“At the beginning, as we were watching some very nice and simple videos which conveyed straightforward messages, we thought it would be very difficult to accomplish such an activity here. Today, after three days of training and team work, we manage the art of video to serve activism”, said Denisa Tate, an activist of MJAFT and participant in this activity.

Working in different centers (the park by the artificial lake, MJAFT residence, in
Elbasan St., Rinia Park ) the youngsters concentrated their job on some of the most concerning issues in Albania , which need activism, like: indiscriminate use of drinking water, teenagers’ consumption, gender differences, anti advertisement etc.

Everything initiated in Greece where the members of the caravan of European Youth for Action met with the activists of lliosporoi, a social and environmental non governmental organization consisting of political and environmental activists. Iiisporoi is a forum which gathers musicians, DJs, and students of arts in Athens .

When the Caravan of Art and Activism arrived in Athens , the activists of the organization were on strike in favor of the students’ rights. The best solution to the problem was for them to join the students and to organize training courses at the university of Athens as they were on strike, and they did so.

Then the caravan went to Macedonia and their job there was concentrated on art, culture and the human rights.

Being an activist?

To these youngsters, the whole activity was much more satisfying than a monthly salary of a 9-5 job . “We do not have a lot of money” says the coordinator of the caravan, Coen Vaessea, “but we have a lot of friends and this is the most important thing”.

Being an activist is not a waste of time for them, on the contrary, it is a desire to combat injustice. It is a peaceful and energetic fight. “This is what Balkans needs, because there is skepticism that people can join and build together a brighter future.” This is the reason why the youngsters from Western Europe undertook this tour in the Balkans.

We are confident that the youngsters can change everything because they can achieve everything without needing to hold meetings with the authorities and because the youngsters from Balkans are as much energetic as youngsters in the West. “Protesting in the streets requires a great courage, however, the youngsters have become stronger and more courageous, and it will be these people who later will have a very important role in the society”, says Bora, an activist of MJAFT.

Monitoring their job and the energy that transformed arts into ‘means’ of activism, I began to be optimistic about the latter. I started to believe that if people were informed about everything that happened, surely they would react and do something about it. So, I thought that the journalists are ‘lucky’ they can contribute to a cause by informing people of what is eventually happening. “Art affects people more directly. Youth, especially from the Balkans, should be free to think in a more original and personal way”, says Elsa Bua, an activist.

After finishing their activity in Tirana the caravan will head for Montenegro , where it will find a group of youngsters, and will work with them to use art as one of the most powerful means of social awareness.