Balkan Culture

Freedom & Transformation is an ideas and literary festival curated by Lea Ypi that will take place during British Culture Week 2024 on 21-22 September in Durrës and Tirana.

This is a trailblazing event, putting Albania on the map as a cultural and intellectual hub and attracting top thinkers and authors of the UK such as: Noel Malcolm, Misha Glenny, Peter Frankopan, Christina Lamb and Shami Chakrabarti, amongst others.

In the words of Lea Ypi and quoting from her letter inside the festival programme: 

"I have long thought about organising a literary festival in Albania. The tradition is well-established in the UK, where I live, and having spoken at many such events since the warm reception of my book Free in the UK, I thought it would be wonderful to organise an event bringing some of my favourite authors to my home country. Thus, I called Joanne Ooi, the founder of one of my favourite events in the UK, EA Festival, and invited her to join me in the production of an Albanian equivalent. The result is Freedom & Transformation, a British-Albanian weekend that promises to be a vibrant celebration of literature, art, and their transformative power with some of the world's top thinkers.

We wanted as many people as possible to come, and so decided to hold it in two cities, Tirana (where I was born) and Durrës (where I grew up). This will give international visitors a chance to learn more about Albania: a country with an exceptionally rich culture, at the intersection of East and West, where ideas have often clashed tragically, and where the lessons of history are still being absorbed. Freedom & Transformation aims to provide a venue for provoking thought, challenging assumptions, and inspiring action.

In the last few decades, Albania has undergone radical change, and increasingly features on the world's top new tourist destinations. Yet exploring culture enables people to engage a new context with much more nuance and greater critical awareness. Our conversations, ranging from Balkan history and culture to human rights, from migration to security, from politics to poetry, aim to create a space where diverse voices can come together to reflect on the past and reimagine the future.

As someone deeply committed to the power of art to effect change, both in oneself, and in society, I am delighted to co-curate this festival with EA Festival. It is an opportunity for engagement, critique, and finding hope."

Organised by EA Festival

Website | Facebook | Instagram