work
Sorry to be teasing you all, if that's what I'm doing, but I do try to write when I can :) With an erratic work schedule coupled with random power outages, it's difficult to use the computer on any constant basis. There is also only one computer in the office with internet at the moment, though they are in the process of overhauling the office and hooking more computers up the internet is part of the master plan. But since we're on the subject, I know it has taken me quite a long time to give any description of the organization that I'm working for, and what I am doing here. Hopefully, for anyone interested, this is a good enough start...
I work at the Center for Children's Theater Development, or CCTD, in Pristina. In Albanian, it's called Qendra për Zhvillimin e Teatrit për Fëmijë, though, in all honestly, my pronunciation of Albanian is still fairly pitiful! The organization is small and young, with only four staff (two playwrights and two actors, one of whom teaches acting in the university here), and operates as a non-profit. Before the war, there was a children's theatre in Pristina, but it has since been shut down. CCTD was created to fill that gap.
They are involved in several projects. They promote the development of theatre aimed at children and young people, for example, by hosting playwrights workshops or seminars. Next week, actually, CCTD is hosting young playwrights from around the Balkans (Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Albania, and Kosovo) for the first phase of a several month long workshop on children's theatre.
CCTD also has a project called the Mobile Children's Theatre, and they travel around to schools in Kosovo, performing free of charge in schools and community centers... and don't forget that many children outside of major cities will have never seen a theatre production before in their lives... So far, three shows have been produced, "Beni," "Forbidden Lesson," and "Gogoli," all with professional actors. These plays also have some educational component, and try to address topics that, until now, have been neglected. So, for instance, "Beni" is about children who beg on the streets, something that has become a common problem since the war, while "Forbidden Lesson" addresses the many taboos associated with sex and sexuality (as, I'm told, there is no sex ed. in schools). And after each show, the actors involve the audience in discussion about theatre in general, and on the topics presented through the plays. I have yet to see any performances, but I'm really looking forward to attending the next one!
Lastly, CCTD has just recently become involved in what, for me, is the most interesting project... This is the Memory Project, which I mentioned earlier, in conjunction with the UN office of Forensics and Missing People. For the past three days, I went with the Canadian in charge of this project from that office and the director of CCTD to two schools outside of Pristina (one in morning and the other in the afternoon). The first was in a small village called Marinë and the other in the famous divided city of Kosovo, Mitrovicë. Both of these areas were chosen for this initial trial run because they have been greatly affected by the missing people issue, something I have learned much about since starting the project. Over these three days, we played camp-style games, got the kids (aged 12-14) to tell stories, and then, collected letters... all about their experiences with the war and with missing people, specifically. Eventually, we hope to attend a few more schools (including Serb schools when the logistics of that get figured out) to collect similar material. Following that information-collecting stage, professional playwrights will be hired to create a performance aimed at young people on the subject, and that will be performed in schools throughout Kosovo.
Around 2300 Albanians and 900 Serbs are still considered officially missing. After the war, some (Albanians) were found alive in jails in Serbia, but now it's mainly a matter of finding and identifying bodies, a process that can be quite lengthy, especially when it involves DNA testing. While most of the Albanians involved were killed or taken during the war, the missing Serbs are considered to be one of the country's best kept secrets... They were killed out of revenge immediately following the war, but since many of the Kosovo Liberation Army leaders currently hold political power, it is unlikely that they will leak any information about such events. As for missing Albanians, most have been found in mass graves in Serbia, and while I understand that Belgrade has honoured existing agreements relating to their recovery, the UN still has had major problems convincing Serbia to accept any further agreements.
And because the issue of missing people is definitely one that highlights the existing tensions here, I am very hopeful about this project. I really feel like I'm living inquiry (for those of you who know what I mean)... It's very inspiring, and hopefully, too, will make a small difference in terms of addressing the issue in a public context and opening up dialogue about the war experience of both Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo.
I work at the Center for Children's Theater Development, or CCTD, in Pristina. In Albanian, it's called Qendra për Zhvillimin e Teatrit për Fëmijë, though, in all honestly, my pronunciation of Albanian is still fairly pitiful! The organization is small and young, with only four staff (two playwrights and two actors, one of whom teaches acting in the university here), and operates as a non-profit. Before the war, there was a children's theatre in Pristina, but it has since been shut down. CCTD was created to fill that gap.
They are involved in several projects. They promote the development of theatre aimed at children and young people, for example, by hosting playwrights workshops or seminars. Next week, actually, CCTD is hosting young playwrights from around the Balkans (Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Albania, and Kosovo) for the first phase of a several month long workshop on children's theatre.
CCTD also has a project called the Mobile Children's Theatre, and they travel around to schools in Kosovo, performing free of charge in schools and community centers... and don't forget that many children outside of major cities will have never seen a theatre production before in their lives... So far, three shows have been produced, "Beni," "Forbidden Lesson," and "Gogoli," all with professional actors. These plays also have some educational component, and try to address topics that, until now, have been neglected. So, for instance, "Beni" is about children who beg on the streets, something that has become a common problem since the war, while "Forbidden Lesson" addresses the many taboos associated with sex and sexuality (as, I'm told, there is no sex ed. in schools). And after each show, the actors involve the audience in discussion about theatre in general, and on the topics presented through the plays. I have yet to see any performances, but I'm really looking forward to attending the next one!
Lastly, CCTD has just recently become involved in what, for me, is the most interesting project... This is the Memory Project, which I mentioned earlier, in conjunction with the UN office of Forensics and Missing People. For the past three days, I went with the Canadian in charge of this project from that office and the director of CCTD to two schools outside of Pristina (one in morning and the other in the afternoon). The first was in a small village called Marinë and the other in the famous divided city of Kosovo, Mitrovicë. Both of these areas were chosen for this initial trial run because they have been greatly affected by the missing people issue, something I have learned much about since starting the project. Over these three days, we played camp-style games, got the kids (aged 12-14) to tell stories, and then, collected letters... all about their experiences with the war and with missing people, specifically. Eventually, we hope to attend a few more schools (including Serb schools when the logistics of that get figured out) to collect similar material. Following that information-collecting stage, professional playwrights will be hired to create a performance aimed at young people on the subject, and that will be performed in schools throughout Kosovo.
Around 2300 Albanians and 900 Serbs are still considered officially missing. After the war, some (Albanians) were found alive in jails in Serbia, but now it's mainly a matter of finding and identifying bodies, a process that can be quite lengthy, especially when it involves DNA testing. While most of the Albanians involved were killed or taken during the war, the missing Serbs are considered to be one of the country's best kept secrets... They were killed out of revenge immediately following the war, but since many of the Kosovo Liberation Army leaders currently hold political power, it is unlikely that they will leak any information about such events. As for missing Albanians, most have been found in mass graves in Serbia, and while I understand that Belgrade has honoured existing agreements relating to their recovery, the UN still has had major problems convincing Serbia to accept any further agreements.
And because the issue of missing people is definitely one that highlights the existing tensions here, I am very hopeful about this project. I really feel like I'm living inquiry (for those of you who know what I mean)... It's very inspiring, and hopefully, too, will make a small difference in terms of addressing the issue in a public context and opening up dialogue about the war experience of both Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo.
posted by melissa at 9:34 p.m.
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