(ST)ART Where You Are

22/07/2016

The (St)art Where You Are program embraces all FORUM 16 activities related to the arts, which seek to promote active citizenship, activism  and human rights in support of improved community life.

FORUM 16 projects in this program are:

  • KinoBit: FORUM 16 established the first kino cell in Macedonia, which among the activities organizes an annual Kino Kabaret event in Bitola. During this event, participants gather to jointly produce original “short movies in a short period of tme” that promot human rights. With additional support, FORUM 16 hopes to implement a Kino Karavan to bring screenings of short films to communities throughout the country as a way of informing the public and inspiring young people to explore filmmaking as a strategy for advocacy in public policy making.
  • Glasno Sokache – Budno Chikmache*: The FORUM 16 campaign to combat negative rumours, stereotypes and prejudices is intended to encourage intergenerational dialogue and mutual respect through volunteer actions to create or restore interesting but overlooked public spaces where neighbours and passers-bymight socialize together. The idea is that young and older people working together to improve neglected locations in our community can help to promote an atmosphere of inclusion, tolerance, and understanding.
  • Poetry on the Move: Bringing the art of words to public transportation – FORUM 16 wishes to bring to Bitola the practice of displaying works of poetry in the public transportation system. This would involve an annual open call and competition for short works of poetry on a particular theme, with selected entries reproduced for display on buses and in bus stop shelters.

* The project name reflects the influence of the Turkish language on the way ideas are expressed in multicultural Bitola. The terms Glasno (Loud) Sokache (diminutive of the Turkish “sokak” -a narrow street or alley) and Budno (Awake) Chikmache (diminutive of the Turkish “chikmak” -a dead-end street) convey the idea of bringing life and activity, “waking up” the smaller places, the nooks and crannies of the city that are easy to overlook but which also reflect its historic charm and friendliness.