Arts and culture

Italian maritime republics such as Venice and Genoa were very active in the Black Sea between the 13th and 15th century. Their presence in Abkhazia and their involvement in the slave trade from the Western Caucasus are the main subjects of a recently published book

What did it mean to be transgender in Tito's Yugoslavia? And in today's Italy? An interview with the author of "Under the sign of the star"

Georgia looks to Italy for cultural development programmes – an almost thirty-year collaboration that this year finds a new, promising impulse. And from now on, when you visit Tbilisi, you will come across Dante

Djordje Balasevic (11 May 1953 – 19 February 2021), the greatest Yugoslav singer-songwriter, is gone forever. Almost all of former Yugoslavia joined in grief: Zagreb, Sarajevo, Ljubljana, Novi Sad, Belgrade, Skopje, from Vardar to Triglav

The Turkish TV series Ethos (Bir Başkadır), launched by Netflix, is enjoying enormous success in Turkey, but also abroad. Through its complex characters, the country looks itself in the mirror, suspended over the invisible moat that separates the religious part of society from the beyaz türkler – the westernised, secular "white" Turks

Starting from those moments of precipitous flight towards the Neretva, the first long feature directed by Daniele Babbo shows both the love for a city and how hard it is to live in it. An interview

A violent earthquake hit Turkey and Greece on October 30^th. The fury of the ancient god Poseidon, whom Homer called 'the Earth shaker', has also shaken the memories that accompany - lacerating and nostalgic - the choral lament for the victims

Nothing would suggest a local jazz tradition in Azerbaijan. Yet it is a genre that has developed, from the 1920s onwards, despite the Soviet period and the difficulties of the transition

Why have social scientists failed to understand in advance the violent end of Yugoslavia? And what can all this teach us to interpret our present?

Times of crisis generate pulp characters, immersed in the need for action, armed with a realist language and no frills. An interview with Greek writer Makis Malafekas, author of “Athens Undocumented”

A brothel turned into rehearsal studio: this is one of the images that best describe Georgia's punk scene of the last 30 years. A reportage among punk and metal teenage fans, with photos, videos, and a coming soon documentary

Writer and journalist Saša Ilić was awarded the prestigious NIN literary prize for best novel of the year in 2019. We interviewed him and talked about psychiatry, Yugoslavia, the Divine Comedy, and refugees

Graffiti on the walls of Yerevan are both art and political activism. A reportage

With its nomination for two Oscars, award-winning film "Honeyland" has relaunched the prospects of North Macedonia's cinema in a year of great success. But is the country ready to create a long-term cultural strategy? Our analysis

Albania played a leading role in the history of the Serenissima Republic. Suffice it to say that the Albanian School was the first school of "foresti" (foreigners) opened in Venice, way back in 1448. Professor Lucia Nadin talks about these relationships

The 20-month long protests against the demolition of the National Theatre reflect not only the need to protect the country's common historical and cultural heritage, but also citizens’ demands for further democratisation of Albania

Combining scientific research, dissemination, and participation; telling the story of Rijeka in multiple languages. These are the objectives of an international project of which OBCT is a partner, in view of Rijeka – European Capital of Culture 2020

An interview to playwright Jeton Neziraj on the power of political theatre, on Kosovo-Serbia relations, on the recent EU enlargement veto, and much more

On the 15^th of October 1989 died, in Paris, Danilo Kiš (1935-1989), the last great Yugoslav writer. A comment by Božidar Stanišić

Ohrid and its lake represent an exceptional heritage of art, history, architecture, and nature, part of the World Heritage List since 1979. However, due to illegal construction and pollution, it may end up in the list of endangered locations

In this ironic, peculiar account, writer Božidar Stanišić is asked about world-renowned performer Marina Abramović – and wants you to know he has no clue why

Hatidze is the last honey hunter from North Macedonia – an ancient trade based on a delicate balance with nature. The "Honeyland" documentary, awarded three times at the Sundance Film Festival, tells her incredible story

A documentary tells the story of a young Macedonian who arrived in Italy in the 1990s, looking for a job. We talked with the authors of this Italian-Macedonian production

Trentino and Yugoslavia narrated through a legend: roots of Marshal Josip Broz Tito in Vallarsa

Less than a year after his untimely death, Albania celebrates Alessandro Leogrande. The Municipality of Tirana dedicates him a street and his Albanian publisher celebrates his work. Here, we remember him through a conversation he had with his friend Nicola Lagioa

Music festivals and cultural events: this summer Kosovo has seen many initiatives meant to promote the country abroad and provide new inspiration to its young population, which remains the most isolated in Europe

Osman Taka, a young warrior who saves himself from a death sentence conquering the soul of his enemies with the beauty of his dance. A legendary tale from Epirus, on the border between Albania and Greece

Romanian New Wave keeps receiving international accolades at film festivals across Europe, yet it attracts relatively little public in its home country. A data-driven analysis

Nazif Mujić has died – a comet that arrived from obscurity to the Berlin Film Festival and disappeared into the darkest pitch. The discrimination of Roma people in Europe in this memory

European cinema-going habits vary significantly: a look at the current divide between Western and Eastern Europe