By Alba Cela
Last week the International Festival of Language and Culture brought to Tirana performers from 15 different countries in an event that blended cultural diversity, ethnic food and lots of entertainment through music and dance. In a beautifully organized event, young performers from all the different countries had an opportunity to show off their colorful representation of art and culture in the Albanian capital. Tirana became for a short and colorful time a global capital of youth, culture and arts through this large and important event.
This is the third time this festival is organized in Albania under the care of the Education Foundation ‘Gulistan’, the Turgut Ozal Company and the Epoka University, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture of Albania and the Tirana Municipality. The Festival started with a culinary fair where participants could learn about and taste different cuisines to continue with the special show featuring music and dance from all over the world. The countries participating in this edition of the Festival were: Albania, the United States, Germany, Azerbaijan, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Moldova, Tanzania, Egypt, the Philippines, Peru, Bangladesh, Russia, Slovenia and Senegal.
Performances captured the applause and the heart of the audience. Among them the highlight was the traditional northern folk dance “Vallja e Tropojes” carried out by the Senegal group which fired up the members of the audience. Equally exquisite was the rendition of the traditional Albanian song ‘Xhamadani’ from the Tanzanian singer who joined the Albanians on the stage.
The message of this festival is very important for the times we live in: respect and appreciation of diverse cultures, enjoying the best of what everyone offers in mutual peace and harmony. The festival, through some symbolic videos repeated this message of harmony and peace throughout the event. However the best messengers were the young people themselves with their pure heart full of positive thoughts and hopes for their common future.
The young people who had travelled to Albania from 15 different destinations has their chance to make a stable mark in Tirana, planting symbolical olive trees in a city park. Recognizing their valuable contribution, they were welcomed at the offices of the Tirana municipality in a meeting with Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj. The participants also held meetings with the Speaker of the Parliament Ilir Meta, Minister of Innovation and Public Administration Milena Harito, Minisiter of Agriculture Panariti and Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation Edmond Haxhinasto.
