Interview: Saso Golov, president of the Center for Democratic Development Macedonia is a place worth trying hard for   “Eva”, “Others”, “Returnees” are part of the TV programs prepared by the Center for Democratic Development in favor of turning the public’s attention towards everyday, seemingly (un)present current phenomena and problems filling citizens’ reality. What are the specifics of each program individually? Eva is a “women’s” TV magazine, addressing concrete women’s problems in transitional countries, so that the countries that prepare the magazine show their conditions, dealing with concrete aspects of a certain problem or situation, through a concrete life story of a woman from that country, taking into consideration the rating of the program. Illustrated, it would be a magazine where, if, let’s say, we deal with domestic violence, the Romanian team would present an example of a mistreated woman, Hungarians would talk about children’s problems coming from such families, Serbs about the parental aspect of the problem, Albanians with an example of a mistreated husband and Macedonians would make a general analysis of the problem of domestic violence in transitional society. Thus we get a general picture about the conditions with a concrete problem in our region, a picture that is not boring for the viewers and it gives magazines’ hosts in all countries a space for discussion about the topic, comparisons and analyses. Technically, television, thematically, it is good, useful for both comparisons and learning from others. About fifty different topics have been thematically covered so far and we hope that the list will be enriched for at least twelve new topics. Using the same “trick” and the same partners we have made the magazine “Dimension”, dedicated to minorities in our countries and with other partners – from Bulgaria and Serbia, we have made the Roma magazine “Neighborhood”. In the magazine “Others” we have applied the approach of focusing on life stories of people from different ethnic groups, people with specific needs, or people on any bases different from the majority, sending a message in the public that living with differences has been our everyday life for centuries. The project was titled “Others” and CDD is really proud of it. Since 2003, when we started, until today, we have made 108 such stories and they can also be seen on the first program of the Macedonia Television these days, too. “Returnees”, is again focused on people’s life stories, but on people who have lived “in the West” and who had a chance to stay there, but they have come back and started a business here. The aim was to show that here it can be “the West” too and to use the knowledge of those who have come back, in order to make “the West” here more realistic and to impel returning and prevent leaving of the capable ones. That is why the MTV has broadcasted it on its satellite channel. All these projects have been supported by the International Relations Institute IFA from Stuttgart, the German government within the Stability Pact. With UNDP we have made a similar project focused on realization of the Millennium Global Objectives in our country and it presents efforts of the UN system’s organization and our people to make Macedonia a decent place for living. A place worth trying hard for and worth living in. It is a leading idea in each project carried out by CDD.   The programs are broadcasted on the state television, but also on some private channels in Macedonia, and some of them in the countries from the region. What have you faced while building this new, regional cooperation? Who is involved in it? We cooperate with non-governmental organizations, with public and private television houses and private productions from Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Hungary and Germany and appropriate partners from the country. We work together with European pernickety bureaucrats and the Balkans talkative laggards. We think that we contribute to the society with tolerance and power of adaptation. It is interesting that such cooperation started under, conditionally said, guardianship by the Germans and continued with local initiatives and associations that we have been initiators of. For example, EVA’s partners were introduced by the Germans but the partnership in the Roma magazine “Neighborhood” was completely our initiative. It is a pleasant feeling to be from the smallest country in the region and yet a project carrier.   Where is our country in comparison with the other countries in terms of creating television programs in whose focus of interest are people, not politics or business…? When I was an active journalist and editor, six years ago, I had difficulties making young colleagues find a “real” story. Now there are a lot of such stories in the media. Yet not enough and stories about what the city blokes had for lunch are still more attractive. The cooperation with journalists from other countries enables us to realize where we are with the process of “becoming human“ and it is not always pleasant for us but I think that things have significantly moved. We’ll make it, not very soon, yet…   Your work is mainly enabled by German financial support. Are domestic institutions interested in supporting your work and using the so far experience in documenting a part of the history? Our main financer has so far been IFA, practically the German government. Without them, none of our stories would have been presented. The only help from Macedonia, more symbolic let’s say, was by the Agency for Young and Sports and I do not know if the Open Society Institute of Macedonia Foundation should be considered our domestic helper. They helped our common project – Multi-ethnic musical top-list, presented in five TV programs, together with MTV, in a studio, presented for high-school students. Talking about this, we are definitely very grateful to the people from MTV, whose management has absolute understanding for what we want to achieve. In the same way we are helped by other televisions in the country – Telma and many other local TV stations.   What do you think about the process of building a civil society in Macedonia, taking into consideration and following the media democratization? Everything is happening too slowly as a result of poverty and society distortion, where there is only a business-elite and black poverty and there is not almost a middle class. As long as the situation is like this, there will be economic or political bosses who will attack anyone they think should be attacked through the media and poverty that will consider such news to be its only party. Until it changes, people like us in CDD will have to bear it, with your help. We are stronger together.