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In Albania, communist mythology has found and still finds especially favorable conditions: a pronounced bizarreness and radicalism of the communist regime both in terms of ambitions to transform socio-economic conditions and ideologically indoctrinate society, a stark discrepancy between aspirations and reality, a dramatic post-communist transition including severe political and economic crises etc.

In this context, the 7th edition of MEMORY DAYS under the motto "Communist Myths in Albania, before and after the System Change" aims to illuminate a crucially important, broad and understudied topic.

Within the framework of the MEMORY DAYS , KAS organizes the following events in cooperation with other partners:

EXHIBITION: EVERYDAY LIFE IN SPAÇ PRISON – SKETCHES CREATED ON THE SURVIVOR’S TESTIMONY

Date: 20 February, 5pm, Venue: Destil Creative Hub Tirana

Since 1968, when it was first established, Spaç Prison was projected as a labor camp where political prisoners of the communist regime would be used to work at the site of a copper and pyrite mine, in a remote and mountainous area in the center of the country. Their life in this camp was closely connected with mining. But how did the days there pass? What were the living and working conditions? Where did they sleep, what did they eat, where and how did the rituals of difficult life take place in this camp...
Already, three decades after its closure, when time is slowly erasing many traces of life there, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and Kujto. al, realise this project that combinesart with research and aims to visually memorize the days and activities of prisoners there through a series of graphics.

DISCUSSION: HISTORY THROUGH DOCUMENTS – COMMUNIST INDOCTRINATION IN CULTURE AND ART

Date: 21 February, 11am, Venue: Institute of History, Academy of Albanian Studies

The four volumes “Documents on political culture and indoctrination of society by the Albanian communist state 1945-1990” are the best illustration of the mechanism of propaganda, fear, censorship, and violence on freedom of thought in communist Albania. In a system based on indoctrination, there is no individual but collective, there is no talent and inspiration, but a defined system of thought and creation, there is no competition and value, but a system of evaluation in function of official political line. The volumes were prepared by the researchers Prof. Beqir Meta, Prof. Afrim Krasniqi, and Dr. Hasan Bello from the Institute of History. The Institute of History has been ingaged in the years 2017-2021 in telling the history of communist Albania through documents and facts. Volumes on indoctrination in culture and arts are part of this commitment in collaboration with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, which will continue in the coming years.

EXHIBITION: “UNLIBERATED – WOMEN BETWEEN PRODUCTION AND REPRODUCTION”

Date: 22 February, 5pm, Venue: Berk

The post-World War II policies of socialist Albania were generally inspired by the Soviet Stalinist model. The gender policy model, particularly the party-state attitude towards women, had the same source of inspiration. However, this model shows no attempt to liberate the woman but her involvement in a mechanism of production and reproduction. Emancipation is considered an inherent reconciliation with the return of tradition, which is re-proposed through particular policies and cultural propaganda items rather than a rupture with the past. This exhibition intends to demonstrate the lack of a feminist freeing attitude to women vs. the official discourse of manipulating women’s freedom by addressing a number of critical issues.

DISCUSSION: “GOOD OLD TIMES?!” – A STUDY IN POSTCOMMUNIST NOSTALGIA

Date: 24 February, 10am, Venue: The National Library of Tirana, American Corner

A member of the new Albanian Parliament urged the public to consider the ´good things´ of the communist period. The previous Parliament was headed by a former Secretary of the Communist Party. Every year, in October and November, a few people demonstrate in Tirana holding portraits of Enver Hoxha, the communist dictator. Is this political provocation or pure nostalgia? Is this longing for communism or ´social dementia´? How should post-communist nostalgia be considered and dealt with? The Konrad Adenauer Foundation and Politiko have translated and published in Albanian „The post-communist nostalgia“, a body of research on how the former communist countries in the Balkans are coping withthe social and political transition. How is Albania doing it? This topic will be discussed with a panel of researchers and academics. 

Here you will find the program for download: Agenda MD22.pdf