“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance; for this, and not the external mannerism and detail, is true art.” (Aristotle)

On 19.08.2021, the TPO Foundation, in cooperation with partner organizations from Serbia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia, organized the first workshop in preparation for the EUNIC project entitled “My Story Matters” which is implemented with the support of EUNIC partners (Austrian Cultural Forum, Goethe Institute in BiH and French Institute in BiH). The project aims to present through art not only the external image of minorities in society but also the internal significance of their fight against the discrimination they experience.

The workshop was led by: Professor Zilka Spahić Šiljak and Master of Communication Amina Mašić, and the participants of the workshop were young artists, teachers, and pedagogues: Vanja Šunjić, Farah Hasanbegović, Berminka Hrelja, Alma Ahmethodžić, Tamara Petkovska, Eren Ali, Arten Rexhepi, Maragareta Bašaragin, Isidora Dekić, Fahrudin Kladičanin, Nina Krivokapić, Božidar Miranović and Nikoleta Dragojević.

The participants of the workshop presented the forms of discrimination in the country they come from, which will be the basic topics of artistic content within this project. They discussed the ways of realization of art material, its purpose, and the way of distribution and promotion. Educators who were also participants in this workshop presented their needs in working with children and suggested ways to use art material in teaching. The workshop also included a simulation part on the basis of which conclusions were drawn to be used in the further implementation of the project.

Over the next two months, all partners will work together to pilot the project and prepare the final application for the EUNIC project.