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Join Nirvana Romell, a native of Dalmatia, as she unravels the complex but absolutely fascinating history and cultures of the Central Balkans.

These are lands whose scenery and sites are breath-taking, the people very hospitable with wonderful cuisine and wine. But above all the history is opaque and exceptionally complex. Much of the arts and cultures of the central Balkans came into being as a direct or indirect result of the key moments of discord and division in European history. Are these troubled lands a cultural fault-line or a bridge between the European eastern and western cultures and politics?

Focusing on ex-Yugoslavia and Albania, the talk will explain the socio-historical background of numerous political divisions. It will also introduce some of the key monuments of this melting pot of Slavic, Roman, Byzantine, Venetian, Ottoman, Habsburg and other heritages, where art and culture serve as a bridge in national and political divisions.

Schedule

4.00pm - Welcome from Claire Baxter and Kate Suares, Cambridge and Oxford Alumni Offices and Daniel Moore, Distant Horizons

4.10pm - Talk from Nirvana Romell

4.40pm - Q&A with Nirvana, facilitated by Daniel Moore

5.00pm - Finish

Please note, this event will be recorded.

This talk is part of the Oxford and Cambridge Universities Alumni Travel programme, and is organised by Distant Horizons who will be arranging the Alumni journey to North Macedonia and southeast Albania in September 2021 which will be accompanied by Nirvana Romell.