Dashnor Kaloçi
Memorie.al publishes some archival documents issued by the Central State Archive in Tirana (fund of the former Central Committee of the ALP), which belong to the months of March 1973, where there are some reports-information of the Education Sector , at the apparatus of the Central Committee of the ALP, which are sent to Ramiz Alia, regarding the meetings of the professional organization, which took place at the People’s Theater and the Higher Institute of Arts in Tirana, meetings which were held in the “spirit of speech of Enver Hoxha, held on March 15 and 16 of that year ”at the extended meeting of the communists of the apparatus of the Central Committee of the ALP. Full information report drafted by the instructor of the Central Committee of Professional Unions of Albania, Dhimitër Xhoxhi, sent to the address of Pirro Kondi, at the office of the Central Committee of the ALP, as well as the Ministry of Education and Culture, where the Deputy Minister, Mantho Bala, sent it to Ramiz Alia, after putting the relevant notes, on the document in question, where from the beginning to the end, the secretary of the Party Committee of the Tirana district, Fadil Paçrami, who covered art, culture was criticized and propaganda, being accused of being primarily responsible for the situation at the People’s Theater and the Higher Institute of Arts in Tirana.
The document we are publishing belongs to March 1973 and it is a report-information, with the logo “secret” compiled by the Education Sector of the Central Committee of the ALP, which is signed by Dhimitër Xhoxhi (instructor in the apparatus of the Central Committee of Professional Unions of Albania), which is sent to Pirro Kondi, who at that time covered this sector, at the apparatus of the Central Committee of the ALP and talks about the meetings held in the professional organization of the People’s Theater and the Higher Institute of Arts.
All these reports-information have been seen by Enver Hoxha, Ramiz Alia, etc., by the senior leadership, which can be seen from the notes they have left on these documents. All these meetings took place in the framework of the speech given by Enver Hoxha on March 15 of that year, at the extended meeting of the communists of the Central Committee of the ALP, where the main issue was: “Foreign and liberal performances and their influences in art, culture, literature… ”, a word which came only a short time after Enver Hoxha’s speech held on January 9 of that year, in the apparatus of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly, where he had for the first time criticized and anathematized the 11th National Radio and Television Song Festival.
In this context of the development of events at that time, as in all artistic and cultural institutions of Tirana and throughout the country, these meetings were held at the People’s Theater and the High Institute of Arts, which is made known in this document, where reads: “Information no. 10 on the elaboration of Comrade Enver’s speech of March 15, 1973, in the professional organization of enterprises and institutions “,
As we will see from the document in question, which is sent to the Central Committee of the ALP, both in the People’s Theater and in the High Institute of Arts, the meetings have been quite aggravated, with debates, accusations and denunciations by participants, not only to each other, but also to their superiors, where the focus was Fadil Paçrami, the secretary of the Party Committee for Tirana, which covered the art, culture and propaganda of the party.
Or to be more precise, those meetings that continued for a long time because there is over 10 pieces of information in the relevant voluminous file, were initiated from above (Enver Hoxha), only to hit Paçrami, who was criticized and accused mainly of: “liberal tendency” and “deviation” of the party line in Art and Culture ”, which is clear from this document, where in the People’s Theater are criticized, attacked and beaten, the two main leaders of that institution, Riza Hajro and Bardhyl Kosova, being accused of being people and collaborators close to Paçram, while at the Higher Institute of Arts, the focus of the attacks was on the well-known director and lecturer, Kujtim Spahivogli, who was also accused of being a close collaborator of Paçram.
Report sent to Pirro Kondi to the Central Committee of the ALP
Comrade Pirro Kondi
ALP Central Committee
Tirana
By order of Comrade President, I send you information on the work of Comrade Enver’s speech in the professional organization of the People’s Theater and the Higher Institute of Arts
7/4/1973 With respect
Dhimitër Xhoxhi
Note of the Deputy Minister of Education and Culture, Mantho Bala, for Ramiz Alia
Comrade Ramiz
I do not know if you have been informed about this meeting in another way. I found them interesting, so I’m sending them to you. I do not know what to do, K. Trako? In the context of all others, sh. Hamid think If necessary, it should follow up with the departments to take measures to strengthen the situation in the Theater and the Higher Institute of Arts.
Mantho Bala
7/ 4/ ’73
Report-information of the Deputy Minister of Education and Culture, Mantho Bala, sent to Ramiz Alia, on the meetings held at the People’s Theater and the Higher Institute of Arts in Tirana
INFORMATION No. 10
ON THE SPEECH WORK OF COMRADE ENVER OF MARCH 15, 1973 IN
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION OF ENTERPRISES AND INSTITUTIONS
At the People’s Theater
The concerns of the communists and the workers in general, appeared in the following directions:
- Fadil Paçrami for some time and in various forms has introduced discord in the Theater between old and young actors. This has greatly damaged the work. He has shown great contempt for the old actors and has acted for their removal from the Theater regardless of whether they have talent or not. He prepared a list of 16 names and in early 1967 submitted it to Riza Hajros for implementation.
It mentions some names such as Llazar Filipi, Pjetër Gjoka, Ndrek Luca, Violeta Manushi, Behie Çela, etc. It was said that the list was prepared behind the back of sh. Manush, who had condemned the move at a meeting with the Communists. After that, Fadil tells Riza Hajros, former director, that why you did not deny the list, this word was repeated by Bardhyl Kosova, former instructor in the Party Committee. The issue of the list posed a particular concern by the discussants. To reduce the resistance of the old actors, Fadil had given the message: “Give the salary and let them stay at home, only in the theater not to come”.
- It has openly aimed to remove the Theater from the national tradition by dictating a highly sectarian policy on the issue of repertoire. He often made recommendations for foreign works. He showed a particular penchant for the Brecht Theater School and often theorized about Stanislavsky as obsolete. When he recommended a part for Skanderbeg, he openly said: “If I have the opportunity, I will remove the monument from the square”.
- He made a sectarian policy by dictating his or Ibrahim Uruçi’s repertoire. It was said that when a play was presented to an author that he liked, without reading it, he threw it away nervously. Bardhyl Kosova said that the main place in the theater was occupied by Fadil’s drama. He put a lot of pressure and I fell into these positions. Fadil told me that there are only two playwrights: Fadil Paçrami and Ibrahim Uruçi.
The director knew only Kujtim Spahivogli. Comrade Manush told him that Fadil intended that the name of the theater be removed, and not be called the People’s Theater. He theorized that outside theaters bear the names of great playwrights. Violeta Manushi told how on the 25th anniversary of the Theater, Thoma Deliana raised a toast for those who cut the ribbon of the People’s Theater (veterans), while Fadil replied: “No, I will drink it for those who will come to this Theater”.
- At the meeting it was said that Fadil was acting behind the back of Comrade Manush. He did not appear openly before him, but later he acted against the orders of Comrade Manush, and later of Riza Hajros and later of Bardhyl Kosova. For example, after the criticism made in “Zëri e Popullit” (July 1971) in the Theater came for analysis sh. Manush, Thoma Deliana, Mantho Bala, Pjetër Kosta, Jordan Pano, was also Fadili.
Here, Comrade Manush gave the order to start working, it was decided to put the drama “Marga”, but the next day in the yard appeared Fadil who put his arm to Riza and “Marga”, although it took him about 2 months to work, she did not come out on stage. Fadil kept in direct contact with director Rizana and later Bardhyl, he never even asked about the Party organization.
He appointed the artistic council himself without obtaining the consent of the Bureau. Repeat removes the old ones. At the meeting of the collective when Riza Hajro was fired, he said, here Rizana is being removed; I am even promoting him, now you have gossiped a lot. I brought you the right arm (Bardhyl).
- The characteristic of the meeting was that each discussant connected the problems with Fadil Paçrami, Riza Hajron and Bardhyl Kosova and often Ibrahim Uruçi and Kujtim Spahivogli came out. For Bardhyl Kosova, these criticisms were made, he broke the creative spirit in the Theater, he introduced the demobilizing spirit, and he displaced the secretary of the basic organization of the Party. It has brought bad taste to the theater, especially foreign ones. Bad organizer. He has avoided responsibility.
He is removed from Fadil as blind. He stayed out all the time. Violeta Manushi said literally, If Riza and I were arguing about things that were not going well, we would not even find Bardhyl to curse him, where he came from and where he was going to find out. When he was in Kosovo, he misused the state coffers, made alliances with some Kosovar people, received fish from them for his wife and children, and received money from another person. He made statements in the press without the knowledge of the Party organization.
In Albania he gave Azem Shkreli a manuscript of his (Brecht monograph). I admit these things in his self-criticism. Riza Hajron was told that in the beginning he had no skills and had become a complete tool of Fadil. But even later he still could not break away. Holds full responsibility for disputes between old and young. Holds responsibility for unemployment in the Theater. Many actors remained inactive for months.
Like Bardhyl, Rizai did not listen to the voice of the masses. The Party organization made serious remarks about Bardhyl Kosova in the registration card and proposed to dismiss him as director. The meeting was attended by the team of the Central Committee of the Party and a friend from the Ministry of Education and Culture. Remarks were made to the professional organization that it did not work. The meeting continued from April 3-6 throughout the morning. I assisted on 3 and 4. Memorie.al
Mantho Bala
Deputy Minister of Education and Culture
