Defence of a common future in Kosovo

VIENNA, 21 August 2002 - The mobile.culture.container is a project of the Fund In Defence of our Future. Its initiator is Freimut Duve, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media. The project operates in the framework of the Stability Pact for South-East Europe. Since June 2001 it visits cities in Bosnia-Hercegovina, Croatia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, including Mostar, Osijek, Cacak and Gorazde.

Now the mobile.culture.container will deploy in Kosovo in line with its proclaimed objective of being a "test-project for young people in post-conflict regions". Mitrovicë/a is its next stop. It is the city where the future of the province may well be decided. mobile.culture.container is invited to Mitrovicë/a by the United Nations Mission in Kosovo and its head, Ambassador Michael Steiner, COMFOR and the President of the Municipal Assembly.

The main topic of the project is defence of the future. Young people 14 - 21 years old who have witnessed the war as children work together in trying to foster a common future. Numerous examples can be found on the project's web-site: www.mobile-culture.org.

Mitrovicë/a is the ninth city to be visited by the mobile.culture.container. The project consists of 16 containers covered by a seven meter tent-dome and will be build on the river bank in front of the House of Culture, near the bridge over the Ibar river. Pupils from the North and the South of the city will be led through a set of stairs on the bridge to the middle of the river and then to the place in front of the House of Culture - to a neutral location between the Northern and Southern parts of the city.

Here the young can contemplate their common future, working in different workshops related to theatre, video, radio, newspaper publishing, photography, Internet The young people can turn the mobile.culture.container into an important meeting point on numerous occasions for discussions, movie and concert evenings.

One of the important aims of this project is its lasting nature. For example, eight youth newspapers were already established as well as radio and video groups, an initiative of young European parliamentarians, etc. The project currently is in the process of developing similar plans for Mitrovicë/a.

The mobile.culture.container will open on 31 August at 20.00 h in Mitrovicë/a. It will deploy in the city until 4 October.