FRIDAY, 22.05.2015

19:30 – 20:00 Offical opening of the polip festival

20:00 – 00:00 

Readings

Fatos Kongoli (AL), Biljana Srbljanović (SRB), Primož Repar (SI), Alida Bremer (GER), Elfriede Czurda (AU), Jurij Hudolin (SI), Margret Kreidl (AU).

Moderators:  Qerim Ondozi (RKS) & Saša Ilić (SRB)

Live music: tbc

SATURDAY, 23.05.2015

11:00 – 13:00 

Let’s talk about freedom 1: How to Defend the Media Freedom?

Panelists: Elke Schmitter (GER), Hubert Spiegel (GER),  Ralph Hammerthaler (GER)
Moderator: Alida Bremer (GER)
Translation into English will be provided.

17:00 – 18:30 

Let’s talk about freedom 2: Freedom and repression in the Balkan states: Creating cultural and political alternatives as a platform for joint future

Panelists: Biljana Srbljanović (SRB), Veton Surroi (RKS), Arina Leka (ALB), Marko Pogačar (CRO)

Moderator: Saša Ilić  (SRB)

Translation into English will be provided.

20:00 – 00:00 Readings

Veton Surroi (RKS),  Tanja Šljivar (BiH), Marko Pogačar (CRO), Stanislava Chrobáková Repar (SI), Edmond Tupja (ALB), Elke Schmitter (GER), Ervina Halili (RKS)

Moderators: Besa  Shahini (RKS) & Jeton Neziraj (RKS)

Music: tbc

Sunday, 24.05.2015

15:00–17:00 

Let’s talk about freedom 3: Freedom, literature, censorship: What are weallowed to write, here and now? How the market, past, politics and religion influnce the literary production in the region

Panelists: Margret Kreidl (AU), Edmond Tupja (ALB), Primož Repar (SI), Tanja Šljivar (BiH), Stanislava Chrobáková Repar (SI)

Moderator: Arian Leka (ALB)
Translation into English will be provided.

17:00–18:30 

Let’s talk about freedom 4: Let’s talk about ‘sex/gender’ baby!

Panelists: Miroslava Malešević (SRB), Ervina Halili (RKS), Fjolla Hoxha (RKS), Stanislava Chrobáková Repar (SI)
Moderator: Eli Krasniqi (RKS)
Translation into English will be provided.

20:00 – 00:00 

Readings

Fjolla Hoxha (RKS), Miroslava Malešević (SRB), Balsor Hoxha (RKS), Ralph Hammerthaller  (GER), Vasko Raičević (MN), Vesa Qena (RKS), Arian Leka (ALB),
Moderators:  Eli Krasniqi (RKS) & Arian Leka (ALB)

Live music: tbc

Panels & Debates

Saturday, 23. 05. 2015

11:00 – 13:00 Let’s talk about freedom 1: How to Defend the Media Freedom?

According to HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reporters_Without_Borders”Reporters Without Borders, more than a third of the world’s people live in countries where there is no press freedom. How are media freedom and freedom of speech defined? What are their main principles? What is the journalistic ethics? Are there self-censorship or unintentional errors of prejudice and ignorance in the best European media and how to deal with it as a conscientious journalist? Are there other repressions beyond the political, for example those of the market? What is the relationship of the German media to politicians and other powerful people in their country? Do the media make influence upon social processes? These and similar questions Alida Bremer as moderator will interview the three guests from Germany, all of which have great experience in journalism and working for major German newspapers: Elke Schmitter (Der Spiegel), Hubert Spiegel (FAZ) and Ralph Hammerthaler (freelance writer of various newspapers ).

17:00 – 18:30 Let’s talk about freedom 2: Freedom and repression in the Balkan states: Creating cultural and political alternatives as a platform for joint future

We live in the times when all kind of rights and freedoms are violated – human, intellectual, creative and media ones. On the other hand, we can observe the rise of neo-liberal democracies in Europe taking the form of democracy, but suspending at the same time the fundamental rights and freedoms that used to be garanteed before. Those countries are recognised and supported because they seemengly fit into the ″acceptable″ ideology and current state of affairs. Such developments can be observed in the Balkans too, in the states formed after the break up of Yugoslavia. In which ways do these political developments affect the cultural sector and politics in general in these countries? In which ways are various forms of democratic developments turning against those who strive to preserve the basic rights and freedoms? What is lurking behind the idea of ″free market″ in these new states, where is the repression beginning to take place and how can one become aware of it? Are literature, theatre and the arts governed by the free market principles and what is the future of alternatives in the cultural sector? Has the concept of reconciliation in the region from year 2000 and onwards affected the cultural exchange in the Balkans and in which way?

Sunday, 24.05.2015

15:00–17:00 Let’s talk about freedom 3: Freedom, literature, censorship: What are we allowed to write, here and now? How the market, past, politics and religion influnce the literary production in the region

Each literary scene has its own tested and proved mechanisms, which are used to manage production and representation of cultural products, as well as the whole infrastructure of performing, publishing and presenting of literary awards. Touching upon the issue of censorship, only a rare EU official will confirm that censorship really exists. In the Balkans, the critical articles about those in power and about how the domain of public disourse is controlled can only be found in media outlets of the opposition. Generally, all forms of political or cultural subversive activity are declared illegal, destructive, against the state and even terroristic. Which place do literature and the arts occupy in these circumstances then? Is the domain of cultural activity restricted and by which forces exactly? What are we not allowed to write and talk about, and where do the signals that tell us that a topic is unwelcome or a taboo come from? Is satire under attack and is it just the religion which happens to be intolerant towards different forms of parody and artistic exposure of many issues, including social and cultural stereotypes?

17:00–18:30 Let’s talk about freedom 4: Let’s talk about ‘sex/gender’ baby!

There is a general perception that after the fall of socialism, societies in Western Balkans, or concretely in former Yugoslavia, have been re-traditionalized. In this line, if we accept this, one has to discuss also literature, and the impact (if any) of feminism, especially the aspect of language. Do women still remain objects of desire in literature rather then subjects? What is the language that women writer, or men writers use? Can literature be gender emancipatory? Does today’s literature still reinforce gender stereotypes? Do we need to de-romanticize literature so we could break down the clichés of metaphorical language about women? How can we break free from essentalization and moralization of women’s lives, women’s bodies, women’s voice in literature? Are there attempts from philologists or literature researchers to dig deeper about women writers? Some of them not even put to the surface. Is there a space within Universities for such researches? These are some of the questions that this panel will discuss by bringing examples of literature developments from countries in the region.

All activities happening in Qendra Multimedia

polip – International Literature Festival
5th Edition
22-24  May 2015
Organized by Qendra Multimedia, Prishtina
in cooperation with RK LINKS / Beton International, Belgrade