"LOJA," in Albanian, means "game," which, according to our Macedonian site administrator, Bujar Luma, aptly describes the spirit of the center where he's the co-director. Bujar was a wonderful host to MY HERO and tirelessly dedicated himself to making the MY HERO / GLOBAL EXCHANGE workshops a success.

At LOJA, Bujar and his co-director, Biljana Alampioska, are hopeful to transcend the ethnic differences that presently divide their country. While Biljana is ethnically Macedonian, Bujar is Albanian. Their friendship, partnership, and respect for each other is a testament to how Macedonia can survive as a nation and thrive as a multi-ethnic population.

The MY HERO / GLOBAL EXCHANGE Workshops in Tetovo were attended by students, teachers and artists from both ethnicities. While the war was foremost in the mind of the participants, these young Macedonians and Albanians chose to work together, regardless of ethnicity, and produce some wonderful videos.

During MY HERO's five-day stay in Tetovo we had workshops that included camera exercises, Photoshop lessons and and Final Cut tutorials. We also discussed values-oriented artwork and how to use digital media to tell hero stories. By the end of five days, our group of 14 participants shot, edited and completed five movies about heroes, peace and reconciliation.

On the last day of workshops in Tetovo, we screened the students' new work, shared a few award-winning videos from the 2006 MY HERO FILM FESTIVAL, and several from the US Express Anthology. During the five days we were in Macedonia, MY HERO forged an alliance with local activists, artists and students that will prove fruitful for years to come.

Life Needs Art (Quicktime - 3:02 minutes) Produced by Xheladin Poshka, Olsa Maze and Blerim Jashari

Tetovo Hero City (Quicktime - 3:19 minutes) Produced by Zoran Ilic, Arta Abazi and Festim Halili

Love is a Hero by Xheladin Poshka and Olsa Maze