Olivia Harrison
Staff Writer
As Americans, the main focus in the news is mostly the spread of the Coronavirus and its devastating effects on everybody in the community, whether that be locally, nationally or internationally. Because of this, other news tends to be put on the back burner. However, one story that has recently been unearthed has caught some attention in the media anad is being reported worldwide.
In Tirana, Albania, last Sunday, police intervened against opposition supporters who were protesting the demolition of the country’s National Theatre. Although it seems as if these protests are stemming from the loss of cultural resources, a main contributing factor is Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama. In Albania, the prime minister is head of government and the most powerful and influential person in Albanian politics. Many people oppose Rama, as he is a part of the Socialist political party in Albania. Clashes of protestors against Rama and the socialist party have been going on for a couple months now, but have been on halt because of the Coronavirus. Although Albania has been on full lockdown, it did not stop oppositionists and theatre employees from coming out in mass numbers to protest the demolition of the National Theatre.
Located in Tirana, Albania’s Capital, the National Theatre has been around since World War ll, when it was built by Italy when they occupied what is now modern-day Albania. Workers started building the theatre in 1938, and finished it the following year. In 1940, it opened as a cultural center. Over the decades, the theater has had many names. When it first opened the Italians named it Savoia, and then when the Germans occupied Albanian territory, they called it The Theater of Kosovo. Finally, in 1945, after World War ll, when Albania was a communist country, it was called the People’s Theatre. Most cultural institutions in post-war Albania would be established here and it played a huge role in Albania’s cultural and national identity. Nowadays, it is known worldwide as the National Theatre.
Since it has been around for ages, the building was very old, dilapidated and had begun to fall apart. However, that did not stop artists and actors from utilizing the theatre. In its place, a new 30 million euro ($32.4 USD), will be built in its place with a stark, new modern design. When artists, actors and activists heard about this plan, they decided to take a stand. They believe that the theatre is a symbol of Albanian culture and heritage. Albania’s current government has been talking about taking down the theatre for two years now but held off. But, on Sunday, May 17, they decided to finally go through the process and tear down the National Theatre. Hundreds of oppositionists stood outside the area that the now demolished theatre once was and chanted “Down with the dictatorship!” Later that day, a group of students had to be moved away from the site and other demonstrators were detained by police, and even pepper sprayed. The police tried blocking local television crews from reporting the protests.
I spoke to my friend Ergi Hysa, who lives in Tirana about what he thought of the loss of the theatre and the current political tensions in his country and he had a lot to say. Ergi says, “You see, Albania is a small country and things get done very fast. We usually know what the government is doing and what’s going on. However, if they’re doing something we think is wrong, it’s impossible to call them out about it. Before the theater was built, Albania had hardly any industry other than farming. The theatre represented advancement as a country. There were also many different regimes, such as the communist jurisdiction. There was art from that time period and so much more. The theatre symbolizes so much and it was also the birth of Albanian theatre. Furthermore, the costumes and video footage from 1945 were destroyed as well.
Ergi explained: “We have lost hope in this system and I feel as if they broke the law by destroying the theatre and have this attitude of ‘well now it’s done, forget about the theatre.’” Because of the protests being aggressive and brutal, Ergi did not go to the protests. Instead, he is protesting online under the Instagram user @jemi.bashke which translates in English to “we are together”. On this account Ergi has made his own art about what he thinks of the situation and his posts have even gotten noticed by the Albanian news company, JOQ Albania.
Besides tracking attention from everyday citizens, the demolition of the theatre has tracked attention from the European Union itself, opposition democratic party leader Lulzim Basha, Europa Nostra, and even the President Ilir Meta and his wife Monika Kryemadhi. Lulzim Basha said: “Authorities were crossing the red line between democracy and dictatorship in this country.” Europa Nostra, a Europe-wide organization engaged in the protection of cultural heritage, protested against the decision on Twitter, calling it illegal.
The European Union office in Tirana itself even released a statement saying that it deplored, or highly disliked the destruction of the National Theatre and wanted to negotiate things civilly, without major political parties escalating the situation.
President Ilir Meta released a statement calling out Rama, calling the destruction of the theatre “a constitutional, legal and moral crime.” Rama fired back on Facebook stating: “They [oppositionists and protestors] cannot stop Tirana!!” Later that day, the president’s wife Monika Kryemadhi was seen being detained and put in a police van. She was later freed. The EU commissioner for culture Mariya Gabriel still urges both sides to talk things out before totally tearing down the theatre. She stated on Twitter: “Dialogue with civil society and experts of cultural heritage is necessary before taking an irreversible decision on #NationalTheatre #Tirana. We strongly encourage all relevant national institutions to engage now in a constructive dialogue with heritage stakeholders.”
Although Albania has banned public gatherings because of Covid-19, Lulzim Basha still urges residents to speak out against the government’s plans. Basha urges all citizens to start nationwide protests “to get rid of this bandit and this great evil,” adding that demonstrations would be held “respecting hygienic conditions.”
