Dashnor Kaloçi
Memorie.al publishes the secret report of the Director of Security, which, among other things, states: In Fier, during the discussion about the drama “The Story of a Girl” by the writer Kleanth Dusha, staged by the director Leka Bungo, there were criticisms that this drama has too many scenes walks with promiscuous women and student girls who have loved, but who have ruined their loves, through which the youth is badly educated, because the instinct of promiscuity is encouraged, there is Freudianism, all heroes are negative”.
As we pointed out in the previous chapter, the information report of the Deputy Minister of Education and Culture, Mantho Bala (who at that time also held the position of Chairman of the Culture and Arts Committee), sent to the Central Committee of the ALP regarding the problems they had appeared in the Theater (BYLIS) and Estrada e Fier, it was preceded by a secret information report of the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and at the same time Director of State Security, Feçorr Shehu, who is also directed to the Central Committee of the ALP. Where according to practice, his report was given to the corresponding secretary, Hysni Kapo, who covered the organs of the dictatorship of the proletariat, and at the same time, Ramiz Ali, who covered Art, Culture and Propaganda. And this document, after it was seen by them, with the relevant notes, was also sent to Enver Hoxha, who also put notes on that document. But what stands out is that from Mantho Bala’s information report, an extract of almost one page has been cut off (where it is only about Leka Bungo), which was sent separately to Enver Hoxha, which seems and from the corresponding facsimile with Enver’s signature. As we will see in the said document of Deputy Minister Feçorr Shehu, there he made a “synoptic picture”, about the political situation that prevailed at that time in the whole country, regarding what was said and commented after Enver Hoxha’s speech on March 15, 1973 in the Presidium of the People’s Assembly and also in the III Plenum of the Central Committee. What stands out in this report is that only the director Leka Bungo is mentioned by name (together with the author of the drama Kleanthi Dusha), which subsequently led to his surveillance and follow-up by the State Security. This is also confirmed by a document from 1989, when Bungo made a request to go as a visitor to Greece, to his mother’s relatives, of Greek origin and nationality. Along with these two documents that we are publishing in this chapter of the book, we are also giving a characteristic of the Bylis Theater in Fier, which was issued to the well-known director, Leka Bungo, where among others, a sentence stands out that says: ” The size of his mind has taken him so far that in his work (Leka Bungo), he has to surpass other theaters, for these he has learned from modernism, conventionalism in directing, in podium mania, etc.” Moreover, we are aware of the three documents in question which we are publishing in full and without any cuts, as they are in the relevant files in the Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Central State Archive.
People’s Republic of Albania SECRET
Ministry of Internal Affairs Copy. No. 2
First Directory
No. 1511. Prot.
Subject: “On the comments of enemy elements regarding the problems of the revolutionization of culture and art”
Tirana on 29. II. 1973
FIRST SECRETARY OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE P.P. OF ALBANIA
COMRADE RAMIZ ALIA
Tirana
Regarding Comrade Enver’s speech at the Presidium of the People’s Assembly and at the III Plenum of the Central Committee, as always there is a unanimous approval from all layers of the people, they are commented positively and the Party’s fight against foreign bourgeois-revisionist influences is supported art and literature and in the way of dressing and living. Many comments are made as to why these things were not caught by other comrades who run art and culture institutions and about the liberalism that appears in many cases by parents, teachers, etc. towards some young people who manifest with their clothing and behavior the bourgeois influence revisionist. Enemy elements, like every time, make comments about this problem that in their content oppose this war, such as: Some people from the art sector say: “We Albanians, we are strange, we get angry immediately. But a girl who lets her hair fall over her neck, see what happens. The work they do is to make a revolution in Africa and not to educate the youth in Europe. The purpose of novels is not only to make the revolutionary class education, but for the aesthetic education of the youth, but until the artistic problems are taken from one person’s taste, it cannot be done correctly. We are big extremists and we are afraid of repeating the history of 1965, which was the peak of the triumph of anti-reason”. They continue, “When the new comes into conflict with the old, that’s how it is, pull and release, until the new comes into art, culture, and clothing.” They are talking about the foreign influences of the bourgeois ideology and they call this new and not regressive and reactionary. They try to philosophize that every beautiful thing, in their opinion, such as the festival, has its way in the beginning, but then it will necessarily break the new way because it is new, progressive. To argue their opinions, they invent anecdotes and jokes. In Fier, during the discussion about the drama “The Story of a Girl” by the writer Kleanth Dusha, staged by the director Leka Bungo, there were criticisms that this drama has many scenes of outings with promiscuous women and student girls who fell in love but broke up their loves, through which the youth is badly educated, because the instinct of debauchery is encouraged, there is Freudism, all the heroes are negative. Some enemy elements say that: “The youth in our country is kept under tutelage, that’s why they force them to do things they don’t like, while in other countries young people do whatever they want, that’s why nothing is happening. China came back with America and they are coming back. Aren’t these festivals, music and art turning points in our country?” A Radio-Television employee comments with others that “The song festival was a success and was received with enthusiasm by everyone, but some ignorant people come out and write letters against it and everything is ruined. The festival is modern, but people don’t understand and the big ones don’t want modernism. Now young people do not know how to dress, how to make up and for everything the Political Bureau should be asked. This is unbearable. Before this generation of leadership passes and a new generation arrive, with a modern view, this is what will happen, restrictions without logic and contrary to the wishes of young people”. In this sector, some friends with good makeup have expressed their displeasure at the criticism of the festival, they say that some films and shows were canceled because some of them have berets, some have long hair, etc. and now the announcers look ugly because they are shaved, but it doesn’t matter that we should be inside and not be criticized. But these problems recently between the diplomats of capitalist-revisionist countries, a wide discussion is taking place about the influence that the West is exerting on the life of our country. To argue their hostile opinions, they have brought many negative examples, which, according to them, constitute the physiognomy of our socialist society. What happened in the Soviet Union and in other Eastern European countries, we are also seeing in Albania. Here, too, with all the measures taken, we see that the youth has channeled its life with that of the West. It is slowly trying to adapt to the way of life in the West, no measure or intervention, even by the central bodies, is giving results. On the contrary, they have ignited even more young people, who are determined to follow the path of the West. This is where it begins “pants, wide belts with big togs, favorites, and fedonas were being generalized. They are striking in the streets, bars, schools, cities, and villages. Little by little, young women are appearing with miniskirts and hair toils that have become favorites. Even in other aspects, the diplomats say, the measures being taken are opposed by the rest of the adults or the elderly, even though it is said: “Don’t take tips”, these are flourishing. No one refuses when tipping. Even music, which was a problem for them, has now been resolved in favor of modern music. Once upon a time, foreign radio programs with modern and light music were called normal, degeneracy, but today, we are listening to their radios with songs with such melodies. Discussing these problems, some diplomats have come to the conclusion that supposedly the influence of the West is inevitable in Albania as well. No disciplinary measures can stop this path, which is increasing its strength and heading towards the high peaks. Any pressure in this direction brings with it an explosion, long hair, clothing and music are characteristic of the free life that takes place in the west. The future belongs to them freely, he underlines. Comments and discussions of this nature have been made especially by Italian, Turkish, French, Greek, Swedish, etc. diplomats who often say that: “The main merit in this regard belongs to Italian television, which, according to them, is exerting a very strong influence especially among our young generation” ./Memorie.al
Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs
Feçor Shehu
The next issue follows
