Činjenice u medijima su spakovane tako da podstaknu govor mržnje (ENGLISH)

Film se može koristiti kao sredstvo za razbijanje predrasuda i stereotipa, ali ljudski element je ključan. Umetnici i celokupna kulturna scena moraju učiniti u zajedničkim inicijativama, kako bi povećali mobilnost i interkulturne razmene i kako bi ojačali veze među mladima. Susreti su ključni za međusobnu spoznaju. U suprotnom, ovo zastrašujuće doba „lažnih vesti” odvešće nas u to da govor mržnje postane norma u oba društva – ukazuje Eroll Bilibani, filmski producent i fotograf, koji je intenzivno uključen u razvoj obrazovnih programa koji koriste bioskop i pripovedanje kao platforme za dublje razumevanje složenih pitanja i promovisanje društvenog razvoja.

On razvija programe obuke kroz laboratoriju za filmsku produkciju, podstičući mlade ljude da deluju i budu aktivni učesnici društvenih promena, kroz pripovedanje i stvaranje filma. Ove snažne priče često se distribuiraju kroz DokuFestov putujući bioskop, koji se napaja energijom preko solarnih panela.

Bilibani, koji govori za Danasov projekat „Druga strana Kosova”,  je izvršni producent filma Home, dobitnika Bafte, i producent nagrađivanog kratkog filma „In between“.

Danasov projekat „Druga strana Kosova“ ima za cilj da približi kosovskoj i srpskoj javnosti informacije koje nisu plasirale političke elite, ni s jedne strane, već nezavisni građani, kao i povezivanje kosovske i srpske kulturne scene koja je nedovoljno zastupljena u medijima.

• Pitanja novinara Danasa

Kako ste se proveli na Beldocs-u i koji su Vaši utisci u vezi sa filmovima koji su bili prikazani? Imate li omiljeni film sa festivala?

– Uvek je zadovoljstvo prisustvovati festivalu filma u Beogradu i uvek me raduje da se ponovo sretnem sa starim prijateljima, ali i upoznam nove. Pozicija člana žirija na festivalu ima svoja ograničenja i iz te perspektive veoma je teško pogledati sve zanimljive filmove. Nagradili smo jedno od mojih najdražih dela, hrvatski film “U ime Republike Hrvatske” reditelja Gorana Devića. Devićev dokumentarac predstavlja smeo, sirov film, delikatnog humora, slojevite inteligencije ali iznad svega, saosećajnog pristupa u prikazivanju odlučnog, ali nesrećnog karaktera, koji vam ne ostavlja drugi izbor nego da se saosetite sa njegovom borbom. Bilo je još nekoliko izvanrednih filmova, koji su našu odluku učinili vrlo teškom, ali uprkos tome, odluka je bila jednoglasna.

Kako biste opisali saradnju srpskih i kosovskih umetnika? Da li film i umetnost mogu da razbiju predrasude i zbliže ljude?

– Saradnja nezavisnih scena funkcioniše već neko vreme. Postoji mnogo sjajnih primera zajedničkih napora koji su stvorili sinergiju putem uzajamnog razumevanja, poštovanja i poverenja.

Film se može koristiti kao sredstvo za razbijanje predrasuda i stereotipa, ali ljudski element je ključan. Umetnici i celokupna kulturna scena moraju učiniti više u zajedničkim inicijativama, kako bi povećali mobilnost i interkulturne razmene i kako bi ojačali veze među mladima.

Moram naglasiti da je mnogo lakše raditi s umetnicima i organizacijama civilnog društva iz Srbije, za razliku od saradnje sa Srbima koji žive na Kosovu. Pretpostavljam da je to zbog veoma nabijene političke klime na Kosovu, pa međuetničke saradnje na lokalnom nivou postaju sve teže svake godine.

Da li možete detaljnije da nam ukažete na Vaš rad, kojim se temama bavite i na koji način angažujete socijalne promene? Za šta se zalažete kroz Vaše filmove i na šta ukazujete?

– DokuFest kao kulturna organizacija usmerena je na obrazovanje kroz film. Nakon dugogodišnjeg učestvovanja u obrazovanju, putem audiovizuelnih alata, sada smo krenuli na sveobuhvatniji pristup koji razvija veštine staratelja za adekvatno rešavanje pogrešnih percepcija, predrasuda i govora mržnje koje se prožimaju kroz tradicionalne i digitalne medije.

Ponosni smo na to jer jasno vidimo neposrednu sposobnost studenata da donose utemeljeni sud, kritički procenjuju informacije i razvijaju otpornost prema etnocentričnim interpretacijama. Svesni smo da je to samo kap u okeanu, ali smo uvereni da kritička pedagogija može pomoći u razvoju socijalno-emocionalnih veština u prevazilaženju sumnje, što znači konstruktivno uključenje u društvo bez pribegavanja nasilju.

Naš festival svake godine postaje pokretačka snaga na polju kulture i aktivizma na Kosovu i proslavlja inovaciju, talenat i otkrića. Događaji za profesionalce, mlade talente i decu, obeležja su DokuFest-a, kao i hrabri filmski program koji ispunjava bioskop i improvizovane prostore projekcije oko istorijskog grada Prizrena. Tu su i muzička dela rasprostranjena na tri pozornice, koja pokrivaju žanrove od folka do savremene elektronske muzike. Potom radionica fotografije i izložbe, vizualne izložbe na otvorenom i VR iskustva.

Šta bi, prema Vašem mišljenju, trebalo najpre i prioritetno učiniti kako bi se odnosi Srbije i Kosova normalizovali?

– Narativ koji je izgrađen na nacionalističkoj ideologiji, podstaknut govorom mržnje, najveći je protivnik normalizacije. Zato je pošten i depolitizovan pristup suočavanja s prošlošću hitno potreban. Sporadične i nepovezane inicijative vrlo su retke i ne mogu imati širi uticaj. Sprovođenje procesa normalizacije vrlo je komplikovano zbog trenutne političke situacije koja sadrži etnocentrične narative, a trenutni odgovor na to kako sprovesti proces normalizacije bio bi: povećana mobilnost i razmena mladih kako bi se osnažili kao svesni građani koji se mogu nositi sa društvenim preprekama.

Susreti su ključni za međusobno razumevanje. U suprotnom, ovo zastrašujuće doba „lažnih vesti” odvešće nas u to da govor mržnje postane norma u oba društva.

Šta mislite o procesu normalizacije koji trenutno sprovode vlasti u Prištini i Beogradu?

– Ne verujem u trenutni proces. Neiskren je i zato nema potencijala da dovede do bilo kakvog smislenog rešenja. Najnoviji događaj u Srbiji – kada su desničari upali u pekaru u vlasništvu Albanca, daleko je od normalizacije. Bojim se da to sprečava normalizaciju i ugrožava situaciju. S druge strane, stoprocentna taksa na srpske proizvode, takođe, ne predstavlja normalizaciju.

Čvrsto verujem da će se prosperitetna budućnost pojaviti na horizontu tek kada počnemo kritički da pristupamo prošlosti. Otvorene rane moraju biti izlečene što je pre moguće. Manipulacija, minimalizacija i „pretvaranje“ u pogledu nerešenog pitanja nestalih osoba i dalje je duboki ožiljak koji nepotrebno produžuje ovaj proces.

Da li je moguće da će proces normalizacije okončati političke elite koje su bile aktivne tokom sukoba 1990-ih?

– Iskreno, u to više ne verujem. Ceo proces pregovora pretvorio se u farsu i uspeo je da podeli i stav EU prema procesima evropske integracije Zapadnog Balkana.

• Pitanja reditelja Ognjena Glavonića

Posle sedam godina koje ste proveli kao izvršni direktor Dokufesta, festival je izrastao u jedan od najvažnijih festivala dokumentarnog filma. Očekuje Vas nova, za mnoge koji nemaju dodira sa filmskom industrijom možda ne tako jasna, pozicija – direktor DokuLab programa. Možete li nam reći šta to tačno znači i šta je ono što Vam predstavlja najveći izazov, uzbuđenje i radost povodom ovog novog posla? Šta uostalom za Vas, danas i ovde, znači biti: radnik u kulturi?

– U pitanju je normalna promena za organizaciju koja je suočena sa konstantnim rastom. Restruktuiramo i identifikujemo potencijal da bismo se rešili slabosti. Počeli smo sa tim još 2016. godine, imenovanjem direktora festivala, što je omogućilo dalju profesionalizaciju Festivala i omogućilo mi da se usresredim na institucionalni rast organizacije. Tako je DokuLab zaživeo. Ideja je bila povezati godišnje projekte u program koji podstiče korišćenje dokumentarnog filma u obrazovanju – angažovanju nastavnika i učenika u aktivnom istraživanju.

Kreativnim umovima takođe se pruža znanje i oprema za kreativno stvaranje dokumentarnog filma na lokalnom i regionalnom nivou. Hteli smo pokazati kreativnost unoseći neobične filmove na neobična mesta, kroz naš putujući bioskop.  Sve je to savršeno uklopljeno u DokuLab strukturu.

Koliko god bila izazovna, ova uloga je jednako uzbudljiva i osvežavajuća. Nakon toliko godina istraživanja najboljih modela, toga kako se film koristi u obrazovanju na međunarodnom nivou, konačno smo razvili sveobuhvatan Online Teacher Resource uz podršku učitelja srednjih škola. Paralelno smo uveli kurs “Film in Classroom” na Pedagoškom fakultetu u Prizrenu i kontinuirano produciramo filmove mladih. To sve nas na DokuFestu čini ponosnim, ali ujedno i povećava odgovornost za održavanje kvaliteta programa na najvišem mogućem standardu.

Razmena znanja radi boljeg razumevanja mogućnosti i ljudske prirode pričinjava razliku na ličnom nivou. Za mene to ide više od posla i pretvara se u strast.

Svestan sam da trenutni rezultati rada nisu neposredni. Potrebno je dosta strpljenja! I siguran sam da će jednog dana ovi kreativni i kritički umovi preuzeti proces društvene transformacije. Samo treba da verujemo i nikada ne odustajemo!

Šta mislite o audiovizuelnom obrazovanju mladih i odsustvu istog u školskom sistemu? Koji su Vaši načini pristupa filmskom obrazovanju novih generacija? Da li je moguće naučiti mlade ljude da kroz čitanje i razumevanje slika koje ih okružuju shvate i prepoznaju oblike manipulacije, korupcije i laži koje se ovde godinama nude kao istine?

– Ne možemo da pristupamo obrazovanju kao pre 20 – 30 godina. Današnja mladež je vizuelna i to ne smemo zanemariti. Oni drugačije uče, a učiteljima to pruža priliku da proces učenja sprovedu kombinacijom pokretnih slika, fotografija, zvukova i najvažnije medija. Mediji su danas vrlo agresivni, i koriste sve vrste taktika kako bi sadržajem privukli publiku, često lažnim i kamufliranim činjenicama.

Kako bi situacija bila održiva, važno je raditi s nastavnicima i pomoći im u razvijanju pedagoških veština putem audio-vizuelnih alata. Kada se te veštine interaktivno primene u učionici, učenici razvijaju sposobnost da se odupru kontroverznim medijskim narativima, a to im pomaže da razviju komunikacijske i međuljudske veštine koje su im potrebne za dijalog, suočavanje sa neslaganjem, ali i nauče miroljubive pristupe promenama.

Audiovizuelno obrazovanje, sa druge strane, može biti vrlo opasno. Nedavno sam pročitao intervju s velikim nemačkim rediteljem Vernerom Herzogom koji kaže: „činjenice ne predstavljaju istinu“. Ta fraza mi je ostala u umu i podsetila me kako su važne kritičke i analitičke veštine razmišljanja radi donošenja informativnog suda i izbegavanja ushićenja kroz izmišljene činjenice politički etnocentričnog osećaja. Stoga ovaj proces treba da bude olakšan i didaktičkim alatima koji su dostupni. Treba raspravljati o višestrukim perspektivama.

Kakav je Vaš stav povodom angažovanja nevladinog sektora na pružanju i organizovanju konkretnih inicijativa za povezivanje, upoznavanje i stvaranje boljih odnosa između mladih, i kako se u to uklapa, ili razlikuje, ono što Dokufest godinama radi i pokušava da stvori?

– Organizacije civilnog društva i kulturna scena stvorili su veliki broj mogućnosti za interkulturalnu razmenu. Neke su inicijative bile genijalne, neke osrednje, a neke su aktivnosti bile veoma loše! Nažalost, postoje i brojna udruženja koje su nanela više štete i dodatno polarizovala procese normalizacije, sa obe strane granica.

Skloni smo izgradnji organskih partnerstava. Brojni su filmski festivali i organizacije s kojima sarađujemo već više od deset godina, a nedavno smo počeli da stvaramo iskrena partnerstva s muzičkom scenom. Naša filmska škola je podržala brojne studente i mlade filmske stvaraoce iz Srbije, koji sada grade filmove uspešnih karijera.

Mislim da smo na DokuFestu uspeli da izgradimo partnerstva utemeljena na razumevanju, toleranciji, prijateljstvu. Kako su partnerstva prirodno rasla, tokom godina, uspeli smo da stvorimo i višedimenzionalnu regionalnu transformativnu platformu koja je usmerena na mlade, što je dovelo do stvaranja novih zajedničkih vrednosti, a ne samo razmene.

• Pitanja sa društvenih mreža

Šta je, prema Vašem mišljenju, najbolje rešenje za Kosovo?

– Pre mnogo godina živeo sam sa bratom pod istim krovom. Nismo se slagali i stalno smo se svađali oko banalnih stvari poput čiji je red da se istušira, da li je muzika preglasna, čiji je red da koristi telefon… (da, to je bilo u vreme dobrih starih fiksnih telefona), zašto su drugari pozvani usred nedelje i tako dalje. Ponekad se sve to pretvaralo u gadan sukob, zbog kojeg mesecima ne bismo razgovarali.

Odselio sam se, uzeo stan i počeo da živim svoj život. Od tog momenta mi smo postali više nego braća, postali smo prijatelji koji se podržavaju u teškim životnim momentima jer nas je distanca zbližila.

Kosovo je proglasilo svoju nezavisnost, sa simbolima, a putni dokument UNMIK-a zamenjen je nacionalnim pasošem. Nerešeni status najbolje funkcioniše za korumpirane političare, manipulatore i kriminalce. Rešenje koje vidim je slično alegoriji mog odvajanja od brata.

Živeli smo u jednoj zajedničkoj zemlji u kojoj je krvavi rat uzeo svoj danak. Postoje Albanci koji žive u Srbiji i Srbi koji žive na Kosovu. I jedni i drugi se koriste za političke manipulacije. Radimo na stvaranju pristojnog i prosperitetnog okruženja za mlade koji su tolerantni i poštuju jedni druge. Dalji etnocentrizam može samo podstaknuti nacionalistička osećanja, a znamo kako se ta igra završava.

Koliko je tačno ono što nam predstavljaju mediji?

– Skoro ništa. Činjenice su uglavnom trivijalizovane i spakovane tako da podstaknu govor mržnje. A kad čitam komentare na društvenim medijima, gadim se koliko smo postali nehumani.

Da li postoji poverenje u društvene institucije i koliko značaja ima nezavisnost kulture, umetnosti, nauke, sporta..

– Nezavisna kulturna scena već je pokazala da kultura i umetnost mogu slomiti granice i usmeriti procese ka napred. Sport je složeniji i prevrtljiviji, jer postoje neke gorke uspomene s fudbalskih događaja koji su podstakle nacionalističke reakcije i podelu.

Na institucionalnom nivou, Srbija neprestano blokira članstvo Kosova u međunarodnim institucijama i agencijama, a UNESCO je bio jedan od ružnih primera vrlo agresivne kampanje o korišćenju činjenica – kako bi se iskrivila istina. Trenutni politički diskurs je nepošten i stoga ne može proizvesti pozitivne promene. Barem za sada. Ali ne smemo odustati!

***

ENGLISH VERSION

• Questions asked by Danas journalists:

Did you have a good time at the Beldocs festival and what are your impressions about the films that were presented there? What is your favourite one?

– It is always pleasure attending a film festival in Belgrade and I’m always looking forward to reconnecting with good old friends and making some new ones. Being a juror at the festival has its limitations, making it very difficult to watch most of the films you are interested in. We awarded one of my favorite films, the Croatian film “U ime Republike Hrvatske” by Goran Devic, for a daring, raw, delicately humorous, intelligently layered and, above all, compassionate approach to portraying a determined yet unfortunate character that leaves you no choice but to empathize with his struggle. There were few other exceptional films, that made our decision very difficult, but at the end our decision was unanimous.

How would you describe the collaboration between Serbian and Kosovar artists – can film and art eradicate the prejudices and make people closer to each other?

– The collaboration between the independent scenes has functioned for quite some time now. There are many great examples of collaborative efforts that have created synergies and were build on mutual understanding, respect and trust. Film can be used as a tool to break prejudices and stereotypes, but human element is essential, and therefore artists and entire cultural scene have to do more through joint initiatives to increase mobility and inter-cultural exchange to strengthen the connections between young people.

I need to underline that it is much easier to work with artists and Civil Society Organizations from Serbia as opposed to Serbs living in Kosovo. I guess, due to the super charged political climate in Kosovo, inter-ethnic collaboration on a local level is getting more difficult each year.

Can you more thoroughly describe your work, what topics do you deal with and in which way do you cause social changes? What do you advocate for and what do you point to through your films?

– DokuFest as a cultural organization is focused on education through film. After many years of involvement in education through audiovisual tools, we have now embarked on more comprehensive approach that develops the skills of the educators to appropriately address misperceptions, prejudices and hate speech that are dispensed through traditional and digital media. We are particularly proud of this progress, as we can clearly see the immediate ability of students to make informed judgment, to critically assess information and develop resilience towards ethnocentric interpretations. We are aware that this is just a drop in the ocean, nevertheless we are confident that critical pedagogy can help with development of social-emotional skills to overcome their doubts and engage constructively in society without having to resort to violence.

Our Festival each year becomes a driving force in the field of culture and activism in Kosovo and a celebration of innovation, talent and discovery. With events for professionals, young talents and children alike, DokuFest hallmarks are a courageous film program filling the cinemas and improvised screening venues around the historic city of Prizren, music acts stretching across three stages and covering from folk to contemporary electronic music acts, photography workshops and exhibitions, outdoor visual exhibitions and VR experiences.

What, in your opinion, should be prioritized first and foremost in order to normalize relations between Serbia and Kosovo? 

– The entire narrative that has been built on nationalistic ideology, and fueled by hate speech is the biggest opponent of normalization. The honest and depoliticized approach to dealing with the past is urgent. Sporadic and incoherent initiatives are very rare and unable to have wider impact. As this is very complex due to current political landscape charged with ethnocentric narratives, an immediate response would be increased mobility and exchange for youth in order to empower them as conscious citizens who can tackle the societal obstacles.

Meeting each other is essential to knowing each other. Otherwise, in this scary age of fake news, we will succumb to hate speech as a norm in both of our societies.

What do you think about the process of normalization that is currently being led by the authorities in Pristina and Belgrade?

– I don’t believe in the current process. It’s neither honest nor has a potential to work towards any meaningful solution.

The most recent event in Serbia when right-wingers stormed the bakery owned by an Albanian is far from normalization, and I’m afraid that this can deteriorate and escalate the situation further. On the other hand, 100% tariff also doesn’t represent normalization.

It might feel repetitive, but I am a firm believer that the prosperous future will appear on the horizon only when we begin critically addressing the past. The open wounds must be healed as soon as possible. The manipulations, minimization and exaggeration with regard to unresolved question of missing persons remains a deep scar, and is unnecessarily prolonging the normalization process.

Is it possible that the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia might be achieved by the political elites that were active during the 1990s conflicts?

– I sincerely don’t believe in that anymore. The entire negotiation process turned into a farce and managed to divide EU’s stance towards entire Western Balkans European integration processes.

• Questions asked by Ognjen Glavonić, film producer:

After seven years you spent as the Executive Director of DokuFest that became one of the most important festivals of documentary films during that period of time, you are appointed as director of DokuLab program, which is the position that might be unclear to many who are not involved in the film industry. Can you say what that position exactly involves and what is the biggest challenge for you and what makes you excited and happy? What does being a cultural worker here and today mean to you?

– This is a normal shift for an organization that faces constant growth. You restructure and identify your potential to be able to address your weaknesses. And we started with that in 2016 with the appointment of a Festival Director, enabling further professionalization of the Festival and allowing me personally to focus on institutional growth of the organization. This is how DokuLab came to life. The entire idea was to synergize annual projects into a program that promotes use of documentary film in education – engaging teachers and their students in active exploration. The creative minds are also provided with know-how and equipment for creative documentary filmmaking on a local and regional level. And then, we wanted to show some creativity by bringing unusual films to unusual locations through our Solar powered Traveling Cinema. All of these perfectly blended to our DokuLab structure.

As much as seeing this role as challenging, it is as equal as exciting and refreshing. After so many years researching the best models of how film is used in education internationally, we have finally developed a comprehensive Online Teacher Resource with the support of High School Teachers. In parallel we have introduced “Film in Classroom” course in the Faculty of Education in Prizren, and we are continuously producing films by youth. This makes us all at DokuFest very proud, but also increases our responsibility to maintain the quality of the program at the highest standard possible.

Sharing knowledge for the sake of better understanding of the possibilities and the human nature makes a difference on a personal level. For me, it goes beyond a job; it has turned into a passion. I am aware that the results of the work that we are currently doing are not immediate. It takes a lot of patience! And I am sure that one day, these creative and critical minds will take on the process of social transformation. We just need to believe and never give up!

What do you think about the audiovisual education of the youth and its absence from the school program? What are your ways of approaching to the film education of the new generations? Is it possible to teach young people to see and recognize the forms of manipulation, corruption and lies which have been offered here for years as the truth through reading and understanding images surrounding them?

– We can’t approach education like we did 20 or 30 years ago. Today’s youth is visual and we should not neglect that. They can learn differently and it gives teachers a chance to stimulate their learning process with combination of moving images, still pictures, sounds and most importantly media. The Media today is very aggressive, using all sorts of tactics to entice the audiences to their content, often fake and camouflaged as a fact.

To be able to sustain it, it is important to work with teachers and help them develop pedagogy skills through audiovisual tools. Once these skills are interactively applied in the classroom setting, students develop the resilience to resist to the controversial media narratives, through challenging everything and it helps them develop the communication and interpersonal skills they need to have dialogue, face disagreement and learn peaceful approaches to change.

Audiovisual education can also be very dangerous. I have recently read an interview with the great German director Werner Herzog saying “facts do not constitute the truth” and this phrase have remained in my mind and reminded me how important critical & analytical thinking skills are to make informed judgments and avoid entrapment through fabricated “facts” that boost the ethnocentric sentiment. Therefore this process should be facilitated and didactic tools should be made available to discuss multiple perspectives.

What do you think about the engagement of the NGOs sector in making and organizing the concrete initiatives for connecting, making friendship and improving relations between young people and how does it fit the things Dokufest has worked and tried to create for years or does it differ from it?

– The Civil Society Organizations and cultural scene in particular have created vast number of possibilities for intercultural exchange. Some initiatives were ingenious, some mediocre and some activities were really bad! Unfortunately, there are also many tick-the-box organizations that did more harm and further polarized the normalization processes. This happened from both side of the borders.

We tend to build organic partnerships. There are number of Film Festivals and organizations that we have collaborated with for over a decade, but recently we also started creating sincere partnerships with music scene. Our film school has supported number of students and young filmmakers from Serbia, who are now building successful careers in film.

I think we at DokuFest managed to build these partnerships based on understanding, tolerance, friendship and reciprocity. As partnerships grew naturally, over the years we managed to create a multidimensional regional transformative platform that targets youth, leading to the creation of new value together, rather than mere exchange.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxp_oRKJOVy/

In your opinion, what is the best solution for Kosovo issue?

– I used to live with my brother under one roof for many years. We would constantly fight! Who’s turn is to shower, loud music, it’s my turn to use the phone (yes, this is in the times of good old landlines), why did you invite your friends in the middle of the week, and so on and so forth. It turned nasty at times, not speaking to each other for months.

And then I moved out. Got my own apartment and started my own life. Since then, we are more than just brothers; we became good friends supporting each other in difficult moments of life. The distance brought us closer.

Kosovo has declared its independence, with the symbols and UNMIK Travel Document is replaced with a national passport. The unresolved status works best for corrupted politicians, manipulators and criminals.

And I see the solution similar to the allegory of my separation.

We used to live in one common country and a bloody war took its toll. There are Albanians who live in Serbia and there are Serbs who live in Kosovo, and both are used for political manipulations. Let us work on creating a decent and prosperous environment for youth who are tolerant and respectful to each other. Further ethnocentrism can just fuel the nationalistic sentiment, and we know how that game ends.

How much is the information presented by the media true?

– Almost nothing. Facts are most of the time trivialized and packaged to increase the hate speech. And when I read comments on social media I am disgusted how inhumane we have become.

Are the social institutions trusted and how much is the independence of culture, art, science, sport, etc. important?

– The independent cultural scene already demonstrated that culture and art could break borders and could move things forward. Sport is more tricky and complicated and there are some bitter memories of football events that have fueled nationalistic reactions and furthered the divide.

On institutional level, Serbia is constantly blocking Kosovo’s membership to international institutions and agencies, and UNESCO was one of the ugly examples of very aggressive campaign on using facts to warp the truth.

The current political discourse is dishonest and therefore cannot produce some positive change.

At least for now. But we should not give up!