ANTIKO Takes Action for Peace - World Learning STAR Network

"ANTIKO Takes Action for Peace"

by Aferdita Imeri



ANTIKO members enjoying their encounters.

ANTIKO, a women's multiethnic network in Macedonia, promotes women's leadership by working to create a culture of peace throughout Macedonia.

In a country threatened by civil war, Macedonians face acute political crisis and the deterioration of ethnic Albanian-Macedonian relations. ANTIKO's outspoken mission is to promote women's leadership by creating a culture of peace throughout Macedonia.

ANTIKO was created in 1999, by women of various ages, professions and ethnicity. Its patrons are as diverse in their professions (housewives, doctors, high-school students and journalists) as they are in their ethnicities (Roma, Turkish, Serbian, Albanian, Macedonian), but all are brought together by their common commitment to act as leaders to facilitate and empower their communities. Through cooperation and networking, ANTIKO is revitalizing the Macedonian women's NGO sector, which has been largely dominated by hierarchical structures and influential charismatic leaders.



	Nadica Velickovska from Gostivar and Suzana Musli from Skopje.

We talked with ANTIKO members Nadica Velickovska from Gostivar, and Gyner Nebiu and Suzana Musli from Skopje.

STAR: How did ANTIKO come about?

ANTIKO: It was the natural continuation of the training of trainers in leadership, which involved women from across former Yugoslavia.

STAR: What was the purpose of the project?

ANTIKO: To give women who have become trainers the courage and skills to become leaders of their own communities. The women were part of an intensive process of developing the power to face who they are, what they can do, and to recognize their needs -- in fact to become leaders within their own communities and within Macedonia.

STAR: Why ANTIKO?

ANTIKO: Macedonia represents a multicultural and multiethnic community, but is actually a very closed society. In that way, Macedonia has been very different from many other parts of former Yugoslavia. All ethnic groups are extremely confined within their own strong tradition and culture. There has never been any encouragement to mix among different ethnic groups. Thus people do not know each other and have no base for mutual respect.

In Macedonia, there is a prevalent perception that being "different" is the same as being an enemy. Communities are completely separated with little, if any, communication. In this respect ANTIKO is a pilot project where differences between people are being seen as a positive strength -- not a threat. The women working within ANTIKO have no wish to gain political positions in Macedonia. They all currently belong to NGOs and their involvement with ANTIKO will bring strength and efficiency to their own organizations. In that way women have the possibility to be politically active and to work for the unity of the separated community. For us women in ANTIKO, there are several things that are very important -- we wish to have no hierarchy. Past history has taught us this lesson.

We need a safe space. We need initiative. We need to learn new models of responsibility.

STAR: What are the future plans of ANTIKO?

ANTIKO: In response to the current crisis in Macedonia, we as an multiethnic network, will organize open debates on the causes of that crisis and what is needed to improve the condition. The debates will be organized in seven Macedonian cities, for multiethnic groups of men and women. By giving our personal example of cooperation, we hope to initiate interactive dialogue that will promote harmonious relations. After all, powerful women need to support and encourage others, not suppress them. Our goal in ANTIKO is to work toward more democratic relations and a sense of community in the whole society.



	Young leaders workshop organized in cooperation by ANTIKO and STAR.

ANTIKO's Recent Efforts: Merita Maksuti, a young activist and a founder of ANTIKO, participated in the privately-funded Compton peace builders program in Brattleboro, Vermont in June, 2000. As a follow-up to the training, and with a grant from STAR/Compton Foundation, Merita conducted the project "Conflict Transformation and Impact of Religion and Culture in Multiethnic Society," that aimed to acknowledge the values and positive aspects of culture and religion in peace building. This two-day workshop built the conflict transformation skills of ANTIKO members so they can be effective in reducing narrowness and intolerance in Macedonia.

Ethnic relations among women in Macedonian NGOs were significantly improved by ANTIKO's conflict transformation training programs. The results of the training programs include much more open communication that allowed discussions among Macedonian, Albanian, Turkish and Roma women from Macedonia about such difficult topics as Tetovo University, the current ethnic conflicts in southern Serbia, and even ethnic conflict and violence in Tetovo, Macedonia. It was the first time that such discussions were truly constructive and served a purpose. ANTIKO's twelve trainers will now include conflict transformation in future workshops for 420 women (60 women in each of seven towns) that will be funded by Kvinna til Kvinna (Sweden) and Pax Christi (The Netherlands).

In response to the current crisis in Macedonia, ANTIKO will organize open debates in seven cities on the causes of the crisis and needed actions to improve interethnic relations in Macedonia. In order to prepare for such a challenging and sensitive task, ANTIKO members requested support from STAR to learn facilitation and moderation skills. Nuna Zvizdic, RAB member from Bosnia-Herzegovina (Zene zenama, Sarajevo) and a respected regional trainer in conflict transformation, traveled to Skopje, Macedonia in April to conduct a workshop on facilitating interethnic dialogue in times of crisis. STAR supported Zvizdic's participation through the REE program, while Pax Christi Netherlands provided additional funding for the workshop, including the second trainer, Mr. Suad Missini, executive director of the Civil Society Resource Center in Macedonia. The seven upcoming public debates will be sponsored by the Open Society Institute Macedonia.

A Public Appeal by ANTIKO Macedonian Multi-ethnic Women's Network

Saturday, March 10, 2001

ANTIKO is a civil initiative of Macedonian women of different ethnic backgrounds engaged in women's non-governmental organizing. Antiko is based on mutual respect and teamwork as opposed to hierarchical models of work.

We are leaders of a different type who serve, rather than direct, our local community. We do not have a self-installed president who makes decisions in lieu of us.

The goal of ANTIKO is the promotion of the culture of peace, in other words, peace inclusive of all Macedonian citizens of all ethnicities - Macedonians, Albanians, Turks, Roma and all others. For this very purpose we are addressing the public and appeal :

There is no peace unless there is

Democracy for all;

Tolerance practiced by all;

Pluralism enacted by all.

If we in ANTIKO, with all of our differences have proven that we can work effectively together by means of respect, acceptance and overcoming of our differences, we believe that same desire and potential exist in the broader society. We appeal for citizens' active engagement in making this desire and potential real and widespread.

To contact ANTIKO directly, send e-mail to antico99@hotmail.com or call Nadica Velickovska at 389-42-242-212. To learn more about how to support ANTIKO and STAR's work in Macedonia, contact STAR's Macedonia office.

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