Welcome to the 2025 edition of the polip Festival, taking place under the theme: “And Yet the Sun Rises: Creative Articulation of Resistance Across Histories, Geographies… Beyond Walls.” 

Organized by Qendra Multimedia in collaboration with Molla e Kuqe, this year’s edition explores how resistance—rooted in histories near and far—can be remembered, reimagined, and retold through art.

Our own history is marked by political turmoils, but even more profoundly, by the spirit of resistance. In this, we are not alone. Across the world, communities have risen against oppression, each carrying their unique narratives of courage. Today, as authoritarian regimes re-emerge across Europe, it becomes urgent to revisit these stories—not as distant pasts, but as living lessons.

This edition of polip is an invitation to embrace the power of the creative articulation of resistance—not only to invite dialogue or draw meaning, but to honor and celebrate those who dared to stand at the forefront of civil movements, which became the foundation of values that we celebrate today and that are threatened everyday, thus producing an everyday need for resistance and solidarity. Through literature, theater, and a discursive program, our goal is to amplify these voices and offer hope in times of uncertainty.

We draw inspiration from the powerful words of the Albanian author Migjeni: "And yet the sun rises / and its rays shine over our foreheads.”  which given the context on which they was written and the author’s own biography, are nothing short of a call for hope, a call for togetherness and solidarity. A call for more belief in a shared dawn, a better dawn.

This year, we are proud to join forces with Molla e Kuqe, an independent grassroots cultural organization managing the newly opened Burgu i Idealit (The Prison of the Ideal) Museum in Prishtina. Together, we reflect on how resistance—past and present—can be translated into art that inspires, questions, and fundamentally, heals.

Our program opens with the theatre performance The Long Shadow of Alois Brunner by Muddar Alhaggi, directed by Omar Elerian, which tells the story of one of the most notorious Nazi criminals who escaped justice. 

We also screen Katharina Dominice’s documentary Open Letters at Kino Armata, which takes, takes us back to as far as 1934, when Switzerland started issuing seasonal residence permits to immigrant workers. This status was exclusively designed to meet the country's growth needs and imposed drastic rules on its beneficiaries. Seasonal workers were not allowed to bring their families, and their stay in Switzerland was limited to 9 months per year.

The Do it or Die [Bëje ose Vdis] theatre performance is a homage to over 12 thousand political prisoners from Kosovo in former Yugoslavia. The play, written by Jeton Neziraj, is built on the foundation of testimonies of former political prisoners. From beginning to end of the theater performance directed by Blerta Neziraj, this sensitive material is approached with the dignity it deserves, honoring the trust and courage it takes to share such deeply personal experiences of imprisonment. We present this performance at Burgu i Idealit Museum, in an attempt to merge space and memory into a singular experience for the audience. 

Also hosted within the museum’s cells is a performance where actors read the testimonies of former men and women political prisoners from Kosovo, creating an intimate confrontation with voices from a complex political past of activists from Kosovo.

Two panel discussions—The Past Haunting the Future: Creative Articulation of Historical Momentums and (Non)Main Character Syndrome? Women’s Representation in Balkan Literature—gather artists, writers, and scholars to explore the intersections between social struggle and creative expression, as well as the visibility and agency of women in literature both as subjects and creators.

All events are open to the public. We look forward to welcoming you from May 15–17, at ODA Theatre, Burgu i Idealit Museum and Kino Armata—to reflect, to recognize, and to resist—together.

Aurela Kadriu

Full program coming soon...