You have both mentioned the absence of the state in Albania's cultural policy and the repercussions that has had on the funding and management of culture. Imagine for a moment that someone at the Ministry of Culture is reading this dialogue and seeking advice. What should the role of the state be in supporting and actively participating in cultural production and promotion in Albania? What about NGOs and other cultural agents within the country? How can the current government’s cultural policy (limited solely to tourism) be used in terms of exchange and collaboration within the Adriatic Region? I guess this question harks back to my concern about equal dialogue: what would it take for Albania to enter and participate in equal exchange with the other countries in the region, in Europe and beyond? Can this be achieved under the economic and political state of the country today?
What they have been promoting in Albania, cheap mainstream tourism, isn't going to help much with cultural exchanges – even though certain events, such as the Butrint Ancient Theater Festival, could open up to small independent troupes from the region. Nevertheless, there is space for the government in Tirana to take steps towards promoting cultural exchange in the Adriatic area, without spending hideous amounts of money. For example, they could invest and build a state-of-the-art recording studio somewhere along the coast, and lease it to Albanian, Italian and other musicians from the Adriatic area, sowing the seed for a whole new wave of cooperation and exchange across the region and beyond.
Something else that the government in Tirana could do is provide a special place to be used as an art movie theater for showing Italian and other films from the Adriatic region, including Albanian productions. I believe the Italian Embassy could provide Italian films for free, and the Albanian authorities could make sure that the place is properly looked after.
I do not agree with Ardian's considerations: these kind of interventions are a failure because they're not structured around a project. The world is full of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), organizations that are not really supported by the state where they're operating. They always work instead of the government and not with the government.
The only way to affect real change is to build an authentic national development project and not a new recording studio or a musical village. Everything starts from school, from education. If someone at the Ministry of Culture was reading this dialogue, I would ask him to push hard and to invest money in education at all levels. For me, this is the only possibility for any state in the world to progress in any cultural and practical field. We need to build a new sensibility by bringing up different people together with different interests. We should not give them something they're not able even to recognize as something they need, like a new museum or a new recording studio.
Why a recording studio? Why encourage musicians from Italy and overseas to record with local musicians? Because they will function as seeds, just as a grain of sand helps the oyster to create a pearl. The recording studio is something tangible, visible; it is there. It projects culture around itself. It tells you that certain magical things can happen right around the corner.
Of course, even private organizations can build recording studios or film theaters; but the issue is about the government's role. Your idea of the government focusing on education is excellent in itself, but I find it too generic in the context of our discussion. It is a bit like suggesting that the government should honour its commitments. It certainly should, but that's not enough.
You ask why an Italian musician would come and record in Albania. Maybe because it's very cheap compared to Capri? Or because the idea of working with local musicians is attractive, who knows? Contact with great artists can help dozens, if not hundreds, of local Albanian artists to find a reason to continue being artists, rather than giving up and becoming accountants or beach guards.
In other words, I believe in planting seeds; but I don't believe much in generic, social work. For almost 50 years, the Albanian regime invested in all kinds of surrogate art programs in schools: music, theatre, dance, poetry (I used to play guitar in a school orchestra as well). If you look at the situation with art production and reception in today's Albania, you will notice that nothing came out of all the past efforts, because nobody put their heart into it.
Education (and specifically art education) is important, but students need a reason to believe, and this reason cannot be provided by education itself. It has to be found outside the school walls.
Your concerns about the role of the state and NGOs are crucial to the problem of developing and sustaining culture in Albania and the region. The government has little or no responsibility in supporting and funding culture. That is partly because this role has been fulfilled by international interests in Albania, such as Soros, KulturKontakt, ProHelvetia and the foreign embassies. This has relieved the state of its responsibility and authority in cultural development. So in a way you are right when you say that NGOs and alternative initiatives cannot be the main source of cultural production and support. They are supposed to be supplementary but cannot possibly be primary and comprehensive in the way that state cultural policy needs to be. There is no market, foundations or philanthropy system in Albania to pick up the government’s slack and therefore an American model of cultural policy is wrong.
How then can we build a favourable context? Should a strong state cultural program be set up? I believe a situation is built by creating opportunities and initiatives for corporate and private support of the arts, something akin to the tax incentives that exist in the US. A favourable context is built by promoting art and culture first outside Albania and strategically in the international arena. This is where education comes in and can play a crucial role in creating and sustaining a public demand for culture. As Ardian suggested, we need new theaters, museums or exhibition centers, music and film laboratories for arts and culture to develop. This would create a favourable context in Albania where artists would want to stay and work and most importantly engage and speak to the audience.
We need new cultural facilities; we need education policies that encourage a spirit of openness, creativity and collaboration; and we need strong state policies that encourage regional cooperation and the sharing of exciting new ideas. Once accomplished, this will improve conditions for the promotion of culture across and outside the region. We would then expect in the coming years the artistic movement in Albania and in the Adriatic Euroregion to continue to develop and we will truly be able to talk of a flourishing cross-border cultural scene in the region.
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LabforCulture is a partner initiative of the European Cultural Foundation. LabforCulture is grateful for the support provided by its funders.
