International Literature Festival – polip
Prishtina
11th Edition
10–13 September 2021

https://polipfestival.wordpress.com
http://www.qendra.org

Program

Friday, 10. 09. 2021

PANEL 1

16:00 – 17:30 Venue: Faculty of Philology, University of Prishtina

Literary criticism in the age of ‘cancel culture’

Panelists: Ralph Hammerthaler (DE), Jehona Kicaj (DE/RKS), Bardh Rugova (RKS).

Moderator: Valon Veliqi (RKS)

Discussion in German and Albania

READINGS 

19:00 – 21:00 Venue: Oda Theater

Official opening of the polip festival (Alida Bremer, Saša Ilić, Jeton Neziraj)

Readings with:  Arlette-Louise Ndakoze (DE/RW), Dimitris Lyacos (GR),  Francesca Borri (IT), Miloš Živanović (SRB), Etrit Hasler (CH/RKS), Arben Idrizi (RKS), Šaban Šarenkapić (SRB).

Musician: Arif Muharremi

Moderators: Saša Ilić (SRB) & Jeton Neziraj (RKS)

Cocktail

Saturday, 11. 09. 2021

PANEL 2  

11:00–12:30   Venue: Oda Theater

Discussion on knowledge, art and language

Panelists: Arlette-Louise Ndakoze (DE/RW), Adela Demetja (ALB/DE), Genc Kadriu (RKS), Etrit Hasler (CH/RKS)
Moderator: Eli Krasniqi

Discussion in English.

PANEL 3

14:30 – 16:00   Venue: Oda Theater

Which books help us understand the world in 2021?

Panelists: Slavenka Drakulić (CRO), Dimitris Lyacos (GR), Nikola Madžirov (MKD)

Moderator: Miloš Živanović (SRB)

Discussion in English

READINGS 

19:00– 21:00 Venue: Oda Theater

Readings with: Milica Denković (SRB), Nikola Madžirov (MKD), Jehona Kicaj (DE/RKS), Marko Dinić (AT/SRB), Danilo Stojic (SRB), Stanka Radjenović Stanojević (MNE), Alida Bremer (CRO/DE), Adelina Tërshani (RKS)

Musician: Arif Muharremi
Moderators:  Saša Ilić (SRB) & Eli Krasniqi (RKS)

Sunday, 12. 09. 2021

PANEL 4 

12:00 – 13:30   Venue: Oda Theater

On freedom, culture and free speech vs. “cancel culture”

Panelists: Francesca Borri (IT), Darija Davidović (AT/SRB), Agon Rexhepi (RKS), Ralph Hammerthaler (DE)
Moderator: Alida Bremer (DE/CRO)
Discussion in English

DISCUSSION

17:00–18:30   Venue: Oda Theater

Discussion with Elif Shafak

Moderation: Alida Bremer

Discussion in English.

READINGS 

19:00– 21:00   Venue: Oda Theater

Readings with: Adela Demetja (ALB/DE), Halil Matoshi (RKS), Ralph Hammerthaler (DE), Genc Kadriu (RKS), Nurie Emrullai (MKD), Dhurata Hoti (RKS), Agon Rexhepi (RKS), Nora Prekazi Hoti (RKS)

Musician: Arif Muharremi

Moderators: Aurela Kadriu (RKS) & Kushtrim Sheremeti (RKS)

Panels / Debates & other events

Friday, 10. 09. 2021

PANEL 1 

16:00 – 17:30   Venue: Faculty of Philology, University of Prishtina

Literary criticism in the age of ‘cancel culture’

Panelists: With: Ralph Hammerthaler (DE), Jehona Kicaj (DE/RKS), Bardh Rugova (RKS).

Moderator: Valon Veliqi (RKS)

Discussion in German and Albanian

For quite some time now the public cultural discourse in Kosovo has been plagued by a crisis of content and a threat of oblivion: with numerous media and media portals superficially covering political events and more seriously and profoundly covering the celebrities – while bypassing almost entirely the artistic creativity– many essential questions arise about how cultural discourse is constructed and more specifically, in our case, how is constructed an opinion on literary creativity. So, who writes literary criticism today in Kosovo? Who writes criticism today in Germany? What transformation has affected literary criticism in the age of being ‘politically correct’ and of ‘cancel culture’ and what impact does it have on reader and on writers?

This discussion deepens into the dimensions of the quality of literary criticism that is created today in Kosovo and Germany with a focus on its impact on the reader. In general, the discussion seeks to provide some essential answers about the landscape of literary publications in Germany and Kosovo by focusing on the impact of the ‘cancel culture’ movement on literary criticism as an indicator of the border between creative freedom and of being ‘politically correct’ within the cultural discourse.

Saturday, 11. 09. 2021

PANEL 2  

11:00–12:30   Venue: Oda Theater

Discussion on knowledge, art and language

Panelists: Arlette-Louise Ndakoze (DE/RW), Adela Demetja (ALB/DE), Genc Kadriu (RKS), Etrit Hasler (CH/RKS)
Moderator: Eli Krasniqi

Discussion in English.

When researching in social sciences, the production of knowledge often remains western-centric, due to domination of western schools of thoughts and methodologies. Knowledge sometimes is shaped between framing and language. The form of the latter becomes more and more specialised which in turn hides the content more than it reveals. How can these issues be discussed in literature and visual arts?

This panel aims to further stir the discussion and involve intersectional experiences on knowledge, arts, and language, beyond the Western center ones.

PANEL 3

14:30 – 16:00   Venue: Oda Theater

Which books help us understand the world in 2021?

Panelists: Slavenka Drakulić (CRO), Dimitris Lyacos (GR), Nikola Madžirov (MKD)

Moderator: Miloš Živanović (SRB)

Discussion in English

The world is changing rapidly, and to grasp a point of orientation in it is not a simple task. It would seem that we necessarily need experiences of others, books that have perhaps offered explanations or more likely asked the questions about what is happening to us. Pandemic year 2020. has brought a strong renewed interests, for Camus, or Boccaccio, as if that once classical works have started to function as guides for maneuvering through the world of virus.

Public display of both the subordination predicament and the harassing treatment that women receive in cinematography business and entertainment industry, has created a wave of reviews, questions and new readings of literature, fiction and theory, and not only contemporary literature. Climate changes, migrant movements, wars, recent Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, alongside everlasting pandemic, are marking the year 2021. How to understand these processes and where to look for interpretations? Or correspondents?

In this conversation we intend to ask known authors about the books that maybe have become important to them in the last year, and about the reasons for that. In regional or global context, but also on the very personal level. What is it that draws our attention towards certain literature and what kind of books have become unavoidable in the past year? Polip Festival will afterwards try to assembly a list of literature that might serve as an intellectual beacon for 2021.

Sunday, 12. 09. 2021

PANEL 4 

12:00 – 13:30   Venue: Oda Theater

On freedom, culture and free speech vs. “cancel culture”
Panelists: Francesca Borri (IT), Darija Davidović (AT/SRB), Agon Rexhepi (RKS), Ralph Hammerthaler (DE)
Moderator: Alida Bremer (DE/CRO)
Discussion in English

What is the relationship between freedom and freedom of expression, and when does the freedom of expression of one group threaten the freedom of another group?

In recent times two issues have dominated public debates, especially in the West: All identities have the same right to exist and they all demand equal treatment, but sometimes their interests are in opposition to one another. A protest against one opinion is often labelled "cancel culture". Can racism, homophobia and transphobia be concealed under the cloak of blame for “cancel culture"? Or do we extend political correctness to the point of stifling art, humour, and debate? Has class been forgotten in the debate over identity politics as some leftist thinkers suggest? Is a poor, unemployed straight white male with no education still more privileged than a lesbian black girl with a university education from a wealthy family? Is it even possible to talk about group identities, especially in literature, which is primarily about individual destinies? Did the debate about the translation of Amanda Gorman's inaugural poem reach an impasse when the discussion became no longer about the quality of the translation but about the identity of the translators? Do these discussions put disadvantaged minorities at odds with themselves?

When does the free speech of some people become a disadvantage to others? When does the protection of minorities result in their ghettoization? How can minorities assert themselves in a world dominated by privileged majorities without reaching the dead end of intolerance? There are no easy answers to these questions, but in our panel we will try to explore the current discussions about these topics.

DISCUSSION

17:00–18:30   Venue: Oda Theater

Discussion with Elif Shafak

Moderation: Alida Bremer

Discussion in English.

Elif Shafak is an award-winning British-Turkish novelist. She has published 19 books, 12 of which are novels. She is a bestselling author in many countries around the world and her work has been translated into 55 languages. Her 2019 novel 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and RSL Ondaatje Prize; and was Blackwell’s Book of the Year. The Forty Rules of Love was chosen by BBC among the 100 Novels that Shaped Our World. The Architect’s Apprentice was chosen for the Duchess of Cornwall’s inaugural book club, The Reading Room. Shafak holds a PhD in political science and she has taught at various universities in Turkey, the US and the UK, including St Anne's College, Oxford University, where she is an honorary fellow. She also holds a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Bard College.