About
The Potpuri collective is based between Switzerland and Kosovo. Its activities address shared social themes and urgent issues, including reclaiming Switzerland’s media landscape by creating space for individuals from diverse backgrounds to critically engage with the intersectional identities of Switzerland’s post-migrant society; the revival of printed press in Kosovo; and, most importantly, the creation of a welcoming space for voices often unheard within commercial media environments.
Potpuri publishes its own independent, trilingual newspaper annually—in German, Albanian, and English—serving as a tool for community-building, cultural exchange, reflection, and the diversification of the media landscape. It provides resources, knowledge, and professional support to individuals historically excluded from the public sphere—those who believe their stories should be told by the people directly impacted.
Potpuri’s mission is to introduce inclusive and radical approaches to diversifying the public sphere by applying participatory methods that empower affected communities to write and document their own narratives.
Institutionally, the Potpuri platform is represented by the Nafakë Association, registered in Switzerland, and the not-for-profit organization RRITU, registered in Kosovo.
How does Potpuri function?
Potpuri operates through two groups: the Potpuri Collective and Potpuri Contributors.The Potpuri Collective is the main decision-making body, composed of 24 members who have voluntarily organized, implemented, and facilitated the overall work of Potpuri for over three years.
Potpuri Contributors, on the other hand, are one-time contributors to the Potpuri Gazeta. They participate in the collective production process of each printed issue by joining through public open calls. This collaborative work is facilitated through Potpuri Labs—a platform dedicated to inclusive and participatory storytelling and research. The Labs aim to create space for new voices that have been systematically excluded or marginalized, often reflecting the experiences of post-migrant young creatives.
Potpuri Labs are hybrid (in-person and online) meetings, they take the form of moderated presentations and discussions, supporting emerging researchers as they collaborate in producing the Potpuri Gazeta. Each Lab cycle runs for approximately six months.
After each production cycle of Potpuri Gazeta, contributors are invited to join the Potpuri Collective, with the aim of supporting the organization and contributing to the platform’s long-term vision. This structure ensures that Potpuri remains continuously open to new participants and is shaped by the very communities it seeks to empower.
History
The lab ran for six months centered around a program of lectures and discussions featuring academics, researchers, and activists from Switzerland and Kosovo. These sessions were attended by a group of students at ZHdK (the Zurich team) and a group of researchers and activists based at Termokiss, a community center in Kosovo (the Prishtina team).
The lab aimed to support and shape research questions and collaborative processes, enabling both teams to better understand each other’s contexts and laying the groundwork for a long-term partnership grounded in a transnational perspective.
The lab culminated in the collective formation of Potpuri as a publishing platform. In 2022, this resulted in the launch of the Gazeta, a printed publication that reflected a year of research and writing by more than 25 contributors, published in a trilingual format.
Potpuri’s mission became the production of physical newspapers as a response to the urgent need for printed press in Kosovo—at a time when such media was entirely absent. At the same time, it sought to build sustainable collaborations with Switzerland, addressing the need to amplify voices from its diverse migratory communities.
With its first edition, Potpuri: Gazeta 01, self-printed and hand-sewn in 300 copies in Kosovo, the collective—supported by the Zurich University of the Arts—laid the groundwork for independent publishing in the country. This initiative contributed to a shift in publishing practices in Kosovo and was widely recognized for reintroducing the tactility of printed informational media.
In 2023, the Potpuri collective shifted its focus to the Swiss context. It organized a research trip, bringing Kosovo-based researchers to Switzerland to engage in direct dialogue and exchange with a range of journalistic and publishing practices. This was made possible with the support of WOZ, Fabrikzeitung, K-Set, and other independent Swiss journalists. The process culminated in the publication of Potpuri: Gazeta 02 in June 2024, with a print run of 600 copies.
That same year, the collective decided to conclude its collaboration with the Zurich University of the Arts after three years of partnership. This marked a transition to full independence, as the initiative had developed sustainable methodologies and proven its ability to function autonomously.
In 2024, Potpuri launched an open call to invite voices outside of academia who were interested in publishing within collaborative formats. The call attracted 21 new researchers. Their work was supported through the Potpuri Lab, a platform dedicated to empowering and guiding emerging authors through their research and collaborative publishing processes. This phase culminated in the release of Potpuri: Gazeta 03 in May 2025, published in 800 copies.
Potpuri është një platformë e pavarur botuese dhe iniciativë bashkëpunuese e fokusuar në metodologjitë eksperimentale të kërkimit, gazetarisë investigative dhe prodhimit. Fokusi i procesit të punës së Potpurit është nxitja e metodologjive kolektive në praktikat e botimit për prodhimin e gazetave fizike. Kolektivi Potpuri është i bazuar ndërmjet Kosovës dhe Zvicrës, aktiviteti ynë kërkon tema dhe urgjenca të përbashkëta sociale si ringjallja e shtypit të shkruar në Kosovë, mungesa e hapësirave institucionale reflektuese për diasporën shqiptare në Zvicër, politikat dhe dukuritë sociale nën përvojat migratore, dhe më e rëndësishmja sigurimi i një hapësire mikpritëse për shprehjet e zërave të padëgjuar brenda mjediseve komerciale.
Potpuri is an independent publishing platform and collaborative initiative focused on experimental methodologies of research, investigative journalism and production. The focus of the work-process of Potpuri is the fostering of collective methodologies in publishing practices for the production of physical newspapers. Potpuri collective is based between Kosovo and Switzerland, our activity seeks for common social themes and urgencies such as the revival of printed press in Kosovo, the absence of reflective institutional spaces for the Albanian diaspora in Switzerland, the politics and social phenomena under migratory experiences, and most importantly providing a welcoming space for expressions of voices unheard within commercial settings.
Potpuri ist eine unabhängige Veröffentlichungsplattform und Initiative, die sich auf experimentelle Forschungsmethoden, investigativen Journalismus und Produktion konzentriert. Der Schwerpunkt des Arbeitsprozesses von Potpuri liegt in der Förderung kollektiver Methoden der Verlagspraxis für die Produktion von Zeitungen. Das Potpuri-Kollektiv arbeitet im Kosovo und der Schweiz. Unsere Themen und Dringlichkeiten wie der Wiederbelebung der gedruckten Presse im Kosovo reichen von dem Fehlen reflektierender institutioneller Räume für die albanische Diaspora in der Schweiz und den sozialen Phänomenen der Migrationserfahrungen. Ein Raum für Ausdruck von Stimmen, die in kommerziellen Umgebungen häufig ungehört bleiben.
This edition was produced with the financial support of the European Union, Provitreff Verein and “ici. here together”. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of NGO Rritu and NAFAKË and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or any other funding body.
Potpuri është një platformë e pavarur botuese dhe iniciativë bashkëpunuese e fokusuar në metodologjitë eksperimentale të kërkimit, gazetarisë investigative dhe prodhimit. Fokusi i procesit të punës së Potpurit është nxitja e metodologjive kolektive në praktikat e botimit për prodhimin e gazetave fizike. Kolektivi Potpuri është i bazuar ndërmjet Kosovës dhe Zvicrës, aktiviteti ynë kërkon tema dhe urgjenca të përbashkëta sociale si ringjallja e shtypit të shkruar në Kosovë, mungesa e hapësirave institucionale reflektuese për diasporën shqiptare në Zvicër, politikat dhe dukuritë sociale nën përvojat migratore, dhe më e rëndësishmja sigurimi i një hapësire mikpritëse për shprehjet e zërave të padëgjuar brenda mjediseve komerciale.
Potpuri is an independent publishing platform and collaborative initiative focused on experimental methodologies of research, investigative journalism and production. The focus of the work-process of Potpuri is the fostering of collective methodologies in publishing practices for the production of physical newspapers. Potpuri collective is based between Kosovo and Switzerland, our activity seeks for common social themes and urgencies such as the revival of printed press in Kosovo, the absence of reflective institutional spaces for the Albanian diaspora in Switzerland, the politics and social phenomena under migratory experiences, and most importantly providing a welcoming space for expressions of voices unheard within commercial settings.
Potpuri ist eine unabhängige Veröffentlichungsplattform und Initiative, die sich auf experimentelle Forschungsmethoden, investigativen Journalismus und Produktion konzentriert. Der Schwerpunkt des Arbeitsprozesses von Potpuri liegt in der Förderung kollektiver Methoden der Verlagspraxis für die Produktion von Zeitungen. Das Potpuri-Kollektiv arbeitet im Kosovo und der Schweiz. Unsere Themen und Dringlichkeiten wie der Wiederbelebung der gedruckten Presse im Kosovo reichen von dem Fehlen reflektierender institutioneller Räume für die albanische Diaspora in der Schweiz und den sozialen Phänomenen der Migrationserfahrungen. Ein Raum für Ausdruck von Stimmen, die in kommerziellen Umgebungen häufig ungehört bleiben.
This edition was produced with the financial support of the European Union, Provitreff Verein and “ici. here together”.
The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of NGO Rritu and NAFAKË and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or any other funding body.
The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of NGO Rritu and NAFAKË and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or any other funding body.