After almost ten years of activity, Qendra Multimedia’s performing venue in the Dardania neighborhood in Prishtina has been officially closed. Throughout the years, this venue has sheltered hundreds of cultural activities carried out not only by Qendra Multimedia but also other cultural associations, individual artists, writers and activists from Kosovo and worldwide. An audience of tens and thousands has attended numerous theatre and music performances that took place in the venue, readings of hundreds of authors, discussions, book promotions, exhibitions and other cultural activities.
For these almost ten years, Qendra Multimedia’s managerial team have made continuous attempts to find a more sustainable solution for its public activities, however, they were confronted with a lack of willing from the municipality of Prishtina to show their support in this regard. The support of the municipality of Prishtina has been inexistent or minimal – in several cases, even inhibiting.
Streets and pavements in the Dardania neighborhood where Qendra Multimedia’s venue was located are under construction, new asphalt is replacing the old one (if you were to ask us who have worked there, we would say that the old asphalt was perfectly fine!) just as we are witnessing new asphalt replacing the old one all around Prishtina. However, the new asphalt that is and will continue replacing the old one, will never be able to cover the marks of lack of power, knowledge and will of this city to create and maintain such necessary cultural venues.
Today, Prishtina has not lost just a random venue, but a home where artists and activists have felt free to talk, criticize fearlessly, revolt but also cultivate love for each-other, for the city, for our country. Today, Prishtina has lost a free space, a piece of freedom from the little portion of freedom that has remained non-suffocated by asphalt, concrete, churches, mosques and shopping malls.
From now on, Prishtina has one independent cultural venue less. However, our struggle for performing venues will go on: to preserve the few remaining and create new ones.
Jeton Neziraj
Executive Director, Qendra Multimedia