Students from the sixth to the ninth grade from five primary schools in Tuzla had the opportunity to get familiarized with the basics of Roma and Albanian language, the history of the Italians in Tuzla, the traditional Macedonian cuisine, and to learn the most famous Slovenian writers. The activity of getting familiar with national minorities was made within the project “Promotion of national minorities” implemented by the City of Tuzla in a partnership with Roma Association “Euro Rom.” The project is financed by the European Union and the Council of Europe within the framework of the Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey programme.
For students, the most interesting part was to learn legends of national minorities passing between generations, as well as some words from the languages of each minority. “It was very impressive and I did not know how much they have done for our city and how difficult past their ancestors had. What especially pleases me is to hear that citizens of Tuzla have accepted them” – said Uma Arslanagić, a student of the 7th grade of Elementary School “Centar”.
Besides legends and languages, students had the opportunity to get familiarized with the customs and traditions of Roma, Albanians, Italians, Macedonians, and Slovenians in their city. They spoke about the long-standing multicultural life in Tuzla, as well as the importance of fostering common understanding, tolerance, and mutual respect.
“The importance of these lectures is reflected in the necessity of young people to profile, through learning, that diversity enriches. In that way we are investing in future generations which will promote and spread values such as tolerance, understanding, and empathy,” said Danijel Bašić, director of the Primary school “Sveti Franjo”.
The first activity of the project “Promoting National Minorities” was an opportunity for students in a multicultural environment such as Tuzla to get to know their fellow citizens better and to learn more about each other. Elementary schools that participated in this activity are Elementary School “Jala” Tuzla, Elementary School “Centar”, Elementary School “Brčanska Malta”, Elementary School “Tušanj” and Catholic School Canter “Sveti Franjo”.
