S2E35. Secondly
BarBalkans' second year comes to an end. A season full of news, projects and events made possibile thanks to the support of subscribers. Let's look back at it all together
Hi,
welcome back to BarBalkans, the newsletter with blurred boundaries.
This is it. Like last year, with the beginning of summer, BarBalkans takes a couple of months off.
Today’s episode concludes the second season of this newsletter.
It has been a very delicate season. The “novelty effect” had worn off and expectations had to be confirmed by a more and more attractive product, without betraying its own nature.
This is what we tried to do, continuing with the usual newsletter and introducing a few new projects.
One example? BarBalkans’ new website, barbalcani.eu, born together with 2022.
A repository of the articles you receive on Saturday by email (little by little all those from the first season will be added as well). An archive of newsletters and podcasts. A home for new ideas and analysis.
Such as The Langer-Sassoli Project, a tribute to the memory of the South Tyrolean politician Alexander Langer and former President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, conceived in the days following Sassoli’s death.
This is an analysis of the power of thought of these two outstanding politicians and European citizens, who also worked for peace in the Balkan region. A project that will be concluded soon with an event in presence in Brussels.
Symbolically, we made a promise to President Sassoli. And every promise is a debt.
Well, all this considered, your support is crucial.
Because the price for this effort to create a more and more original product is hidden work, taken away from free-time.
Looking for sources, studying, interviewing, writing, organizing trips and events, translating newsletters and articles. Because BarBalkans cannot exist without its Italian version BarBalcani.
This is why I ask you to consider the possibility of donating, to support the many faces of BarBalkans’ project. Click on the image below for more information:
In any case, BarBalkans newsletter will remain for free. And this will never change, it is a matter of principle. The right to be informed should be granted to anyone who wants and feels this need.
The only difference, for those who will decide to support the project, will be a free content. The monthly article-podcast on the Yugoslav Wars, to find out what was happening - right in that month - in the Balkans 30 years ago.
A sort of time machine, to deepen a topic that is often mentioned but with too little knowledge.
The preview with highlights is open to everyone - you can find it on Spreaker, Spotify, Apple Podcast and Google Podcast - while the detailed article published every second Wednesday of the month is only for subscribers.
If you are intrigued, try to throw an eye on the latest episode:
I hope I have been able to make you understand how important you are for this project. Regardless of what you will decide, thank you. From the bottom of my heart.
Rewind
Today’s stop is a recap of what happened during this BarBalkans’ season, that can also help the last of the 450 subscribers who joined this journey to catch up.
We need to start with the real turning point of this newsletter.
With the beginning of the second season, BarBalkans renews itself with a new logo and a new concept. All this, thanks to Letizia Ortolani, communication designer and great friend, who refreshed the project with original and genuine ideas.
In the new logo, the brackets are open and closed, they intertwine and blend together. These brackets are metaphors for blurred boundaries. Boundaries define identities. But at the same time they foster the exchange of experiences, showing that physical limitations can be overcome by human relationships.
Sports opened this second season, with the experience of Balkan athletes at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Six months later, it returned with Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
Sports was the protagonist also of a double episode - the 12th and 13th stop - on the hooligans world in Belgrade. Linked, in a way, is also linked to the Dark souls of Europe, the neo-fascist groups that gathered in the Serbian capital city.
The antidote to fascism is always culture, and that is why we have often talked about it. From TV series in Streaming, Balkans and hot chocolate to music in Welcome back, Eurovision (with Luca Misculin, journalist for Il Post) and innovative travel guides in Journey to the extinguished countries (with Giovanni Vale, creator of this project).
Another way to defeat the ignorance that gives birth to fascism is traveling. Thanks the financial support of subscribers, BarBalkans has been able to start doing what we aimed last year: telling stories on the ground.
For example, it was possible to attend the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Kranj, Slovenia, a crucial event for the relations between the European Unione and the Balkan region. Or to discover that in Naples, in Scampia neighborhood, there is a piece of Balkans, thanks to cultural and gastronomic centre Chikù (with Barbara Pierro).
Speaking of food and bars, we have to mention the orange wines in the 31st stage, Orange is the new white (with Marco Vassallo, journalist for Corriere - Cook), and the ajvar of Fahrije Hoti, incredible host of the 34th episode, Healing ajvar, with her entrepreneurial and social project to give Kosovar war widows a chance in life.
Fun fact. BarBalkans was in turn a guest on the Italian national TV broadcast about Bitcoin miners in Kosovo. The story in the 25th stop, Bitcoin miners - The last dance.
Let’s take a step back to the EU-Western Balkans relationship, something very important for this project. We have considered it several times: the Croatian euro coins in Tesla in the monetary storm, the regional integration in The Western Balkans Union, the European Parliament resolutions In the heart of the hemicycle, and especially the David Sassoli’s death in Farewell, Mr. President.
We did not forget the issue of the Balkan route even this season. We considered it with the Italian band ULULA & LaForesta in Ulula in the Forest of Bihać and the NGO One Bridge to Idomeni in Human bridges, and their intertwined project.
We alsodoscvered that the Balkans need to be protected. From climate change caused by human being in The summer that burned the Balkans, from the extinction of Endangered species, from the destruction of cultural heritage sites in They need us.
But sometimes the Western Balkans have to be protected from themselves, as we saw in the 21st episode, In their shoes on Serbian factories, in the 6th episode, First among the last on war crimes in Kosovo, in the 14th episode, Why Bosnia is restless on Republika Srpska secessionism, and in the 4th episode, A successful vaccination campaign. In 1972 on the difficulties in COVID-19 immunization campaign.
The effects of a humanitarian crisis and an armed invasion shocked the world and, consequently, had an impact on the Balkan region.
The humanitarian crisis followed the moment when the Taliban seized control over Kabul, as we analyzed in the 2nd episode, Escaping Afghanistan.
The armed invasion is continuing since February 24, when Russia waged war against Ukraine. The analysis focused on Foreign fighters leaving for Ukraine and the risk of destabilization of the Balkan region, in Who will stop the war (with Giorgio Fruscione, research fellow ats ISPI). But also on the relations between Belgrade, Budapest, and Moscow in The Super Sunday.
You may have noticed the number of guests invited. We cannot forget Macedonian Borce Stamenov and his initiative of repairing and donating computers to families in need. Or Serbian Nikola Makura and his artistic/social project that transforms old weapons into musical instruments.
This is the result of trying to realize a more and more interesting product, bringing the protagonists’ voices straight to your mailbox.
The promise for the third season is to put these voices even more in the center, with many interviews and stories from the places where they are taking place.
You just have to stick around and find out what will come out!
This is the very end of BarBalkans’ second season. Thanks again: for your patience, your time, your curiosity, your trust.
And now, let’s continue our journey. See you in a few weeks, with the beginning of a new year together.
In the meantime, in case you feel homesick, I anticipate you a couple of dates, where you can find me along the way.
On June 23, there will be a new EU-Western Balkans Summit in Brussels. I will cover it for Eunews (you can read all the articles there), while on BarBalkans’ social media I will try to provide as full coverage of the event as possible, with photos, videos and live streaming.
Still in Brussels, on mid July, The Langer-Sassoli Project’s final event will be held at the Italian bookshop & wine bar PiolaLibri. More information will be provided soon on BarBalkans’ social channels.
And finally, be ready for another big BarBalkans event in collaboration with ULULA & LaForesta and Apriamo i Porti - Bruxelles on the Balkan route. It will be organized in autumn in Brussels, again at PiolaLibri: you can already start planning the trip!
In the meantime, to make this experience grow, you can invite whoever you want to subscribe to the newsletter:
This is really all. A big hug and have a good journey!
Yours,
Federico