberto Cancel from IOM,Arian Zeka ,Irena Kashtell,Elmi Berisha and Besim Malota. Toronto, the city where a large community of Albanians live, has been the first stop. The group had established a branch of diaspora businesses with nine (9) chairmen, with Bashkim Breznica as president and Afrim Gashi as vice president of the branch. Detroit, was the next host city where the group had landed and established a similar branch with Prenk Gjokaj being the head.

The delegation had the opportunity to visit the HTC factory in Detroit, owned and operated by Gjergj Juncaj. A well known factory with 200 employees specialized in metallic profiles, furthermore, it is important to note that the factory is currently ranked as third in the country within its field of operation. The delegation also stopped in Chicago where a branch with 14 chairmen, coordinated by Gani Ahmetaj,Vallton Hoti,Sedat Sadiku,Afrim Sejdiu and Pajazit Murtishi.  Furthermore, in the suburb of Chicago, the Albanian diaspora had also established a cultural Albanian-American center.

Mr. Makolli had the chance to be the honorary guest and officially open the center. Finally, the delegation had chosen Dallas as its last stop within this Odyssey like journey where an estimate of five thousand Albanian Americans live. A branch was also established here where 15 chairmen had been chosen with Nazar Mehmeti being the head coordinator.The core concept of the project had been strengthening the ties between community members of the diaspora as well as increase the cooperation between Diaspora and Origin Country businesses.

The original article was posted at Illyriapress.com Click here to read the original article.

The already annual tradition, ever since 2011 has become an inseparable part of Swiss Kosovar diaspora community, thus having a range of many names and celebrities competing for it. The price is given every 10th of May, starting from 2011. Micheline Calmy Rey (2011), Xherdan Shaqiri (2012) and Ueli Leuenberger (2013) are among the names celebrating this award.

© albinfo.ch

“By choosing the Fetahi couple, we have made sure to include the business sector of our diaspora.  Until today, we have had politicians and a football player; today we have two names with an economic background. Alongside their business success, the Fetahi couple is a symbol of the Albanian integration in Switzerland” were the words of the Kosovar ambassador in Bern, Naim Malaj, a lead member of the price awarding jury.

Other important figures that are involved in the ceremony are the Head of Kosovo Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Safet Gerxhaliu, as well as the Head of Swiss- Kosovo Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Stegan Sarkany.

© albinfo.ch

Mr.Fehmi and Sara Fetahi are also very involved in humanitarian activities. They are well-known to the community for offering generous donations to various projects in Kosovo.

The sculpture offered as a price, is the work of the Berna based artist, Shpetime Kamberi.

The original article was posted at Albinfo.ch Click here to read the original article.

Since her 15^th birthday, it’s been Elbenita’s dream to become an opera singer. She already specialized in Music in high school while studying at the music school in Mitrovica and continued her undergraduate studies at the University of Prishtina, where she graduated.

© Ridvan Slivova

Already as a freshman, Elbenita sang as a soloist with the Philharmonic Choir of Kosovo at the opening of the Mother Theresa Cathedral in Prishtina. She has won several national and international prices. For example, in 2009 Elbenita won the International Music Competition ARS Kosova and in 2012 she won the competition at the Song of the Flag Festival. Elbenita also won the International Ricardo Zamdonai in 2013.

Thanks to a scholarship programme, Elbenita went to the Campo Doro Summer School Program in New York in summer 2013 and started benefiting from a scholarship received from the German Opera Society in Berlin in May 2014.

Her past and current success makes us confident that she will continue achieving greatness, both nationally and internationally, in this way coming closer and closer to her dream one step at a time.

The original article was posted at Deutsche Oper Berlin- Click here to read the original article

On May 15^th “COOP” stores throughout Switzerland have introduced the Coca Cola bottles and wrappers with the local star, Xherdan Shaqiri.

Xherdan Shaqiri has, for some time now, been a football star and has been in the hearts and minds of football fans in Europe and rest of the world. Xherdan has been chosen as the player of the year and has been continuously playing excellently. Xherdan has been shinning ever since 2010 when he was chosen as the upcoming player of the year. Similarly, in 2010, playing for his 2010 team, FC Basel, he won two titles (championship and cup competitions). Xherdan played for the Swiss national team (in their team A) and once their trust was gained, Xherdan became a part of the South African World Cup (2010).

It is not the first time Xherdan has been chosen as a promoter.  “Credit Suisse player of the year” – a brand set by Nike has already made Xherdan an idol. Now, his excellent performance with Bayern Munch as well as the Swiss National team has made him the face of Coca Cola in the Swiss market. Many youngsters and older people are asking for the can with Xherdan on it, and are willing to buy the drink and be proud of the game Xherdan has presented in the Swiss representation.

The original article was posted at Koha.net- Click here to read the original article.

The second international conference on interfaith dialogue is organized by Interfaith Kosovo, a joint initiative of civil society, faith communities, and Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, promoting an agenda of reconciliation and understanding in Kosovo and beyond. The conference is a flagship event of the annual “Week of Tolerance and Reconciliation” that brings together international opinion-makers and thought leaders to contribute to the ongoing debate on the role of religion and interfaith dialogue in contemporary societies.

© Valdete Hasani

View the full schedule of events and read more about the conference HERE 

Albanian native Zana Iseni is a serious candidate among 12 other girls competing at the beauty contest “Miss Berna 2014″. The event is taking place at the “Arena Kursaal” in Bern, Switzerland. 

The 18 year old Iseni, works as a commercial officer and is determined to win. In case of selection, Iseni assures that she will represent the country on the best way possible. “If I get crowned as Miss Berna 2014, I will make sure people realize that we are not only beautiful, we are intelligent as well” says Zana Iseni.

The original article was posted at Kultplus.com - Click here to read the original article.