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By:
Shaban Maxharraj
- November 18, 2025 12:49
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The co-production of three theaters, the Albanian Theater in Skopje, and two national theaters in Albania and Kosovo, has been on hold for a year. A few days before the premiere and the start of the festival, work on the play “Emira” was suspended due to the strike of actors at the National Theaters of Kosovo, and since then there has been no other date for the premiere. As the host, the TKK bears the main financial burden of the play, along with that of creating the conditions for the return of this production. But this institution, together with the Ministry of Culture, have chosen to remain silent
The National Theatre of Kosovo will this year host the third edition of the nationwide theatre festival, “Moisiu”. But “Emira” with a text by Anton Santori, the play that was planned to open – the edition that was cancelled last year due to the strike of the TKK actors – will not be given. The production of three theatres, the Albanian Theatre of Skopje, and two national theatres in Albania and Kosovo, has been on hold for a year. Last year, a few days before the premiere and the start of the festival, work was suspended due to the strike, and since then there has been no other date. As the host, the TKK bears the main financial burden of the performance, along with that of creating the conditions for the return of this production.
A public reaction from the director of this play, Kushtrim Bekteshi, has fallen on deaf ears. At least publicly, no one has spoken out. The National Theatre of Kosovo has remained silent along with the Ministry of Culture. For the director and part of the play's team, all this is meaningless. Bekteshi, through an authorial text, has described the agony that has permeated this theatrical project, which was published with great acclaim by the TKK and other co-producing theatres. He has indicated that they have communicated with the TKK and the Ministry of Culture.
"Since then, no serious and determined action has been taken to consolidate the entire team of the play and to realize the premiere of the play. Only superficial efforts, many empty words and promises, proposals for dates and plans for a return that are destined to fail. Within a whole year, no serious and deliberate action has been taken to restore a play that was unjustly interrupted and is still unjustly being held in agony," wrote the director from North Macedonia, Kushtrim Bekteshi. The organizers of the Festival, which is expected to be held from November 22 to 27 this year, have not included this play. The management of the TKK, specifically the general director, Kushtrim Sheremeti, has not responded to KOHË's questions about this issue. The Ministry of Culture did not have an answer on Monday either.
Director Bekteshi, on Monday, said that he is not in a position to demand responsibility from anyone.
"I believe there are legal and administrative bodies within the TKK and MCYS that can demand accountability from all those responsible who, with their actions/inactions, have allowed the creation of this situation of one-year agony with the play 'Emira' and, in addition, have not closed the issue of payments to external collaborators," he said. He indicated that twelve other external collaborators of the play "Emira" who were contracted by the TKK, have at all times shown themselves to be cooperative and willing to find solutions to all open issues. He mentioned dozens of communications via email with TKK and MCYS officials.
"I have always expressed my willingness to return to rehearsals at any time when the conditions are created for the smooth progress of the work so that the premiere is successful. Now everything is in the hands of the TKK leadership on how to coordinate plans with the two co-producing theaters to consolidate the show's team and ensure the necessary time for the show to recover until the premiere. I and the external collaborators are waiting," he said.
For actor Bujar Ahmeti, who is part of the show, the whole situation is meaningless.
"I don't know how this edition of the festival can be held without its main show. The very idea of the festival was for the opening show to be a co-production between the three theaters organizing the event," he said.
After the publication of the reactionary text by director Kushtrim Bekteshi, playwright Jeton Neziraj has also reacted.
"I am reading this reaction from our colleague, director Kushtrim Bekteshi, and the only word that comes to mind is 'rotten'. The National Theatre of Kosovo is rotten; all the pillars that should support a public institution have rotted. Its values, ideas, beliefs, solidarity, ideals, professionalism have rotted...", he wrote.
According to Neziraj, who for a term more than a decade ago was the artistic director of the TKK, the "sold out" type Masks have no way of hiding or covering the shame for such scandals with fellow artists, who, even after a year, have not been paid for the work they have done, for the show that was banned through no fault of theirs. "While the tales with 'Moisira', with festivals and small provincial shows, are only part of this stench that comes from decay," he wrote. But the festival will continue although there is still no public program, not even a week before the opening.
The amphitheater of the National Theater of Kosovo at the Palace of Youth and Sports and the Red Hall, also in this complex, will be ready for this year's edition of the initiative of the three main theaters in Albanian spaces.
The realization of this festival is estimated to have cost 100 thousand euros. The year it was canceled, these 100 thousand euros were used to pay obligations of other cultural institutions by the Ministry of Culture.
The strike by the actors of the National Theatre of Kosovo in mid-November last year first “penalized” the Festival. Immediately afterwards, the Festival organizers, the National Theatre of Kosovo, the National Theatre of Albania and the Albanian Theatre of Macedonia announced the cancellation.
"Given the importance of the Albanian theater festival 'Moisiu' as a platform for creating circumstances for the unity and cooperation of Albanian theater artists from the three countries, but at the same time seeing the impossibility of organizing a worthy and festive edition of this festival in Pristina from November 20-27, 2024, after the general strike of the TKK Artists' Union, they decide that: The 3rd edition of the 'Moisiu' Festival in Pristina is canceled and will not be held as announced," the announcement read.
The Ministry of Culture stood by this announcement. It had distributed it with "deep despair."
The strike that lasted until February of this year did not bring anything to light. It demanded better treatment of TKK actors in terms of salary coefficients. The association would announce that it would suspend the strike after they had received a commitment from the cabinet of the acting Minister of Culture, Hajrulla Çeku. Since then, the MCYS has done nothing about salaries.