The Mayor of Prishtina, Përparim Rama, officially received the Norwegian writer Osvald Bjelland, who is in Prishtina on the occasion of the international conference dedicated to the book “Hope for Life on Our Planet: Inspiration for Seven Generations,” as reported by KosovaPress.
Mayor Rama expressed that he had the privilege to be one of the 64 authors of the book “Hope for Life on Our Planet: Inspiration for Seven Generations,” a special work with major contributors from around the world.
He expressed gratitude for the invitation to contribute to this publication and described it as a book that inspires hope and encouragement for the future of the planet and for the seven generations to come.
Thanking the author Bjelland, Rama invited him to share with the public the reasons and ideas behind the creation of this work.
“I have already mentioned the name of the book ‘Hope for Life on Our Planet – Inspiration for Seven Generations,’ which is a collection with 64 authors, and I have had the fortune, honor, and pleasure to be one of them. Therefore, I thank you for inviting me to contribute to this fantastic book, which has many authors – great authors, great people – most of whom are alive today. Unfortunately, some have passed away. But I want you to speak about the reason why you are here and the ideas behind your book – this wonderful book – Hope and ideas for the future, Hope for the World, inspiration for the next seven generations, as you have inspired me extraordinarily,” Rama said.
Meanwhile, Norwegian author Osvald Bjelland expressed his satisfaction with his visit to Prishtina and shared how the inspiration for writing and publishing the book “Hope for Life on Our Planet: Inspiration for Seven Generations” came about.
He shared a personal experience from the pandemic period when due to restrictions he could not celebrate his 60th birthday with loved ones. At that time, he said he decided to write to people who had influenced his life, asking: “What is your hope for the future?” Thus contributing to the writing of this work.
“It is truly a pleasure. I really look forward to returning to Prishtina and this part of the world, which I have only known for a few years. There are many personal experiences that shape the way we think and see life. Five years ago, I celebrated 60 revolutions around the sun and realized that the people I wanted to bring together could not meet because of COVID. What we experienced then was how fragile we are as a human family. But also, in retrospect, you see how powerful we are when we decide to unite. So I thought: well, what can I do now? I sent an email to the people who influenced my life – including my mother, uncles, and other relatives – and asked just one question: Tell me your hope for the future. This happened in the middle of the COVID pandemic. And the response was extraordinary. I received a lot of beautiful material. And naturally, I started thinking and reading all of these,” Bjelland said.
Bjelland said that every part of the book has something to learn from, for which he expressed pride regarding the 64 contributions.
During his visit to the capital, Bjelland said that Prishtina is wonderful and has made great progress.
“It is already a wonderful city. You have made great progress. I see many forward ideas in the field of sustainable energy, urban living, and other areas where you are trying to move forward. I think the key to the future of cities is to create an environment where people flourish – where they learn, support each other, feel included and proud of their city because that is where new ideas are born,” Bjelland emphasized.
On the other hand, the head of the capital, Përparim Rama, also spoke about a conference that will be held tomorrow and the day after in Prishtina.
He said that at the conference on Livable Cities, the transformation of the capital will be discussed.
Rama emphasized that the interventions being made are part of this idea that is closely linked, according to him, with the book – “Hope, Inspiration for the Next Seven Generations.”
“The Livable Cities conference for 2025 discusses how our vision for transforming the capital, the works we have done so far in a transformative aspect for the capital. Tomorrow we will showcase this smart city infrastructure that is already installed in the capital. And how this will be used to plan for the future of the capital. At the same time, the interventions we are making as part of the city’s vision, such as platforms, underpasses, greenery, digitalization, are part of this idea that is closely linked to this book – ‘Hope, Inspiration for the Next Seven Generations,’” Rama said.
This conference for the book is expected to be held tomorrow and the day after in Prishtina.
