The dismissal of the National Theatre Steering Council speaks former chairman: We were dismissed without warning in the late hours

The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports announced Friday before midnight the dismissal of the Kosovo National Theatre Steering Council and the appointment of the young man. Until news was made public in the media, nothing about this knew the until then members of this council, including Chairman Agron Shala. According to Shala, the decision came as a result of many false information minister Hajrula Ceku received in advance. Explaining about this, Shala has mentioned two meetings she had with Ceku, as well as Prime Minister Albin Kurti's request to cancel a competition. The theatre's Steering Council's inaction under this request shows Shala he has him as chairman and other members fired before midnight.

Former head of the Kosovo National Theatre Steering Council, Agron Shala, who had accepted this task in November last year, told Gazeta Express that the Council, which was in office until late Friday, worked intermingly and professionally. He said he had agreed to be part of this council only after seeing the names of other members, while he says that from post-war sʹka had a better and more dedicated council to take the National Theatre to the right leg.

“This council, which was dismissed without warning in late hours Friday, May 7th, has worked in the most honest and professional manner. So, for the sake of names that are of age and career, I'll tell you briefly why this drop occurred”, Shala said first.

At the first meeting with MKRS Minister Hajrula Ceku, Shala said she felt good about his desire to help the Theatre, but said she understood that he was being misinterpreted on many issues.

“E have twice met new Culture Minister Hajrula Ceku. The first time I wished for the job, to succeed, because the culture sector is one of the hardest, and the most important. And I want each minister to succeed and leave good deeds. He said he wants to help the Theatre and bring it forward. I felt good. But I didn't know how it would help. I realized from the conversation that he was well - informed for many things. This happened earlier to me”, Shala said.

He claims that at the second meeting, the former minister had also opened the issue of naming the director general of the theatre, which was held in March. He says he was asked by the minister even if he was satisfied with the names of the three candidates who were in the race.

At the second meeting, the minister talks about the former appointment of the general director. I told him that the Ministry initiated the appointment procedures; that the process has been transparent, and that there is evidence to that of even the foreign monsters. So, the Council has done the work it has professionally met with and that there has been no campaign for this process. I told him that it's better for the Theatre to have a director and a serious council that monitors his work than to continue with a task leader for two years now. He asked me, are you satisfied with the three names that have been competing for general directors? I told him no; no one on the Council is pleased (I asked him to meet all the members), because at that theater once directors were names like Azem Shkreli, Ramiz Kelmendi and Hasan McCuli. And this fact shows where the theater is and that the problem is not solved by talking about sides and names, but with the phenomenon”, Shala said.

Next, he says Minister Ceku had asked him to cancel the competition for artistic leaders. As the actor explains, Prime Minister Albin Kurti had a specific request regarding a task counsel that should be placed in that position. Shala said the minister mentioned three names.

He demanded that the Council cancel the contest for artistic leaders since, according to him, the candidates were not appropriate, while until the upcoming competition, he will find another task manager for the post (three names mentioned at the meeting, actors, no dramatists). I was interested in whether there is any request from “artists' clans” or politics. He told me: “From Albin Kurti, who knows film and theatre”. I stopped a little bit and said: > Remember that you even know music”? He said: “You're right, but these are the more”!”, the former head of the TKK Steering Council explained.

Two days before the dismissal, the Theatre Steering Council, led by Agron Shala, had decided on the timing of holding the test for those the Ministry of Youth Culture and Sports considered to have fulfilled the criteria. This decision, according to him, was costable by dismissal.

On Wednesday, May 5, as the Council (where neither one is a member nor an activist of any party, and no one has had individual interests to be part of the Council, except to help the theatre and artists), respecting the law, along with the administration of the Ministry, the seven members have unanimously taken the decision that the test for the five names they have fulfilled, according to the Ministry, terms for running, be held on May 12th by 12:00. And that's why the Council is fired. Night. Let's not forget that five members of that Council, art people who have left a lot of good traces, even in the most difficult times, have spent their 60s and have not deserved this treatment”. Shala said.

With now former members of the Theatre Steering Council Besim Rexaj, Mustafe Halili, Munish Hyseni, Agron Grguri, Ismet Azem and Feim Maliqaj, Shala says they had found Tatrin in serious condition and without any activity.

The Council whose chairman I was found the Theatre almost in clinical death, without any activity. And although there were remarks on the Reperator approved by the Prosecution Council (without a recession and no directorial concepts) and on the names that will work (the next thing, which will prove that cultural institutions are more about money-free and not about value), he decided not to stop the job. So don't work on the dangerous resonance that the new minister supports - it all starts with me! Let's not forget that the theatre had neither general director nor artistic leader”, he said. So nothing was right. There have been several times the police have intervened and not to talk about anti-corruption papers about decisions made before the newly dismissed Council was appointed”.

Shala says an experience similar to Vetevendosje Movement had it even when Albin Kurti's party had won the election in the capital. Kurti is said to have been informed about activities held at the “Dodona” theatre, where Shala was director.

“Pasi Vetevendosje wins in Pristina, Albin Kurti brings them together at a meeting lives Budima and another friend of his who was also mine. At that meeting, as the third present has later informed me, Kurt said: “There are no children's shows, and the children are sitting on a table phone”! But the truth was this: at that time “Dona” had 19 children's shows, a unique case for the region. Some of those performances were over 20 years old that they saw with their children on another unique occasion ʹ the former children as present-day parents”, Shala said.

He also mentions some statistics that testify to the opposite of what he said Kurti believed at the time, while adding that “with such concepts has dropped visibility at the “Dodona” and that a reservatory of children's performances that has been stored for 30 times”.

I was appointed director of the “Dodona”, post I exercised by the end of December 2016 (where there was no paperwork from Anti-Corruption or even a remark from the audience). Compare data: In 2015 “Dodona” had 251 premiere and repression performances, the number of viewers was 22810. In 2016: “Dona” had 253 premiere and repression performances, the number of viewers was 2540. In 2017, with the new changes imposed by the Pristina Commission's Culture Directorate, “Dodona” had 102 premiere and recursion performances, the number of viewers was 5 876”, Shala stressed. So instead of increasing the number at the “Dodona”, in 2017 it's 23 percent of what was done a year ago, all because of the talk of persons who didn't intend to speak every power of”.

At the meeting, Shala said that she had told the minister that she would not knock the door forever and that she would not speak of herself. And since I had other problems, with my sick mother (the condition of which every day is becoming more difficult), I was brought from the” meeting.

At the country's top theatre institution, Culture Minister Hajrlla Ceku Sıe left none of the Council's preliminary composition members, whose mandate lasted just a few months.

The new members of the TKK Steering Council are Armend Smajli, Ben Apolloni, Gresa Pallaska, Rebecca Qena, February Aliu, Visar Aliu and Brikena Mulliki.

Director February Aliu, who from Friday night became a member of the Theatre Steering Council, is also a member of the ruling party, the Vetevendosje Movement. Aliu had been competing for deputies in the 2017 elections, failing to get enough votes to win a mandate in the Kosovo Assembly.

Minister Ceku during the election campaign for the February 14th general parliamentary elections, said he would departisanise cultural institutions.