MITROVICA, WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT YOUTH
I wake up with the full desire and will to do something good or be part of some social or cultural activity, I stop and think of where I should start but don’t find any alternative, I don’t find even one activity dedicated to youth, the most vulnerable part of the most vulnerable city of Kosovo: Mitrovica. A city that had all of its dreams shattered! I stop and think about whether there is someone responsible and guilty for the state that has gripped us?
Illustration: Argjira Kukaj
I remember in high school when we were all planning our dreams in this city, our birthplace, near our family members and some of us thought that we’d see each other almost every day because maybe youth activities that we were all so excited to take part in would join us. We’d say our city has a rich artistic life, we thought to take care of developing our talent and realizing our dreams. I would like to confess still about my dreams and many young people of this city’s dreams but I see that dreams are nothing more except some minutes of escape from this depressing, gloomy and hopeless state that has encompassed my entire being.
I wake up with the full desire and will to do something good or be part of some social or cultural activity, I stop and think of where I should start but don’t find any alternative, I don’t find even one activity dedicated to youth, the most vulnerable part of the most vulnerable city of Kosovo: Mitrovica. A city that had all of its dreams shattered! I stop and think about whether there is someone responsible and guilty for the state that has gripped us?
Culture Center “Rexhep Mitrovica” is situated on the center of the city, with an architecture of Ex-Yugoslavian times which for years served as a meeting place for artists, activists and other people of the city. This center is also one of the places that can be considered a cultural asset, exactly because of the activities and the role that this space has played throughout the years.
Today this center counts for 25 organizations that function inside of it.
But, regardless of this huge number of organizations the activities are very rear. More than a decade ago, in this center different cultural activities were held, playing the role of cinema, theater, space for concerts and also other activities for young boys and girls. The Mitrovica municipality doesn’t have a theater or cinema, but this center in a way served as a space that encompassed all of these things in one place. But now it’s a different state.
In front of this center Diakonie Youth Center-Mitrovica is located- a place that plays the role which the culture center should have played. There are different activities that take place there that have an aim of empowering the city youth. There are also some other centers, same as this one, that carry out their activities, such as: the organization “7 Arte”, Mitrovica Youth Center and an art gallery named KAE (Kosovo Art Exchange) has opened recently, a thing that is supporting the city’s artists and giving them a push to continue their career and activity within the city.
In the May of this year the organization “7 Arte” presented a study conducted with “Anibar”, “Lumbardhi” and “Pogon”, on the basis of the project “Cultural Spaces in Kosovo”. After a presentation and debate organized in Mitrovica the state of cultural organizations in Mitrovica was presented, where it showed that there are around 15 cultural spaces in the city that are under the management of independent cultural organizations and local institutions. However, despite the fact that these mentioned centers exist, the cultural life in Mitrovica is poor.
Regardless of how much these centers carry out different activities, Mitrovica youth somehow is still kept uninformed of the flow of these activities.
Then the question arises on what really are these centers doing to attract young boys’ and girls’ attention so that they can be part of their activities, if there are any. Or maybe these centers should change the way of their approach toward young boys and girls and find new ways to do something more for them.
On the other side it’s not that the Municipality of Mitrovica gives much attention to such activities. Not rarely do we get to hear politicians and people in power’s words in their pre-election speeches saying that “youth is our priority”. But the reality doesn’t turn out to be this way. Mitrovica needs a spark, even if it is small, an inspiration and push to walk forward.
Support and different initiatives are necessary for our own good.
About the author: Majlinda Sadriu is a 24 years old girl who attends studies in the University of Mitrovica, in the Faculty of Education.
This activity is supported by Engagement for Equity Program – E4E, financed by United States Agency for International Development – USAID, and implemented by Advocacy Training and
Resource Center –ATRC.
