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Articles by Aleksandar Samardjiev

Historical Macedonia and art: travelling with the Lexicon

27/11/2023 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

After starting almost by chance, over the last twenty years Vlatko Miloshevski has collected dozens of works of art created in the territories of the historical region of Macedonia in the period 1850-1950. A heritage now also accessible online

North Macedonia, pensioners take to the streets

16/11/2023 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

With rising food, energy and rent prices, living in North Macedonia on an often minimal pension has become increasingly difficult. This is why since last summer more and more pensioners have taken to the streets to protest

North Macedonia: a promised land for migrants and refugees?

27/10/2023 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

Located at the heart of the "Balkan route", North Macedonia has been a transit country for many migrants in search of a new life in Europe. Some of them, however, decided to stay

“Makedonissimo”: when Macedonian folklore meets classical music

13/10/2023 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

The musical project “Makedonissimo”, desired and created by pianist Simon Trpčeski, reinterprets the folkloric tradition of North Macedonia through classical arrangements, without forgetting the traditional dances of the region, in a mix of ancient and contemporary

Opium poppy, will it return to the fields of North Macedonia?

13/09/2023 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

For centuries the opium poppy has been cultivated with great success in what is now North Macedonia. After the bans of the Yugoslav era, there are now those who want to reintroduce it for the (legal) needs of the pharmaceutical and food industries

Galičnik wedding: guardians of the traditions of Macedonian migrant workers

02/08/2023 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

In North Macedonia many rural areas have been abandoned. To bring life back to the villages, at least in the summer, cultural events are growing, like the "Galičnik wedding", which celebrates 60 years

Fire in Tetovo hospital: no one will go to jail

16/06/2023 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

In September 2021, in the midst of the Covid-19 emergency, a fire at the Tetovo hospital in North Macedonia led to the death of 10 patients. Now, the trial has come to a controversial conclusion

North Macedonia, the highway of discord

10/05/2023 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

The current Macedonian government wants to speed up the construction of road infrastructure: to do so, it is changing several laws and awarding the contract without a tender. Procedures which, according to the opposition, mainly damage the treasury in favor of private interests

North Macedonia, low wages and labour shortage

13/04/2023 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

In recent decades North Macedonia has been affected by a very strong emigration trend and today more and more companies struggle to find staff. Among the solutions proposed, there is that of encouraging the arrival of workers from non-European countries

North Macedonia, a government in perpetual transformation

24/03/2023 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

In North Macedonia, the composition of the government has changed again. Social Democrat Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski's goal is to bring home the constitutional reforms necessary to revive the race for the EU by the next elections in 2024

Save Lake Prespa, a natural treasure among three Balkan states

27/02/2023 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

Lake Prespa, divided between North Macedonia, Albania, and Greece, is the natural habitat of thousands of species, some of which are unique. Due to the gradual loss of water, it risks losing its biodiversity. Despite the growing efforts to save it, the situation appears extremely complicated

North Macedonia, citizens oppose the opening of mines

27/12/2022 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

Civil society organizations in North Macedonia have been fighting against the opening of new copper and gold mines for years. Citizens have collected documentation and evidence that mining will seriously damage the environment

North Macedonia, the energy challenge

14/12/2022 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

The global energy crisis has exposed all the difficulties of North Macedonia, with its limited and obsolete production system. Renewing it and bringing it up to date is one of the main challenges for the future of the country

Tetovo, where languages open doors

25/10/2022 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

Tetovo, North Macedonia, is one of the most multi-ethnic and multicultural cities in the Balkans. Here many inhabitants can speak all the many languages of the city: a skill appreciated for the ability to open doors, friendships, and possibilities

Marko Pejcinovski, the young swimmer who inspires North Macedonia

15/09/2022 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev

Swimming for dozens of kilometres without using his legs, a sixteen-year-old Macedonian boy is teaching not to give up in the face of difficulties and inspiring the entire country

North Macedonia: EU membership remains a never-ending challenge

11/08/2022 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

After accepting the compromise proposed by France, North Macedonia has opened EU accession negotiations. To make progress, however, it will be necessary to change the constitution and overcome the opposition of neighbouring Bulgaria

North Macedonia and emigration, an eternal issue

29/06/2022 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

As Skopie's European prospects remain blocked, many Macedonians continue to seek better living conditions abroad, and the country loses its best forces

North Macedonia, a wave of strikes

13/06/2022 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

The adjustment of the minimum wage in the private sector – wanted by the Skopje government and subsidised by the state – has led to strikes and protests in the public sector. The discontent is driven by high inflation. Some experts claim the risk of negative repercussions on the state budget

North Macedonia, the census does not quell the controversy

12/04/2022 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

After twenty years of waiting, North Macedonia has finally managed to complete the population census. The controversies that had slowed down the process, however, have not subsided even after the presentation of the results

North Macedonia and Kosovo: infrastructure or environment?

29/03/2022 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

The governments of Skopje and Prishtina are pushing for a new road connection between the cities of Tetovo and Prizren through the new Šar Planina park. Economic necessity or danger for the ecological balance of the area?