TIRANA, September 7/ATA/ Tirana will host this week the Albania-Israel cultural festival, an extraordinary event that will highlight Albanian and Israeli art, historical exchanges between the Albanian and Jewish peoples and the vibrant artistic scene of Albania.
The festival, scheduled for September 12-21, will have a variety of events and performances in the fields of classical and traditional music, fine arts, photography, literature, cinematography, costume design.
This event is held in context of the 30th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Albania and Israel and will serve to celebrate the warm relations between the two countries and between the two peoples.
The festival is a unique initiative in the Albanian and Balkan cultural scene. This year’s participants will include the Klezmer Orchestra from Israel, the String Quartets from the Berlin Philharmonic, Nitzan Bartana from the Basel Orchestra (Switzerland), conductor Suzana Turku “Grand Master”, Sivan Rotem from Israel, and many other special guests. A large number of invited artists from abroad come to perform in Albania for the first time.
Almira Emiri, artistic director of the Festival and well-known Albanian pianist in the European arena and in Israel, described the event as a golden opportunity to promote art and culture.
“Israeli art and the treasures of world Jewish culture should and can be much more present in Albania. And vice versa: the excellent cultural tradition and contemporary creativity of Albanians should and can be much more accessible to the Israeli public. Bringing together culture and tradition from Israel and Albania, this festival will contribute to inter-cultural and inter-generational dialogue, as well as create opportunities to nurture tolerance and diversity,” she said.
Honorary Member of the Festival is Avital Leibovich, Director of the Jerusalem Office of the American Jewish Committee, which recently received the title “Skanderbeg Order” from the President of the Republic of Albania.
Leibovich emphasized the opportunities and exchanges between the two countries. “The relationship between Albanians and Jews is unique, not only from the past, but also from the present. The similarities between us are greater than the differences and art is a powerful tool in strengthening relationships between peoples,” she said.
The Albania-Israel Cultural Festival is an initiative of the Shalom Center in Albania and is supported by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Albania, the Municipality of Tirana, the Israeli Embassy in Tirana, as well as the American Jewish Committee and the American Jewish Congress. /a.a/p.s./
