While poetry as a form of art that nowadays is not as common as music or painting, it is still very much alive. During a poetry reading one can discover much about themselves but also about the people that you are enjoying the activity together with. Listening to the poetries can invoke deep emotions as they are read out by the authors, and sharing this space with people from a large variety of backgrounds that you do not normally meeting on your daily routine makes it all the more special. Poetries usually follow a variety of themes, such as, love, friendship, and connection, as themes very much at the heart of youth.
#RCT sub-grantees NGO CASA brought together poets and community members alike for a night of poetry reading, with the poets coming from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. The poetries were read out in their original language of writing; however, translations were provided as part of the booklet that was disseminated to all participants and printed for further distribution. This way everyone was able to listen to the original voice while being able to understand every word expressed.
The booklet created by CASA is titled ‘Cultural Heritage in the making – Young Poets of Kosovo,’ and it complied the work of all ten poets together. They were all written in Albanian or Serbian, and translated so that any community member of Kosovo can appreciate them. Reconciliation is a complex process that requires much work from all actors of citizens life. Art as a form of communication often can be more effective in conveying emotions and perceptions that are otherwise difficult to express.
#RCT Activity will continue to promote events of this type to make sure that youngsters and other community members from various backgrounds can continue to engage with one another in stimulating environments over their interest and excitement for art, friendship, and more. Spaces like this of interaction and pleasant atmosphere are vital to the reconciliation process addressing issues from a creative perspective and will continue to foster the process of moving forward.