January
Centenary winning logo announced
A logo designed by Zeni Ballashi, a Kosovo based ethnic Albanian from Macedonia, accompanied all events Albania hosted this year as part of the 100th independence anniversary. The winning logo features a double-headed eagle as a jubilee flame resembling to a trophy. It was selected among 25 projected submitted by Albanian, Kosovo and Macedonian artists.
February
Albania celebrates Dickens bicentenary
Albania joined world celebrations to mark the 200th birthday of renowned British writer Charles Dickens with a series of movies, open lectures, theatrical performances. Albania became one of the countries worldwide participating in the Dickens film programme, the largest retrospective ever staged of films based on Charles Dickens novels. Kujtim ȡshku, the Academy’s director, said Charles Dickens’ stories were among the fewest opportunities to get acquainted with the British art during dictatorship. Dickens 2012 was an international celebration of the life and work of Charles Dickens to mark the bicentenary of his birth, on 7 February 2012.
Homage to Kosova war victims through art
Fatos, Jehona and Saranda Bogujevci are three members of the Bogujevci family who survived a Serb army massacre in March 1999, in the town of Podujeva, in Kosova. Ever since that day, they have been on a long journey of recovery, and search for justice. Today, Fatos, Jehona and Saranda Bogujevci are the artists of an exhibition, who in a very original way recreate the drama they went through, the slow recovery process and their lengthy search for justice after the tragedy of the family. The exhibition “Bogujevci/Visual Stories” is composed of four installations; where one watches original film footage, interviews, photographs and personal items. The exhibition showcased at the National Arts Gallery, apart from its documentary character, can also be seen as an artistic answer to brutality and violence, and as a virtuous response of the human soul against war crimes, organizers say.
Skampa theatre reopens after being burned down
Six months after a fire burned down the majority of the interior of Skampa theatre, the most important cultural institution in the central Albanian city of Elbasan, the theatre was fully reconstructed and restored to an even better condition, becoming one of the most modern in the country. The reconstructed theatre was inaugurated in February in a gala event which brought together renowned actors and artists. The theatre was reconstructed by Sigal Uniqa Group Austria insurer and the Elbasan municipality.
March
The Dybbuk, a Jewish version of Romeo and Julie
The Dybbuk, a Jewish version of Romeo and Juliet that has its roots in Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah, was brought as premiere for the Albanian public by the National Theatre of Northern Greece. Bruce Myers’ play is based on the work “The Dybbuk” by Shalom Ansky, translated by Louiza Mitsakou, directed by Sotiris Hatzakis and with the music of Savvina Giannatou. Greek actors Dimitris Papanikolaou Despoina Kourti star in the play whose director Sotiris Hatzakis describes as a story about the intense presence of love and God and not a story about their absence.
Eight towns celebrate Francophone Spring
Eleven days of cultural events were held in eight Albanian towns in this year’s celebrations Francophone Spring, an annual event celebrating French culture and its influence on Albania. The programme of events which this year also marked the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the French Alliance in Tirana ran from March 17 to 27.
Carine Borel, the person in charge of the cultural mission at the French embassy in Tirana says this year’s celebrations have extended to Saranda, Librazhd and Pogradec apart from Tirana, Tirana, Elbasan, Shkodra, Korca and Permet. The official programme brought a wide range of events such as concerts, exhibitions, conferences and debates on French literature and culture.
Iso-polyphony now available online
Albania’s Iso-polyphony, recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage, has been stored in a database and promoted in a website. The database was launched in a ceremony bringing together researchers of this spiritual heritage and culture ministry officials. “It is our duty to conserve and digitize this century-old spiritual heritage of the Albanian people and spread it through contemporary methods,” said Culture Minister Aldo Bumci.
Originally proclaimed in 2005, folk iso-polyphony was inscribed in 2008 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage.
Greek Spring, a cultural exchange event
Painting, photo and translated book exhibitions identified through visual impacts but also words the cultural proximity and cooperation opportunities between Greece and Albania, said Greek Ambassador to Albania Nicolas Pazios in his opening remarks of the Greek Cultural Spring which was marked with a series of events to commemorate Greece’s National Day. The Greek cultural spring brought musical, cinema, linguistic and even gastronomy events contributing to better mutual recognition and understanding between the two neighbouring countries.
April
Ibrahim Kodra’s paintings home
Sixty original paintings by Albania’s most famous painter, late Ibrahim Kodra, were displayed for two weeks at the National Gallery of Arts in Tirana in one of the most special events commemorating Albania’s 100th independence anniversary. Named “Albania Fantastica” after a cubist painting Kodra created in 1997, the exhibition featured 60 works in different techniques and genres created from 1940 to 2006. Albanian post-cubist painter Ibrahim Kodra spent his adult life in Italy’s Milan. His collection includes some 6,000 pieces of art. He was widely admired not only among Albanians and Italians for his modern abstractionist art, but throughout Europe and worldwide.
One of Europe’s earliest farming sites discovered in Korca
University of Cincinnati research revealed early farming in a former wetlands region that was largely cut off from Western researchers until recently. The findings show that Vasht쮩, located in Korca, southeastern Albania, was occupied around 6,500 BC, making it one of the earliest farming sites in Europe. The location of early sites such as Vasht쮩 near wetland edges suggests that the earliest farmers in Europe preferentially selected such resource-rich settings to establish pioneer farming villages. At Vasht쮩, the researchers have found cereal-based agriculture including emmer, einkorn and barley; animals such as pigs, cattle and sheep or goats (the two are hard to tell apart for many bones of the skeleton); and deer, wild pig, rabbit, turtle, several species of fish and eels.
Henry VI premiered in Tirana, London
The National Theatre premiered part II of Shakespeare’s Henry VI in Tirana just before its participation in London’ s Globe to Globe festival. The stage at the National Theatre for three consecutive evenings from April 27 to 29 was a test for the Albanian troupe starring veteran actors Ndricim Xhepa, Bujar Asqeriu, Yllka Mujo and Ahmet Pasha.
Director Adonis Filipi directed Shakespeare’s great meditation on riot and rebellion. Revelling in the vast array of communities and languages that make-up London’s vibrant cultural landscape, 37 international companies presented every one of Shakespeare’s plays in a different language over six weeks.
The Albanian Theatre performed at the Globus Theatre on May 12 and 13 2012, part II of Shakespare’s Henry VI known as the Balkan Trilogy.
May
New discoveries made in Butrint park
A medieval grave, a one-storey building and a square of the 1st century B.C are some of the latest discoveries two U.S and Albanian archeologists have made at the Butrint archeological park, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1992. Albanian archeologist Dhimiter Condi says they have also discovered a building and square dating back to Emperor Augustus time in the 1st century BC, and A.D.
Earlier excavations have brought the light to many objects – plates, vases, ceramic candlesticks – as well as sculptures including a remarkable ‘Goddess of Butrint’ which seems to completely embody, in the perfection of its features, the Greek ideal of physical beauty.
June
Skanderbeg opera makes comeback
Skanderbeg, an opera named after Albania’s national hero, made its comeback at the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet 44 years after its premiere. American tenor Roy Stevens was selected to perform the lead role of Skanderbeg in the opera composed by Prenk Jakova on the national hero’s 500th death anniversary in 1968. Skanderbeg’s role at that time was performed by renowned Xhoni Athanas.
A cast of 200 artists performed in this mega production which the Opera House staged on the 100th anniversary of Albania’s independence. Premiered on June 18, the opera was directed by Italy’s Carlo Saletti.
Tirana’s totalitarian architecture
Tirana was included in a regional project promoting the architecture of totalitarian regimes in urban managements as tourist destinations. The EU-funded ATRIUM project aims to put into greater focus a key element of twentieth-century European history, heritage and memory. The partners come from 11 different countries (Italy, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Croatia, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Greece) which share a desire to focus on the architectural heritage of the different totalitarian regimes which they have experienced in the twentieth century from a cultural and historical point of view.
July
Gjirokastra castle hosts polyphonic, classical festival
French, Italian, Canadian and Albanian folklore and classical music ensembles performed for three consecutive evenings in the castle of the southern UNESCO World Heritage site of Gjirokastra. From June 30 to July 2, the castle of Gjirokastra turned into the regional epicenter of classical and contemporary music based on folklore tradition attracting dozens of art lovers. It has now been six years that the Argjiro French-Albanian Association has been organizing the “Musical meetings of two worlds” festival.
The traditional festival is held in the 13th century Gjirokastra castle which dominates the town and overlooks the strategically important route along the river valley.
Rare paintings mysteriously disappear from Korca gallery
Some 60 works mysteriously disappeared from the public art gallery of the southeastern city of Korca, local officials warned. Around 30 of them belong to late renowned painter Vangjush Mio. The scandal was unveiled during a recent inventory as a new caretaker took over. Mio’s paintings are each valued between USD 10,000 to 30,000. The disappeared Mio paintings were created in the early 20th century during Albania’s independence, the National Liberation War and the communist era.
August
ArtKontakt held Ali Pasha castle
The Ali Pasha castle in Porto Palermo, southern Albania turned into an art venue bringing together international artists for three days in the ArtKontakt international festival. The 2012 edition of the ArtKontakt Festival aimed to explore impressions, experiences, perspectives and sentiments that art is reflecting in this historic moment, as a result of the global crisis.
Art and musical performances, workshops were some of the events featured in the festival scheduled for August 10 to 12. Located in the 140-kilometer stretch of coastline between Vlora to Saranda, the18-century castle of Ali Pasha is regarded as one of the most attractive locations in the Albanian Riviera.
Ancient stone featuring Heracles, Apollo discovered
A joint Albanian-French expedition discovered a rare carved stone in small dimensions featuring mythological motifs in the archaeological park of Apollonia, southwestern Albania. Archeologists say the finding is testimony to the high level of Illyrian civilization and development. The item of small dimensions will be added to the collection in the newly opened archaeological museum of Apollonia. The French-Albanian expedition has earlier discovered a giant promenade and two busts featuring a Roman athlete and an aristocratic woman.
September
Czech movie wins Durres Film Festival
“Lidice,” a Czech Republic movie directed by Petr Nikolaev grabbed the best film award in the fifth edition of the Durres International Film Festival. In a closing ceremony held on August 30 at the local cultural centre, an international jury handed the Golden Gladiator Award to” Lidice,” a film presented as a true story set during World War II with the Nazi takeover of Europe underway. France’s Pierre Sch
