Montenegro Cultural Week: a celebration of art and tradition in Albania

From November 7 to 12, the public is invited to experience Montenegro Cultural Week—a celebration blending art and tradition across a variety of events in Tirana and Shkodra. The program includes film screenings, art exhibitions, bilingual literary workshops, and a theatrical performance, showcasing a vibrant cultural exchange between Montenegro and Albania.

The contemporary art exhibition, “Homo Ex Machina,” inspired by advancements in robotics and astronomy, will run from November 7 to 9 at the Orange Cube in the Pyramid of Tirana. This multimedia exhibition features digital prints, sculptures, installations, and various objects.

A bilingual literature workshop on November 8 at the National Center for Books and Reading in Tirana will explore the importance of literary translation in fostering cross-cultural understanding. This event highlights the historical and cultural connections between Albania and Montenegro and promotes dialogue between neighboring communities.

A musical performance by “Klapa Incanto”—six artists from Montenegro—will feature traditional and regional music, with some pop elements, on November 8 at Murat Toptani Pedestrian Street in Tirana.

The film “Sirin,” directed by Senad Šahmanović and co-produced by Albania and Montenegro, will premiere on November 8 at the Marubi Film Academy in Tirana, followed by a Q&A with the director and Albanian co-producer Dritan Huqi.

“The Stork,” directed by Isa Qosja, portrays the lives of villagers in a quiet Montenegrin town affected by emigration to the U.S. This film, a collaboration among Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania, and North Macedonia, will be shown on November 9 at the same venue.

From November 11 to 12, the Sotir Kolea Center in Tirana will host the historical map exhibition, “Five Centuries of Boka Kotorska in European Cartography,” displaying 185 maps of Kotor Bay from the 15th to the 20th century, including topographic, historical, and ethnographic maps.

The week will conclude with the theatrical play “Butterfly” on November 12 at the Migjeni Theater in Shkodra. This piece, inspired by Nikolai Gogol, delves into themes of family disintegration and the illusion of freedom, inviting the audience to contemplate life’s dualities.