The Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, participated at the opening of the 16th edition of the EtnoFest Traditional Arts and Culture Festival, which is held in the village of Kukaj.<\/p>\n
In her address to the participants, Acting President Haxhiu said that in his memoir, Father Zef Pllumi conveyed to us the message he had received from Father Marin Sirdani: \u201cLive to tell\u201d, adding further that this message made us understand that what is not told risks being lost.<\/p>\n
According to her, when a person shares with others what he has seen and learned, one’s experience continues to live in their memory.<\/p>\n
\u201cEtnoFest continued this message in its own way. For years, in the village of Kukaj, houses have been reopened and people have gathered in the yards, passing on to the young people the songs, stories and crafts that have been passed down from one generation to the next\u201d, said Acting President Haxhiu.<\/p>\n
She said that this scene may seem quite natural to us today, however, according to her, years ago, when Kukaj was emptying and many of the houses were being neglected, it was difficult to predict that artists and the public from Kosovo and beyond would gather here.<\/p>\n
\u201cFadil and Sheqerije renovated an old stone barn and turned it into a theatre. They placed seats in the yard, where the first performances were given. From that first yard, the festival gradually spread to the village of Kukaj. Thus, EtnoFest was born, an annual festival where people return every summer\u201d, emphasized Acting President Haxhiu.<\/p>\n
She further stated that this year’s theme, “Memory”, is a natural continuation of this work.<\/p>\n
“Artists come here to listen to the songs and stories of the residents, see how the craftsmen work and create new works from them. The residents open their homes to them and make them part of the place, so the festival has taken on its distinctive character from them. EtnoFest is so strongly connected to Kukaj that it is difficult to think of it anywhere else. The performances take shape according to the houses and courtyards where they are performed, while the residents keep the festival connected to the life of the village”, emphasized Acting President Haxhiu.<\/p>\n
For this reason, she said that gratitude belongs to Fadil Hysaj and Sheqerije Buqaj and everyone who has worked with her over the years, to the team that prepares the program, to the artists who adapt their work to the village and to the residents who welcome the visitors.<\/p>\n
According to her, behind every evening that the audience experiences with ease, there is a long work, which often begins many months in advance.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, the support of institutions will continue even more. The festival has shown what it can do for Kukaj and for the cultural life of the country, and institutional support is very important to increase. Our task is to make sure that the organizers, residents and artists have an easier time developing the festival further\u201d, affirmed Acting President Haxhiu.<\/p>\n
Acting President Haxhiu said that after a few days, the stages will be removed and the audience will leave, the residents will return to their jobs, while the team will start thinking about the next edition.<\/p>\n
Finally, Acting President Haxhiu wished that EtnoFest will have the audience it deserves this year and that, next summer, it will gather us again here, in Kukaj.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, participated at the opening of the 16th edition of the EtnoFest Traditional Arts and Culture Festival, which is held in the village of Kukaj. In her address to the participants, Acting President Haxhiu said that in his memoir, Father Zef Pllumi conveyed to us the message he had received from Father Marin Sirdani: \u201cLive to tell\u201d, adding further that this message made us understand that what is not told risks being lost. According to her, when a person shares with others what he has seen and learned, one’s experience continues to live in their memory. \u201cEtnoFest continued this message in its own way. For years, in the village of Kukaj, houses have been reopened and people have gathered in the yards, passing on to the young people the songs, stories and crafts that have been passed down from one generation to the next\u201d, said Acting President Haxhiu. She said that this scene may seem quite natural to us today, however, according to her, years ago, when Kukaj was emptying and many of the houses were being neglected, it was difficult to predict that artists and the public from Kosovo and beyond would gather here. \u201cFadil and Sheqerije renovated an old stone barn and turned it into a theatre. They placed seats in the yard, where the first performances were given. From that first yard, the festival gradually spread to the village of Kukaj. Thus, EtnoFest was born, an annual festival where people return every summer\u201d, emphasized Acting President Haxhiu. She further stated that this year’s theme, “Memory”, is a natural continuation of this work. “Artists come here to listen to the songs and stories of the residents, see how the craftsmen work and create new works from them. The residents open their homes to them and make them part of the place, so the festival has taken on its distinctive character from them. EtnoFest is so strongly connected to Kukaj that it is difficult to think of it anywhere else. The performances take shape according to the houses and courtyards where they are performed, while the residents keep the festival connected to the life of the village”, emphasized Acting President Haxhiu. For this reason, she said that gratitude belongs to Fadil Hysaj and Sheqerije Buqaj and everyone who has worked with her over the years, to the team that prepares the program, to the artists who adapt their work to the village and to the residents who welcome the visitors. According to her, behind every evening that the audience experiences with ease, there is a long work, which often begins many months in advance. \u201cOf course, the support of institutions will continue even more. The festival has shown what it can do for Kukaj and for the cultural life of the country, and institutional support is very important to increase. Our task is to make sure that the organizers, residents and artists have an easier time developing the festival further\u201d, affirmed Acting President Haxhiu. Acting President Haxhiu said that after a few days, the stages will be removed and the audience will leave, the residents will return to their jobs, while the team will start thinking about the next edition. Finally, Acting President Haxhiu wished that EtnoFest will have the audience it deserves this year and that, next summer, it will gather us again here, in Kukaj.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":192235,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[111],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-192325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n