POETEKA began as a cultural initiative in Durres on Sept. 2004 under the symbol of a Liburnæ (Illyrian boat) decorated with sails full of written poems and mosaics, as a mark of the potential of Albania to export cultural values. Our approach aimed to promote the new perception of authorial’ reading of poetry instead of the routine actors’ declamation.
This valuable tradition has paved the way towards the first International Poetry Festival – (POETEKA- A home for Poetry, April, 2005) based not only in the successful impact and support it had into the cultural circles of the region and beyond, but also as a call for a larger approach into the cultural and artistic life and the values it transmits, values which are admitted to bring an colourful variety within the human dimensions. Till now, three editions of Poeteka Festival have been successfully held, with the presence of more than 200 distinguished poets and writers from further than 20 European and wide world countries.

In the following we would like to present at you a resume of the main activities into which we would kindly like to bring at your attention as the most representative ones of the spirit, goals and objectives of this year Festival.

Due to the experience we have gathered from the previous years, the activities of POETEKA IV Festival will be organized in very close collaboration with the MINISTRY OF CULTURE, TOURISM, YOUTH AND SPORTS, as with the full partnership with other culture institutions within and outside Albania, including The German Embassy in Tirana, Fisher Stiftung, Berlin, Festival of Literature and Film, Berlin etc.

Poeteka festival will be organized in Durrës (ancient names of city – Epidamnos, Dyrrachion) because of its cultural, historic, natural, and touristic properties of this city. The city of Durrës has been part of two very important ancient European civilizations: Hellenic and Roman cultures. Positioned in the crossroads between these two great centers, Durrës offers the necessary cultural and historic background, because it’s a city which is well known since antiquity.
Durrës offers many attractions and this festivals will go a long way in promoting theme to the outside world. The same can be said about the others cities were Poeteka will migrate this year, like Berat, Kruja, Elbasan and Tirana, cities with distinguished characters.

In the first days we will hold an official press conference, where the programme will be presented and the various contributes shall be recognized, and where the media presence is expected to be high as usual. The press conference will be followed by the official opening ceremonies in the same time at 4 different cities, Durres, Tirana, Shkoder, Elbasan and Berat.

1. Spiritus Evening- AD HONORES / Durrës-Tiranë (Alsat TV – Studio ) It will be a very special meeting titled “in memoriam” which will be dedicated to the work of the great poet Octavio Paz on the 10th anniversary of his dissolution.
Last year, in the same format, Poekeka commemorated the great German poet Paul Celan.
The Spiritus Evening and theoretical part of this climax of IV Poeteka programme raises the question of the poet as a social category of human being an artist. This event is organized in the light of a tradition that began with the first Festival, and it has made a very sensitive impact in the audience, by leaving deep impressions and sharing a message of remembrance that the beauty lives forever, not only as an image or memory, but also as a miraculous perception of the will.
This year's Poeteka key theme dictates the festival's motto as well: "Libertad bajo palabra - Freedom Under Parole. Through both content and (interrogative) form, the motto seeks to draw critical attention to the person standing behind every literary text, the only truly indispensable link in the book chain.
The artistic reading of some of his poetries in several languages is seen as the lesser homage ever that we can dedicate to this great spirit of the last century.
Lectours – Mira Meksi (translator and commentator of his poems and writing process) Shpëtim Doda (translator and lector)

2. Round Table entitled “Our (Ob)-Session” at Poeteka, Tirana with the theme "A childhood among books ", as well as accompanying events related to the theme of the festival will be also in the focus. It is a new format of Poeteka that will be organized as a round table based in four subtopics, and as an invitation for debate:

• The first touching on the role of the author as writer especially for children;
• The second inquiring into his role as reader of his works;
• The cultural politics in import and export of children literature;
• State of Culture in the role as Maecenas;
• The reading of the day will be fragment from The Little Prince of Antoine de Saint Exupery, in many languages.

. A European at the Court of King Monun of Durrës.
In the program of Poeteka Festival, a very particular place will be given to the European poetry. This activity, entitled EUROTEKA, will take place in a particular day with topic theme “A European At The Court of King Monun of Durrës. This activity will be given to the Least known European poetry in Albania. It is approached with great care and desire by the organizers of Poeteka as a major contribute for a larger knowledge toward that part of the world we aspire to become a part.

4. DocuMeltal. A special space of Poeteka Festival will have the film section entitled DocuMeltal. As a year ago, when this format was promoted for the first time, Poeteka will take care in short format film – 5 till 15 min. Last year Poeteka, in collaboration with Tirana International Film Festival (TIFF), gave for the participants 6 short films. Poem, by H. Kinukawa, Water famine op 59, by N. Harizanos, Sleepless city, by S.V. Borrego, The Conversation, by R. Rashidi, By the way, by S. Coe, The Ancestor, by C. Campana.
This year this space will be still open in the special PoEvening.

OTHER NOVELTIES IN THIS YEAR’S POETEKA WOULD BE:

5. Portrait of a translator as a hidden poet;
It will be a SCAN-AIR format of Poeteka when the translators and the poets transmits their experience in creation and translation as a process of reincarnation (interviews, authorial readings, actor readings, debates…
6. The author at my mike;
Interviews of journalist with a poet or another participant of Poeteka on the Poeteka’s Wood Chair.

7. FormAline. The literary readings recognized and entitled as FormAline will come as another novelty in Poeteka IV. This will be tendencies of intimate readings, realized in reserved areas and for an audience that is very committed to the poetry, as a format that goes against mass-culture.

8. Living as a poet in today’s Albania;
Each session varies not only in style and content but also it is marked by a special format of poetic reading, correspondely, the solo, dueto, trio and quartet one. This is also an “ad hoc” format that enriches the performance and brings up an extra sprinkle of originality, as well as an combination of values, styles and diversities.
Another important goal in this point is not only the enlargement of Albanian society’s knowledge regarding the literature, but also the emission of the values that the culture embodies. Distinguished participants from the chosen country will expose to the audience the main features of culture of the country they come from. During this exposing talk, they will bring forth verses from other poets of their country and will be accompanied with musical soundtrack and pictures of the most significant historical sites, cultural centres and tourist resources of that country.
In the following days there will be held regular sessions which include welcome short oration, self-presentation by each poet and a reading performance, as well as special activities regarding various important themes.

9. PoemSms. A poetical dimension in the Fourth Edition of POETEKA will be POEMSMS, which we wish to realize in collaboration with a Company of Mobile Communication. This idea consists in sending poetical verses of the poets invited in the activity in the form of SMS-s, as long as the festival is taking place. This project will be of great importance, because will be the possibility to restore the missing communication between the reader and the poetry, and this can be a reality from a company that uses digital system in transmitting the written culture. This activity will bring closer to the Festival the most attractive verses of the participants, so that we might give an example of how poetry and technology can co-exist. In this way, we aim even to increase the attention towards a genre browbeaten by the risk of being prejudged.

10. Music in Poeteka – will be a daily activity with solo format and accompaniment one. The same manner of working process will be followed even with the music.

11. Promenades in the beach, (Cy-Clopaedia – Around Adriatic Fire), cocktails, feasts of national character and supplementary social activities are predicted to honour the special guests and bring a friendly atmosphere within the participants.
Poeteka this year will publish and promote three poetry books and it will have the pleasure to offer for the participant poets four awards.
We would really like to let you know that you are considered to be most welcome in all our activities, where your place will be always that of a very honoured guest. Your presence is highly appreciated.

12. Also, Poeteka will include into the program an exhibition with the manuscripts of the participating authors, musical concerts, graphic art exhibition, autograph’s session, calligraphy session, tourist itinerary, etc…

ORGANIZATION AND DURATION

The duration of the festival will be seven days.
Poeteka 4 will include in its structure two festivals:

An inner festival, one conducted inside the city, for the city. And a moving festival, with a pilgrimage character which will travel in many Albanian urban centers of history, tourism and education, as it was conducted on the last edition of the festival in 2007.

WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO ORGANIZE THE FESTIVAL OF POETRY POETEKA,

The argument

The principal idea of the festival is the creation of not just poetry event, but the creation of a particular climate in one of the most special cities in Albania, to make a place for poetry and to enable Albania to be part of the poetic map of Europe through its poets and their creative work.

THE PROJECT’S DIMENSIONS

This festival will have a national aspect for it will represent the Albanian poetry from all Albanian inhabitant lands. On the other hand, the form and the character will be a regional one, an event which will include and represent the values and cultural heritage of the Mediterranean countries.
This event is not meant to represent any particular literary group, or school of esthetics. On the contrary, it will be open to the poets as well as to the art enthusiast, readers and the citizens at large. The hedonist character of the festival will be reinforced by very particular element, unique for poetry festivals that have been organized so far. The festival is a blend of many forms of arts.

FESTIVAL’S OBJECTIVE

Among the objectives of International Poetry Festival POETEKA there are:
• Integration of Albanian cultural values in the international circuit;
• Getting ‘men of letters’ from all cultural meridians together;
• Increasing the interest of men of culture from abroad in the Albanian Culture and Civilization;
• Stimulating the Albanian contemporary creation;
• Strengthening of the civil society interest for the Albanian and universal cultural values;
• Increasing the role of the particular / private initiatives in the preparation, organization and administration of the cultural act;
• Turning to good account of the cultural management experience of Albanian personalities;
• Formation of participation spirit within individuals and collectivizes to the knowledge and promotion of the Albanian and foreign cultural values.
• Promoting of mutual respect, the respect between peoples and cultures, promoting peace, non-violence, cultural, linguistic, ethnical, religious and age tolerance on the national, regional, (Balkans, South and Central Europe) and international (East-West, North-South, Orient-Occident) plane;

THE FOURTH EDITION OF THE POETEKA FESTIVAL WILL TAKE PLACE
IN THESE HISTORIC, ARCHEOLOGICAL AND TOURIST SITES:

• Durrës Amphitheater – Gallery
• Durrës Medieval Forum – Arena
• Durrës Archeological Museum – Pavilion
• Durrës Turkish Hamam
• Durrës Ethnographic Museum – Garret & Doorsteps
• Durrës Roman Baths
• Durrës Round Venetian Tower – Gallery & Terrace
• Durrës Byzantine Wall – Gate
• Durrës Josef Gallery
• Durrës Corner Book – Stephan Durrës Lighthouse
• Tirana Ministry of Culture – Hall Ibrahim Kodra
• Tirana Corner Book - E Për7shme
• Kruja – Ethnographic Museum – Garret & Garden
• Kruja – Scanderbeg’s Museum
• Berat – City Castel - Field of Konstandin Statue
• Berat Onufri’s Museum
• Elbasan – City Castel – Scampini Doorsteps

Poeteka Ring Award Winers

Sibila Petlevski (Croatia, 2005), Maria Lusia Spaziani (Italy, 2006),
Jevrem Brkoviq (Montenegro, 2007)

For more information, please call our phone numbers or write in our mail address.
You can also visit our web page www.poeteka.org