ALDA’s new path towards a wider spread of good governance’s principles and a deeper regional impact has officially started, thanks to the 4 online discussions to share our strategic views with local stakeholders.

These events took place between the 7^th and the 21^st December with the aim of unfolding ALDA’s new Strategic Plan for 2020-2024 adopted during the General Assembly of October to increase the impact and scope of our action, at the occasion of ALDA’s 20th anniversary.

“ALDA is not slowing down: despite the restrictions on movements, we stayed close to our members and we maintain a positive look on the future – underlined ALDA’s Vice-President, Mr Alessandro Perelli during the meeting on the Mediterranean area – We believe our work consists in promoting shared values of democracy, active citizenship and equal opportunities also, but not only, in African and Middle Eastern countries.”

Decentralization, subsidiarity and citizens’ participation are still the core of our strategy.

This represents an important milestone for the whole Association: after 20 years of activity and a network which has consistently grown, especially in the last decade, ALDA is now ready to expand its area of action, and this is happening in a historical moment where acting at the community level is a key priority to assure the sustainability of our communities. As also pointed out by Mrs Natasa Vuckovic, member of ALDA Governing Board, “next year is going to be a crucial year and the role of ALDA will be greater and more important than ever, mostly because of the pandemic, which has deepened the need of citizens to which ALDA offers services and different kinds of supports.”

All in all, the 4 webinars saw a good participation of members and partners, curious not only to discover the new priorities for 2020-2024, but also to start paving the way to future projects and collaborations according to such a strategy and our common goals.

With a specific regional focus, each webinar involved local stakeholders and members of ALDA’s new Governing Board active in the area of discussion.

“We are dedicated to EU values and this is strategic for us. We are working on decentralization, subsidiarity and citizens’ participation. This is still the core of our strategy”, highlighted ALDA President Mr Oriano Otočan during the first webinar focusing on Europe.

Moreover, ALDA’s Governing Board members contributed with precious insights and inputs, proving once again their deep commitment in being active actors in the implementation of the new strategic views.  “As a person who comes from the Western Balkans region, – stated the newly elected Governing Board member Mr Emir Coric –I think I can and I will help ALDA in increasing the cooperation with local authorities and I will directly support those municipalities in implementing good governance principles and citizens participation”.

From this moment onwards, the work to make this plan real has begun, but what is more important is to keep nourishing the conversation with our members and partners, reason why we encourage everyone to get in touch with us to join our mission, a shared mission.

The Balkan region’s recent history is marked by periods of conflicts, wars and decisions aiming at redrawing the region’s borders. All these events will furthermore define the political, economic and social systems in the Balkan countries, bearing in mind that the legacy of the recent past – the remembrance – still remains a fundamental issue that must be considered from an interdisciplinary perspective in order to intensify our efforts to build a solid democracy and guarantee a sustainable future in this region.

Moreover, the narrative should be presented in a way that takes into account various experiences on different levels and social groups.

The online Regional Forum will be the occasion to discuss the challenges and the possibility to build a common narrative for the Balkan region. The conference will highlight good practices about remembrance and intercultural dialogue, including sessions for the exchange of experiences on various sub-topics such as youth, cultural tourism, languages, EU integration and fake news. The Forum will gather representatives of civil society organizations as well as cultural and educational institutions working on the topics of reconciliation and intercultural dialogue.

Last but not least of the series of webinars promoted by ALDA to unfold our new Strategic Plan, the fourth online meeting-discussion will focus on our project and development strategy in the Eastern Partnership Countries, namely Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia.

As outlined by Mr Vassilis Maragos, Head of Unit – DG Near of the European Commission in a recent interview dated July 2020 “[….] shaping relations with the Eastern Partnership is a fundamental step towards European integration”. He also pointed the attention on the fact that “democracy and the rule of law remain two pillars on which every other socio-economical-political issue such as, green transition, digital transformation and fair partnerships must rely on.”

Join us for an online webinar on December 21^st, 2020 at 2pm to learn about our strategy in the Eastern Partnership region!

Absolutely in line with those principles, the webinar will unfold ALDA’s views and plan of action to contribute to the process of transformation and empowerment of Eastern Partnership-based communities.

The appointment, open to all ALDA members and partners, is on Monday, December 21^st, 2020, at 2pm CET.

Ms Antonella Valmorbida, ALDA Secretary General will open the panel and the webinar will be held by Ms Shorena Khukhua, freshly elected Governing Board member and by Mr Alexandru Coica, EaP Regional Coordinator.

To have a finest framework of the situation, it is essential to bear in mind that the Eastern Partnership area is a key working path for ALDA, since 2006. Our strategic objectives for the forthcoming years are to strengthen our presence in this region, by empowering local authorities and implementing decentralisation and territorial reforms.

ALDA members and partners, you can register THROUGH THIS LINK to join the conversation and give us your personal vision and opinion about our plan and start thinking about possible cooperation and projects in the area!

As previously announced, ALDA has revealed the launch of 4 regional webinars, free and open to ALDA’s members and partners, with the aim of unfolding the NewStrategic Plan for 2020-2024.

The first online meeting-discussion will focus on the European area and ALDA’s future strategy to strengthen local democracy in the Old Continent.

Join the 1st European Regional Webinar and discover our new Strategic Plan for 2020-2024!

The appointment is on Monday, December 7^th, 2020, at 2pm CET and it is open to all ALDA members and partners.

The conversation will be conducted by Mr Oriano Otočan, President of ALDA, Ms Antonella Valmorbida, ALDA Secretary General, Mr Francesco Zarzana and Mr Bartłomiej Ostrowski, ALDA Vice Presidents.

ALDA’s network is Europe is well developed and varied: yet a further effort to engage local stakeholders is fundamental in order to make an impact and be, together, strong change drivers. 

ALDA members and partners, REGISTER HERE to join the conversation and let’s meet each other online to discover our strategy, planned actions and pillar values!

An interview with Vladimir Martinovski, professor at the University of “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” in Skopje, Department of Comparative Literature, interviewed by Ana Frangovska, art historian and curator.

Vladimir Martinovski is a poet, prose writer, literary critic, translator and musician. He is a professor at the General and Comparative Literature Department of the “Blaze Koneski” Faculty of Philology, “Ss Cyril and Methodius” University, Skopje. He received his Bachelor and Master’s degrees at the Faculty of Philology, and his PhD at the University of the New Sorbonne – Paris III. He has authored the following books: “From Image to Poem – Interference between Contemporary Macedonian Poetry and Fine Arts” (a study, 2003), “Maritime Moon” (haiku and tanka, 2003), “Hidden Poems”
(haiku, 2005), “And Water and Earth and Fire and Air” (haiku, 2006), “Comparative Triptychs” (studies and essays, 2007), “Les Musées imaginaires” or “Imaginary Museums” (a study, 2009), “A Wave Echo” (haibuns, 2009), “Reading Images – Aspects of Ekphrastic Poetry” (a study, 2009) and “Quartets” (poetry, 2010). He co-edited the books: “Ut Pictura Poesis – Poetry in Dialogue with Plastic Arts – a Thematic Selection of Macedonian Poetry” (with Nuhi Vinca, 2006), “Metamorphoses and Metatexts” (with Vesna Tomovska, 2008).

If we are to promote our rich cultural heritage, then the most logical thing to do is to preserve both the tangible and intangible cultural heritage in writing… consequently literature. Literature survives the test of time and is always apprehended. Interviewing Vladimir Martinovski on issues related to ‘shared or contested heritage’ gave us very knowledgeable, tasty and rich context in the research.

Cultural heritage tends to promote the creation of icons, which simultaneously tend to create stereotypes that risk negatively affecting individuals and groups. Such an icon needs to be critically deconstructed. What is your opinion about this discourse?

Vladimir: As the word suggests, cultural heritage is something we have inherited from previous generations. And, as well, we have borrowed it from the future ones, on behalf of whom we have an obligation to protect it. Yet, cultural heritage is something we should earn. Let us enter into living communication and save it from oblivion. Cultural heritage should enrich and ennoble our lives. To help us better understand the people of the past, and better understand each other today. To help us understand that the great achievements in art and culture belong to all mankind as signposts pointing out the best in any human. Andre Malraux said that art is one of the few things that humanity can be proud of. But when the complexity of cultural heritage is neglected, and simplifications are made based on looking through the national dioptre, it is quite easy to fall into the traps of stereotypes such as “we are the cultured ones, the others are the barbarians”. Therefore, the creation of “icons »” has two faces. On one hand, it is good to have examples from people of the past, to know and respect their meaning, and to constantly strive for their achievements and values. But even here a measure is needed. On the other hand, there is the danger of indulging in the temptations of uncritical idealisation, hyperbole, and simplification, which can lead to an idolatrous relationship, emptied of essence.

Do you think that the realm of words can influence the way the audience read the stories related to heritage (shared or contested)?

Vladimir: Words are always necessary, so there is a huge responsibility in them. The novelist Michel Butor said that all “ »dumb artefacts” (artistic or architectural) are interpreted with the help of verbal discourse, “which surrounds them”, starting from the titles of the works. In other words, material, immovable cultural heritage, among other things, requires to be interpreted, explained through language. The attitude towards cultural heritage could certainly be compared to “reading” and interpreting stories. Some stories go on for millennia, some are forgotten. If the present or future generations are not shown the value, meaning, uniqueness of an object from the past, they could neglect it completely, leaving it to oblivion and the “ravages of time”. Cultural heritage requires care. Although intangible, language is also a cultural heritage site, one of the most valuable. It is through language that we realise that cultural heritage is something alive, in which each of us participates.

When dealing with shared history and heritage, international cooperation has the potential to foster more understanding within and between cultures. Do you agree? What is your personal experience?

Vladimir: International cooperation is crucial for both mutual understanding as well as understanding the concept of cultural heritage. Although there is a tendency to talk about national cultural heritage, which is quite legitimate, in essence no culture exists in isolation from others and all great achievements in culture belong to all mankind. As a phenomenon, culture is a palimpsest and the whole of culture is essentially shared. Understanding many phenomena in art, literature and culture at the national level necessarily leads us to intercultural dialogues, exchanges, as well as facing the fact that there are regional cultural achievements, as well as larger cultural zones. Great art crosses all boundaries. I have participated in many international literary festivals, where literary works are practiced by the authors to be read in the mother tongue, and then read in translation so that the local audience can understand them. It is wonderful to hear the diversity of languages, the different “music” of each language. Poets create in a language they inherited from their ancestors. But every song in the original and when translated, is not only the fruit of a linguistic tradition, it also belongs to world literature. Some of the most beautiful achievements in all segments of art are created precisely because of the mixing of cultures.

We do have heritage that can evoke different – sometimes difficult or competing – views and emotions, depending on the approach and viewpoint. The challenge of dealing with such divergence lies in the attempt to simultaneously convey these different views and voices when presenting this heritage to the public. Do you agree and do you think that this is an essential task when dealing with heritage and histories that speak to different people in different ways?

Vladimir: Unfortunately, just as material heritage (from fields to old family homes) can be a kind of “apple of discord”, likewise is the nationality of important personalities, artists or works of art from the past get bitterly disputed. Instead of critically perceiving the importance, value, and worth of those individuals or works, the discourse of belonging and possession is sometimes forced and absolutised. Some authors belong to more cultures and I do not see anything wrong with that. On the contrary. There are authors who have created in multiple languages, in multiple environments, under the influence of multiple cultures and poetics. Instead of stubbornly arguing over their belonging to a single culture, it is far better to look at them as bridges between cultures or as a common, shared value.

« The attitude towards cultural heritage could certainly be compared to “reading” and interpreting stories »

Do you think that being more polyvocal, engaging, diverse, (self-)reflective and participatory may solve some of the obstacles on the way of presenting cultural heritage (shared or contested)? 

Vladimir: The epithets you enumerate are beautiful: diversity and pluralism and self-reflection and criticism are needed, as well as scientific acrimony and readiness for different opinions, arguments and interpretations. Cultural heritage should be preserved, nurtured, to be a part of our lives.

Can you think of an example of a case study of shared or contested heritage related to your particular field of interest (ethno-music, history, archaeology, contemporary art, art history etc.) and how would you approach its presentation? 

Vladimir: As an example for shared heritage I could point to the poem “Ο Αρματωλός” / “The Serdar” (1860) by Gligor Prlichev (1830-1893), a work written in Greek, in which thematic patterns and stylistic features from Homer’s epics, the Byzantine epic tradition, the Renaissance epic and the Macedonian folklore are intertwined in a masterful way, all through the talent of an exceptional poet, who received the epithet “the Second Homer”. This poetic masterpiece dedicated to the death of the hero Kuzman Kapidan has been translated many times in both Bulgarian and Macedonian, and with its value certainly enters among the most important literary works created not only in the Balkans, but also in Europe in the XIX century. As an example of shared heritage, I would like to point out the Old Slavic language, Old Slavic literacy and literature, as a common root of all Slavic languages, including, of course, Macedonian. Challenging the authenticity of the Macedonian language due to daily political agendas which we are witnessing these days is extremely problematic, as it could translate as a challenge or dispute of the Macedonian literature, art and culture.

In a context of uncertainties and dystopias, what is the role of cultural heritage?

Vladimir: In these pandemic circumstances, we have all become convinced of the fragility, vulnerability and insecurity of today’s humanity. Due to insatiable consumerism and greed for profit, we have become a threat to other forms of existence, as well as to our cultural heritage. In a short time, our everyday life began to look like a dystopian novel. We have seen that war conflicts in the last decade in different parts of the world have irreversibly damaged significant cultural treasures. The economic crisis that is inseparable from the pandemic crisis can also affect the neglect of cultural heritage. However, let us not give in to pessimism. Just as Boccaccio’s Decameron was created during a plague epidemic, these difficult months on our planet are sure to create works of art that will grow into a significant cultural heritage site. We learn to appreciate some things only when we realise that we can easily lose them.

One of the challenges for researchers and practitioners in the field of cultural heritage is to develop more inclusive approaches to share heritage in order to transgress social and national boundaries. Any ideas on how this approach could be implemented into your particular field of interest?

Vladimir: We live in a digital age, in which inclusiveness and accessibility to different forms of cultural heritage is also realised through the Internet: from digitised manuscripts and books to accessible sound libraries and virtual visits to buildings and museums. These “digital versions” of cultural heritage are important both for archiving, as well as for new ways of presentation, close to contemporary and future generations. However, this does not exonerate us from the responsibility for permanent protection of the existing cultural heritage.

Another method of challenging the national narrative, regarding shared or contested heritage, would be to go from the particular to the universal. Cornelius Holtorf writes: “(…) the new cultural heritage can transcend cultural particularism by promoting values and virtues derived from humanism and a commitment to global solidarity.” What do you think about this?

Vladimir: I agree with Holtorf. It is in these times of crisis that we see how much these values are needed, and to what extent the values and virtues of humanism and global solidarity have been forgotten. We are all connected and we can all help each other in many areas, with the care for cultural heritage being one of them.

When we discuss shared or contested heritage, the issue of time is essential, and in extreme cases of recent turmoil, the best method for reconciliation might not be to address the past as individually relatable; but rather that the past should hopefully remain in the past. Do you think that this can be implemented into our context?

Vladimir: We can learn a lot from the past. Among other things, that we should not allow ourselves to sacrifice the present and the future for the sake of the past. As difficult and arduous as they are, mutual reconciliation, acceptance and cooperation are the real tasks of today’s generations, to leave a better world for future generations.

***

The interview is conducted within the framework of the project “Shared or contested heritage”, implemented by ALDA Skopje and Forum ZFD. The aim of the project is to improve cross-border cooperation between North Macedonia, Greece and Bulgaria. The project raises awareness of the role of contested histories and shared cultural heritage for the EU integration processes among heritage practitioners and cultural workers. The content of the interview is the sole responsibility of the interviewee and does not always reflect the views and attitudes of ALDA and Forum ZFD.

Although this year has been particularly difficult, ALDA is even more determined to support local and participative democracy as well as to strengthen citizens’ local approach and resilience.

With its 20th anniversary and also taking into consideration the crisis generated by the worldwide outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which adds to other already existing challenges, ALDA adopted a new Strategic Plan for 2020-2024 during the Annual General Assembly to increase the impact of its action and we are now proud and excited to present our networks this new strategy!

« Democracy and citizens’ engagement are and will be a key factor for unlocking positive and constructive proposals for the future »

With the aim of outlining the new strategic plan, the key objectives, the vision and ALDA’s driving forces, we are thrilled to announce the launch of 4 regional webinars, free and open to ALDA’s members and partner, which will take place during the month of December:

• 7 December/ at 2 pm CET – regional meeting with European area members and partners REGISTER HERE!
• 14 December/ at 2 pm CET – regional meeting with Mediterranean area members and partners. REGISTER HERE!
• 17 December/ at 2 pm CET – regional meeting with Balkan area members and partners. REGISTER HERE!
• 21 December/ at 2 pm CET – regional meeting with Eastern Partnership area members and partners. REGISTER HERE!

Oriano Otocan, President of ALDA and Antonella Valmorbida, ALDA General Secretary, together with the Regional Coordinators and the representatives of the new Governing Board, will unfold the vision of the quadrennial plan and will share with members and partners the new strategic views.

Democracy and citizens’ engagement are and will be a key factor for unlocking positive and constructive proposals for the future and, ALDA, together with its members and partners, wants to be at the centre of a successful proposal in order to design and activate positive changes while confronting the main current challenges.

Don’t miss the chance of discovering the new priorities of ALDA and to discuss further how to implement the plan in accordance with your local and regional priorities!

Join us online!