The short-term project Towards new strategies for the communication of Macedonia's cultural capital abroad is funded by the German Gesellschaft fŭr technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) and implemented jointly by the Koalicija za Održiv Razvoj (KOR) and KulturwerkStadt Südost (KWS-SO). Proposals submitted to GTZ were to respond to the broad question “What could the European Union benefit from the future EU membership of Macedonia?” in a variety of areas, one of which being the promotion of the country’s cultural heritage in general. As the title given to our project suggests, we see the problem less with the traditional mechanisms of heritage promotion than with how this heritage is communicated to publics inside and outside the country. By focusing on the aspect of communicability, our project is to address some of the problems leading to the condition (problem?) of this heritage of being very little known abroad and, by consequence, its not yet having become a major pull factor in terms of interest (including tourism) benefiting local development; economic and other.

Our project promotes acquaintance with a cultural, especially architectural, heritage largely specific to the Balkan Peninsula through a visit to Skopje. A city in the very centre of the region, it boasts a representative sample of monuments from three periods which have proven crucial in the shaping of its built environment: the medieval, the Ottoman, and the Yugoslav. Our project proposes an off-the-beaten-track introduction to the region's heritage by following three “heritage trails”, set in the city of Skopje and its surroundings.

For a sustainable and successful relationship between those “offering” heritage sites for consumption and those “consuming” them, it is necessary that realistic promises are made and the journey does not end in disappointment. The principal outcome of the project will be a brochure, carefully conceptualized to be different from existing materials in print or on the WWW (without denying their value), as an attempt to foster such a relationship and represent the cultural wealth of Skopje, the Republic of Macedonia, and the Balkan region to an interested public. It does not promise the moon but seeks to communicate that a greater acquaintance with this heritage can be very rewarding, even or especially for those who think they have seen it all.

Timeline:

09/2009: Inauguration of project; meeting in Skopje between the two NGOs; discussions of concept and agenda;

10/2009: public presentation of project and aims in Skopje; int'l workshop/roundtable;

11/2009: work on/review of texts and design of brochure, website;

12/2009: presentation of outcome to public; brochures made available in print and electronically;

Project team: Sonja Damcevska, Julia Lechler, Divna Pencic, Biljana Stefanovska, Ines Tolic, Maximilian Hartmuth.

Contact: admin[at]kws-so.net