Kosovo Culture to Premiere in Vienna

Neziraj’s latest piece will premiere at Vienna’s theatre festival Die Besten aus dem Osten – Best from the East later this month.

The tenth edition of the festival is dedicated to Kosovo and will feature a range of cultural activities. Neziraj said that this drama was created as part of the project “A cultural festival on Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians (RAE)”. 

The play called “Yue Madeleine Yue” was also produced as a part of the culture component of the“EU support for the Implementation of the RAE Strategy”, an EU funded project managed by the European Commission Liaison Office to Kosovo and implemented by the Kosovo Foundation for Open Society.

“This drama was a draft from earlier and it was redrafted for the RAE festival, and we are working with all our energy to finish with rehearsals, and on February 24 and 25to roll on the ‘Volks Theater’ in Vienna,” said Neziraj. 

“This drama treats the issues of a RAE family, who after returning from Germany to Kosovo is  trying to survive  in  the new social and political reality of the  newborn state,” added Neziraj.

Madeleine, the main character, one day falls in  a  hole  created by a  construction company and while the girl remains in a coma struggling with death, her father, in an effort to seek justice, faces bureaucrats and businessmen.

It is a political drama looking at post-war Kosovo, but, above all, is a play about Roma in Europe today. Gaby Hagmüller from the European Commission Liaison Office to Kosovo said that it is an honour for them to be part of this project.

“Kosovo has the chance to be promoted in a great theatre in Vienna, and through this project we aim to give greater access to the RAE minority in education, schools, and in a better socio-economic wellbeing. “To be part of this festival is a privilege for all young artists,” added Hagmëller.

Muamer Niksic, from the Kosovo Foundation for Open Society, said that the festival on RAE culture this year will be held for the second time.

“The second edition of the festival on RAE culture will be held from May 21 until 27, 2012, in Prishtina. Part of this festival will be different cultural activities, like theatre plays, live music in the centre of the city, photo exhibitions of two great photographers, one local and one international, and all these promoting the RAE culture,” added Niksic.

Susanne Baertele from Volks Theatre said that this tenth edition of the festival dedicated to Kosovo.“We were lucky to meet Jeton [Neziraj] before, and as a big part of the drama was ready back then, we were able to identify the professionalism in it, therefore, we invited them to be part of this edition,” added Baertele.

Annemarie Türk from Kulturkontakt from Vienna said that her cultural institution is trying to support all types of culture, education and science project in South-East Europe, and to bring those closer to the German audience.

“Kulturkonakt aims to support all those who are not tired of hard and professional work, and if these young actors from Kosovo had not done such hard work, we wouldn’t have them here today,” said Türk.

Ervina Halili, a young poet from Kosovo, has also been part of their previous projects, and her publications are now translated into German.

She will read her poems during the festival nights.Kosovo journalist Beqë Cufaj will also read parts of his novel which have been translated into German.