BOTA SOT: The Serbian ethnic minority in Kosovo and the Finnish ethnic minority in Sweden
“In the north of Sweden (the city of Kiruna and its surrounding area) lives Finnish ethnic minority. The Swedes are autochthonous. However, Finland has never fought a war and throughout history has not shown pretensions and attempts to occupy or greediness to colonize that territory and to take advantage of that remarkable underground wealth. The Finnish ethnic minority that lives in Sweden enjoys all minority rights, and what is most important and particularly significant for the situation is that it’s loyal to the Swedish state. Their loyalty to the state makes them dear to the Swedes.
In Kosovo, mainly in the north, we know that there is a Serbian ethnic minority living there. The Albanian are autochthonous. With the Constitution of Kosovo, all minority rights are guaranteed to the Serbian ethnic minority in Kosovo in accordance to international laws, more than any other minorities in the world. Normally, the Serbian ethnic minority in Kosovo, compared to the Finnish ethnic minority in Sweden, is expected to be loyal to the state of Kosovo. But Serbia is manipulating with this minority”, writes Prof. Zija Leshi in the column „The Serbian ethnic minority in Kosovo and the Finnish ethnic minority in Sweden“.
KDP: Tetovo cultural and social space, an absurd and hopeful history
“In June 2018, a group of young people knocked on the doors of our organization in Tetovo – Democracy Lab, with a request that excited us all. This group of urban young people was seeking for a local organization that would institutionally cover a cooperation initiative within the framework of the Erasmus+ European program with an organization from Brussels, which as a mission had the revival and restoring of abandoned public spaces in function of the community.
Essentially, this noble idea solved multiple problems through one single approach: removing dirt accumulated over time and because of institutional obliviousness, returning into use a building built with citizens money and finally turning it into a resource for the community itself. Activities and events can also be held – including daily use where young people can gather and spend time”, an excerpt of the column “Tetovo cultural and social space, an absurd and hopeful history“ by Sefer Selimi.
D.Tahiri
Translation: N. Cvetkovska
