On the Same Side: Agency of common people in North Macedonia as depicted in the TV series

In the TV show On the Same Side, the agency of common people is of utmost importance, mainly due to the specific socio-political and ethno-religious context in North Macedonia. A high level of tolerance can be seen in several episodes of the show, especially between the dominant Orthodox Christian majority and the considerably smaller Muslim minority. Smaller religious minorities such as Christian Catholics and Jews are also well-integrated within Macedonian society. This cohabitation has contributed towards securing long-term peace between the different ethnic communities following the inter-ethnic conflict in 2001. Valuable examples from the cities of Skopje, Tetovo, Gostivar, Kumanovo, and Debar as well as smaller villages such as Koleshino are represented in several episodes of this documentary TV show.

What can one learn from the post-conflict inter-ethnic and inter-confessional relations in North Macedonia? What is the main ‘secret’ behind the integration of several ethnic and confessional minorities in one functional state?