With and excitement we have welcomed our American family in Skopje. Well, at least part of the family. We were thrilled to be able to watch some creative documentaries and cook together.

We can only hope it was interesting enough to see the cultural sites like the Old Bazzar, one of the 8^th century orthodox church and the 15^th century mosque, the small craftsman shops and of course, our home, the Kurshumli Han venue where our festival lives every August.

We strolled down the museums of course, but also to our museum of nature, the Canyon Matka.

The peak of the two week family gathering was the celebration of the International Roma Day in the largest Roma Municipality in Macedonia – Shuto Orizari, where we had a reception by the Mayor and an unforgettable dance offs on the streets.

The culmination of the cultural exchange happened at the Skopje Dance Festival. Besides generously supporting the welcome reception, the U.S Embassy in Skopje supported the performance and concert of the Dallas Black Dance Theatre together with Toni Kitanovski and Cherkezi and Tehemana.

Widening the Lens is a celebration of the unique heritages of African Americans in the U.S. and Romani people in Macedonia. The two organizations will collaborate in this project to guide dancers, musicians, and filmmakers in the exploration of these cultures, culminating in a final medium-length film that preserves and juxtaposes both.

*Communities Connecting Heritageˢᵐ is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by World Learning.

All photos from our journey here