All the news

A Levantine in Turkey. A glance over the Bosphorus

25/10/2010 -  Alberto Tetta Istanbul

Giovanni Scognamillo, of Italian descent, is an expert in the history of cinema. He talks about his life in Turkey, inextricably intertwined with the life of his city Istanbul, through the eyes of a "forced cosmopolitan". Our interview

Macedonian pottery surviving for centuries

22/10/2010 -  Risto Karajkov Skopje

Some driven by the need to survive in the face of transition, others realising that consumer taste may change. Many economic activities in Macedonia and in the rest of the Balkans linked to the tradition of pottery

Chechnya, choked by headscarves

20/10/2010 -  Tanya Lokshina

In Chechnya there is official support for attacks on women when they are considered to have ‘flouted’ Islamic rules by not wearing a headscarf or covering up enough. Tanya Lokshina listened to some of the women’s despairing accounts. From openDemocracy.net

Organic farming in Kosovo: if not today, then when?

19/10/2010 -  Matteo Vittuari

In Kosovo the agricultural sector has recently returned to centre stage in the political debate. But when food safety and very low standards of production are still main worries, is there much sense in thinking organic? There is, however, potential to be exploited: land abandonned for years, untouched by fertilisers and pesticides. Here is the fourth part in our enquiry into organic farming in South East Europe

From the violence against the Gay Pride to Genoa: this is not my Serbia

18/10/2010 -  Petra Tadić Belgrade

Violence at the Gay Pride in Belgrade and then the dramatic events at the Italy-Serbia football game. “Who gave you the right to define yourselves as the defenders of my Serbia? Who are you, anyway?” A commentary from our correspondent in Belgrade

Organic farming in Serbia

14/10/2010 -  Matteo Vittuari

Quality, rigour, information – these are the key factors in the development of organic agriculture. OBC's overview of organic agriculture in the Balkans starts in Serbia: an interview with Nikola Damljanović, independent expert and inspector for BioAgricert

Serbia ten years after Milošević: longing for the future

13/10/2010 -  Petra Tadić Belgrade

Memories, many. Regrets, none. The desire not to give up and a great will to look to the future. Ten years after October 5, 2000, historical date that marks the fall of Slobodan Milošević’s regime, reflections from our correspondent in Belgrade

Fätmagül Berktay: “Turkish women root for the EU”

13/10/2010 -  Francisco Martinez Istanbul

Leader of the Turkish feminist movement, Fätmagül Berktay has defended the right to university even for those wearing the veil. “The Kemalist constitution let us move forward in society, but it had no effect on domestic violence, widespread in any class and ethnicity. The EU would make us stronger”. Our interview

Baku, is it Asia or Europe?

12/10/2010 -  Arzu Geybullayeva

The novel "Ali and Nino" tells about the love between an Azerbaijani and a Georgian teenager. Depicted as symbols of Asia and Europe, they meet in the Caucasus and there can be united. Almost one century after Ali and Nino was published, can the Caucasus be European and can it be united?

Travelling in Romania, 'Turisti non a caso'

11/10/2010 -  Amanda McAllister Wilson Bucarest

A group of students setting out to discover Italy first and then Romania: Timisoara, Baile Herculane, Orsova, Bucarest: a journey to overcome prejudice through curiosity and learning. Our collaborator Amanda Wilson's travel book

Migrants in Italy, one of two from Eastern Europe

08/10/2010 -  Laura Delsere Rome

Half of the migrants resident in Italy comes from Romania, Bulgaria, the Balkans, and non-EU Eastern Europe, not to mention those from Central Europe. But who lives where? Exclusively for Osservatorio sui Balcani e Caucaso, an analysis of the main communities by macro-region

Ramadan in Kosovo, religion and identity

07/10/2010 -  Veton Kasapolli Pristina

Islam is the majority religion in Kosovo, despite this element of identity having remained in the shadows for many years, eclipsed by politics. In the 40 days of Ramadan it re-emerges strengthened and now in Pristina new political forces are bringing it to the foreground.

A new story from Chechnya: Tamara

06/10/2010 -  Majnat Kurbanova

In the eighties Tamara was a teacher of Russian language and literature in Chechnya. Since the year 2000 she has had to cope with not only the disappearance of her husband but also breast cancer, an illness with a particularly high incidence in Chechnya after the recent wars

Unesco's heritage: where in the Western Balkans?

01/10/2010 -  Risto Karajkov Skopje

There are 911 Unesco heritage sites in the world. 18 of these in the Western Balkans. From the open plains on the island of Hvar to the Mostar Bridge, archaelogical sites in Albania and the Durmitor glaciers in Montenegro: a review

ESI: France to break EU promise to the Balkans

29/09/2010 -  Gerald KnausAlexandra Stiglmayer

On 14 September the EC reported that Albania and Bosnia are ready to qualify for visa-free access to the Schengen area. France has objected to this, putting itself in an awkward position vis-à-vis the EU, a mistake that the European Stability Initiative argues should be rectified

Between Albania and Macedonia: Patriarchal loves

29/09/2010 -  Marjola Rukaj Tirana

On the bus from Tirana to Skopje there are many young women with children. They have just visited their relatives, in Northern Albania, and are now going back to their houses in Macedonia. In this report, a story of migration and arranged marriages

Georgia, the Military Ally

27/09/2010 -  Tengiz Ablotia Tbilisi

Almost 1,000 Georgian soldiers are taking part in international operations in Afghanistan and the first Georgian soldier death was registered in September. A look behind the scenes of a decade-long international engagement - one that Georgia's current government sees as a sort of life insurance

Macedonia: Spiritual tourism

24/09/2010 -  Risto Karajkov Skopje

Often only the most determined tourists get there, those who do not give up when they meet the first obstacles. But when (and if) they get there, they find oases of peace and serenity. Macedonia's monasteries, a unique resource for tourism

Albania: Once upon a time…

22/09/2010 -  Marjola Rukaj Tirana

An Ottoman-style market, a çarshija, right in the heart of Tirana, of which today only faint memories remain. Architecture, social relations and memory in an interview with the anthropologist Armanda Kodra

Is Macedonia's EU Dream Fading?

20/09/2010 -  Risto Karajkov Skopje

Macedonians looking at themselves through a Eurobarometre survey find out that they have lost confidence in the European Union. A 6% drop in 12 months is puzzling for the country. Discussing the nature of the end of the great illusion some point out that reality has inevitably struck. And maybe this is not a bad thing