Culture for Change Small Talks

The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has deeply affected the operation of independent cultural scene organizations and individual artists in Kosovo as well as that of education institutions. Even though it is early to concretely asses the level and ways in which this situation has directly affected these sectors, the first results and the need for support are already evident. Whereas a few organizations and individuals who are attempting to rediscover their missions and activities within the new normality, the number of those who risk to forcibly end their activity is also concerning.

Adapting to the new forms of information and message communication, the Culture for Change program has organized a series of virtual conversations with representatives of the cultural scene and library institutions in Kosovo. Through these conversations, our aim is to provide a clear picture and examine the challenges that these institutions are facing currently with the pandemic at a time when the government is focused in saving the economy and leaving these institutions on the sidelines. Moreover, we talk about the visions of the representatives of these institutions regarding the future and their plans for the potential re-opening of the physical spaces in which these institutions operate.

More specifically, these conversations focus on the effect of the pandemic in the cultural events and festivals in Kosovo as well as the role and eventual contribution that local and central institutions have offered or should have offered. In these conversations, we also dedicate our attention to the role of public libraries in Kosovo and their current state.

These conversations are organized by the Culture for Change program that is financed by the European Union, managed by the European Union Office in Kosovo and implemented by Qendra Multimedia and Goethe Institut.