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“Who is Shquipe?”
Edin Alija,
Suri Atilla, Video, 6'10'', June
2016.
How can name or
surname mark us and classify us in
the image of the "Other", changing
the attitude of others towards us?
The old Latin saying „Nomen est
nomen“ (“Your name is your value”),
indicated the tradition of naming
based on belief that the name is
personal mark of a man and that it
will essentially determine his place
in society, fate and life. In
post-conflict society, attitude
towards names and surnames has been
reduced to the belonging to an
entity community, while fate of
individuals who carry those names
was conditioned by the image that
others have about them. When names
or surnames reflect belonging to a
culture of majority, we do not
revive the privilege of protection
against discrimination which occurs
in spelling names and surnames. The
emotions of fear, hatred, love and
intimacy are visible during
introductions and presentations and
lead to distancing or rapprochement
to the "Other". The process of
classifying individuals in groups on
the basis of name and surname is
based on image of culture and
community of (id)entity. Reactions
of people on name or surname of a
person reflect distorted beliefs and
stereotypical representation of
ethnic, cultural, historical,
linguistic and religious
particularities of different groups.
One of those negative beliefs and
prejudices are result of Serb and
Albanian stereotyping, such as that
Albanians and Serbs differ in
physically and "As soon as we see
them, we can know who angry
Arbanians, Šiptari or who Škije (a
disparaging term for Albanians and
Serbs) are". Name and surname of a
person leads us to search for these
characteristics. The installation
offers an opportunity for the
reconstruction of images through a
review of existing beliefs
(prejudices).
The video “Who is
Shquipe?” is made by artists from
Serbia and Kosovo inspired by their
experiences of getting to know each
other and getting to know each
other's cultures and societies.
Video give an insight into the
process of unpacking stereotypical
images and performances in meeting
these young artists and their
construction of ideas on culture of
the "Other". Experiences they have
experienced in lectures and
workshops during the “Serbia and
Kosovo: Intercultural Icebreakers”
seminar, during visits to cultural
institutions, and during the process
of creating installations, enabled
artists to reconsider the images
they have of each other, and the
cultures from which they come from.
Installations and videos that have
arisen in these situations simulate
some of the processes in
post-conflict communities which lead
to stereotyping and the invisibility
of culture in a negative way, and
they provoke personal responsibility
of each of us in the
(de)construction of culture.
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