WESTERN BALKANS – Let’s get Balkan Real podcast by Kiara Manja is bringing together young journalists from the Western Balkans to discuss their daily lives in the region from traditions and customs to festivities and cuisine. Those small Zoom talks of youth are just part of the content created during RYCO’s supported program for students of journalism in the region which provided young journalists with an opportunity to create youth-related stories. In this new podcast, Kiara is bringing to us youth perspectives and discussions with her peers on various topics about life in the Western Balkans.

In the first episode which focuses on university and students’ daily life, Kiara and the guests share their experiences by describing what it is like to be a young student in the Western Balkans. They discuss student life and more. 

Listen to their first episode here:

Or click here.

Author: Kiara Manja (K)
Guests: Shefket Bujari (Kosovo*), Andrea Knežević (Serbia)
Mentor: Prof. Etleva Londo
Jingle: Kiara Manja
Audio edit: Kiara Manja 

Background on the Podcast

“Let’s Get Balkan Real” podcast was created out of Kiara’s wish to get to know more about her peers in the region and to get to know more about their places and cultures. Small Zoom talks turned into long ones where she, as well as her guest, became close and got to know more and more about their lives in the Western Balkans. With the wish to take small topics out of these chats and to create stories related to them, the plan turned upside down and this educational and fun podcast came to life.

This podcast was produced during the three-month Program for Students of Journalism in the Western Balkans within the framework of the advocacy project “A Better Region Starts with Youth” implemented by RYCO with the support of the Federal Republic of Germany. All journalists’ work is their own and the content of any given article, episode and journalistic item does not represent the opinion of RYCO, and RYCO cannot guarantee the validity and the accuracy of the information that these stories contain. 

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.