TIRANA, Sept. 27 – Susanne Schà¼tz, the German Ambassador to Tirana, accompanied by Johannes Dietrich, director of the culture and press sector, held a conference at the Embassy to mark the start of the German October. It is the 11th time this event is organized, and its motto this year is “30 years of reestablished diplomatic relations” . This refers to the signing of the Protocol for the Reestablishment of Relations on September 1987 and the opening of the German Embassy in Tirana on the 15th of November of that same year.
The German October has certainly taken its own place in the cultural life of Tirana and has become a tradition and testimony to the cooperation spirit between the two countries. This year, the event will extend from the 30th of September until the 16th of November and will consist of movie screenings, dance shows, concerts, conferences, info-stands, theatre plays, cultural exchanges, seminars and discussions, as well as a celebration of Oktoberfest – the only event with an entrance fee.
A few noteworthy titles are Brahms’ “German Requiem” , which will be directed by Ekhart Wycik, a concert by Kosovo-German group Andrra, which gives traditional melodies an electronic vibe, info-stands on being energy-efficient at Murat Toptani Str., and the “Rosemarie Trockel” exhibition, brought to the National Gallery of Arts in Tirana by Mrs. Trockel, one of the most famous contemporary artists. This exhibition will remain open until the 3rd of December.
During the conference, ambassador Schà¼tz talked of the cooperation between Albania and Germany as much as for the importance of the cultural event. More specifically, she said that “diplomatic relations can have some abstract effects, especially since in executive and parliamentary levels there exist some established formats for the exchange of political values, but also those of other fields, just like President Meta’s visit to Berlin was yesterday. We would like to give this somehow cold character of diplomacy more colors by this cultural cooperation. Through this initiative we aim to win over the minds and hearts of people of this country by creating solid cultural bridges between our nations. ‘To allow people to move’ – this is the motto of Germany’s foreign policy and, in order to move people we need to create the space for creativity and promote dialogue and discussion. Through the German October we make the aim of these projects a reality – cooperation between Albanians and Germans, exchange of values, work towards a common goal, build connecting bridges and, in the best scenario, learn from each other.”
Those present at the conference were interested to know whether there will be any interesting activities of an economic nature or learning outcome during the event, and whether a forum could be organized, gathering all past diplomats who actually worked on reestablishing Albanian and German relations. For the first question, Schà¼tz pointed out the Oktoberfest event, which will be organized by DIHA (the German Society of Industry and Commerce in Albania), whereas for the second question, she mentioned the Seminar for young diplomats, which will take place on the 19th of October, in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and will be focused on regional cooperation and EU integration.
The full event program can be found on the internet address: www.tetori-gjerman.com, as well as the Embassy’s official webpage and Facebook page.
Concert: „Ein deutsches Requiem” – Brahms
Saturday, Sept. 30th, at 7 p.m., at the New Orthodox Cathedral, in Tirana.
Since its first depute in Bremen’s Cathedral in 1868, Brahms’ ‘German Requiem’ certainly qualifies as one of the most important art pieces in the oratorio genre history. It is essentially important not only because of its complicated and unusually enriched musical structure, but also because of its text, in which Brahms collected the main lines from the Old and New Testaments, translated by Martin Luther in a way that the main concepts of ‘sadness’ and ‘condolence’ directly interact. For a festive initiation of the German October, the Germany Embassy, in cooperation with the National Opera and Ballet Theatre in Tirana, will stage this piece in Albano-German production. The orchestra and choir will be directed by the German conductor Ekhart Wycik, whereas the performance will be executed by Albanian sopranos Erjona Gjyzeli and Eva Golemi, as well as German baritone Henryk Bà¶hm.
Dance Show „chipping“
Monday, Oct. 2nd, at 7pm, at the National Theatre, in Tirana
Everything is vibrant: in Anna Konjetzky’s „chipping“, the scene is constantly moving. Cubes are gliding here and there – sometimes slowly, without even being noticeable, and sometimes fast and visibly, interacting with everything else. The body needs to continuously adapt to the new environment, seek its way out of a piece of swaying space. Each step is a new act of balance, each move thought of, brought to equilibrium, each path found.
Anna Konjetzky’s choreographies are connecting points of dancing, installation and performance; they play with physical limits and are very often structured through light and sophisticated stage settings. Invited by the German Centre Goethe, it’s the first time ‘chipping’ comes to Albania. In addition to the dance show, Anna Konjetzky and dancer Sarah Hubby will also organized a workshop aimed at transmitting their experiences to Albanian dancers.
Conference: Cybernetic security
Wednesday, Oct. 4th, at 9 am, at Hotel International Tirana (event will be held in English and translated in Albanian)
Frequent cybernetic attacks have strengthened fears towards hackers’ attacks and security gaps, which in turn present a potential threat to the economy and society in general. In an ever-increasingly computerized world, starting from Online Banking to state infrastructure, the importance of Cybersecurity keeps raising. This is an important politico-social issue which is getting a lot of attention internationally but it is yet to be thoroughly debated in Albania.
The Friedrich Ebert Foundation will be offering a forum which will enable domestic and foreign experts to share their opinions and experiences concerning cybernetic security and the web. Thus, Albania can collect relevant knowledge which enables direct responsive opportunities. The public attention will be focused on a very important topic, because Cybersecurity is no longer just an option, but a necessity.
Concert: Guitar Magic – Dale Kavanagh & the Amadeus Guitar Duo
Thursday, Oct. 5th, at 7 pm, at the Show Hall of the University of Arts, in Tirana
Dale Kavanagh is one of the most famed contemporary solo guitarists. Invited by the German Embassy, Kavanagh, who is a professor at the School of Music in Detmold, will come in Tirana for the second time in order to participate in the International Guitar Festival. She will stage a higher level concert program as a solo artist, but will also jointly perform with Thomas Kirchhoff, with whom she has created the Amadeus Guitar Duo, known globally. Kavanagh will also offer a masters class for guitar artists.
