Nor Sunnites nor Shiites, heterodox Muslims of nomadic origins and mystical traditions: Turkish Alevis are estimated around 10-15 millions against a total population of 70 millions. Enthusiastic supporters of Atatürk laicism, they were always seen with suspicion by the central authorities and the majority of the population. "The Lion and the Gazelle", a documentary film by OBC. The trailer
The Russian Empire in colour, as it was a century ago, is back again visible to the public thanks to digital technology. The Caucasus as we had never seen it, portrayed by Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii, master of images, on a special mission for the last Romanoff. An OBC selection from the digital exhibition recently made available by the Library of Congress
Albanian postcards produced by the Italian State firm “Distaptur” during the occupation of the country. The son of the firm's director made the archive available to Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso – September 2010
Last August, the youth forum “Mashuk 2010”, the first summer camp promoted by Moscow's government and solely devoted to young people from the Russian Caucasus, was held in Pyatigorsk, an old spa town in Russia’s North Caucasian Federal District. The event focused on training for cultural interaction and support to youth entrepreneurship.
This year is the 5th anniversary of the European Neighbourhood Policy, which dictates Europe's relations with its closest neighbours. Currently, at least in the middle term, these countries are not striving to be included in the integration process. Five years of increasing relations, although – and on this point the European institutions find themselves in agreement – there is still a lot of work that needs to be done especially in terms of shared values regarding democracy and human rights. A video.[May 2010]
