Art, historically, has brought people together. In instances where art is present, cultural or linguistic differences fade away, and (especially) young people seem to focus on the emotion of the moment, free from stereotypes and the fear of judgment. It is always a pleasure to be part of such moments. When activities aimed at reconciliation and conflict transformation are conceived and some form of art is present, we know that the magical element of the evening will not be missing.
Recently we witnessed an unforgettable night at Pristina. ‘Multi-ethnic poetry & music night’ brought together 56 participants from K-Albanian, K-Serb and K-Roma. Knowing that music and poetry act as a bridge, reminding us of our shared humanity and the opportunity to learn from each other’s cultures and form new friendships, the Cohesion Circle Members from Prishtina were inspired to organize this event. It united poetry performers from all three communities to recite and was then followed by music in multiple languages. Rubija Redžepi, Andjelija Vučinić and Agon Rexhepi captivated the audience with their poetry readings, while Jimmy Band brought a festive environment to Bubble.
The event started with Agon Rexhepi leading the discussion, which created a nice, friendly atmosphere. Agon is also a published poet and his poetry brought warm emotions to the audience creating an engaging atmosphere for the audience.
Following Agon, poetry reading in Romani language was performed by Rubija Redžepi. Among other poems, she also performed the poem “Mulo lacho Rom / A Deceased Good Rom” which mesmerized the audience by its meaningful message, especially the phrase:
“And the Roma (human) seeks for place;
And the Roma (human) seeks for a place to live in the world – unity”.
Afterwards, Andjelija Vučinić performed poetry highlighting the power of peace and how humans can find peace everywhere if they are willing to. Andjelija ended her performance with the sentence:
“Peace is here, peace is there, look in the mirror if you ask where…”
The poetry reading was followed by Jimmy Mustafa Band’s music in different languages. The Cohesion Circle Members, activists and several youngsters enjoyed the wonderful singing from the band by singing and dancing together. This evening concluded around midnight and left us all with really good memories. But evenings like this are much more than that: they are opportunities to start, spontaneously, conversations between people from different communities and to pave the way for building friendships.