FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The interruption of Isa Çosja's film 'Roda' in the middle of Podgorica is an organized act of violence against Albanian identity in Montenegro, and a silent proof of the crisis of multiethnicity in this Balkan state that has not yet chosen who belongs to whom...
A serious event, silenced by the institutions, but which speaks volumes about the real situation of Albanians in Montenegro, took place in recent days in the heart of Podgorica.
During the screening of the film "Roda" by Kosovar director Isa Çosja, part of the renowned cultural festival "Džada Film Fest", a group of aggressive individuals inappropriately intervened, interrupting the cultural event that was promoting an artistic work with Albanian content.
This act, unseen even in the darkest days of Balkan censorship, was carried out with arrogance and without any prohibition from local authorities, showing that ethnic nationalism, hidden under the guise of Montenegrin citizenship, is more alive than ever.
The only serious reaction came from the National Council of Albanians, the representative institution of Albanians in Montenegro, which, through a statement signed by its chairman Faik Nika, strongly condemned the incident, calling it "completely unacceptable and worthy of any punishment."
At the heart of the statement lies a bitter reality: Albanians in Montenegro are not free to speak their language, to exhibit their art, or to participate in public events without being targeted by an increasingly fierce wave of ethnic hatred. The fact that an aggressive interruption of an Albanian film occurred at an official festival and in a public square speaks clearly of the efforts to eradicate Albanians from the cultural space of the Montenegrin state.
But this is not an isolated incident. In recent weeks, the National Council of Albanians has denounced several other cases of hate speech, which have erupted on social networks and online media whenever Albanians organize any cultural activity, promote books, films or raise their voices for the constitutional rights they are entitled to.
In their statements, the leaders of the Council recalled that the Albanian language is an official language in several municipalities, that Albanians are citizens with full rights, and that this type of intimidation is dangerous for the very foundations of the state.
Attacks on language, art and cultural symbols are not random incidents, but part of a clear strategy to marginalize Albanians in the name of "protecting national order."
The danger is greater than it seems. In a small country like Montenegro, where ethnic coexistence is the foundation of political stability, allowing hate speech and ignoring such incidents creates dangerous precedents. When a film is interrupted, schools may be closed tomorrow. When a festival becomes the object of attack, the Albanian language may be excluded from public spaces tomorrow. The silence of the authorities is not neutrality, it is collaboration with those who seek the silent cultural cleansing of Albanians in Montenegro.
Isa Çosja, the director who was promoting his film “Roda”, is not just an artist, he is a symbol of an entire national narrative, of a generation that has spoken about the Albanian reality with skill, dignity and courage. The attack on him and his work is an attack on every Albanian who dares to be themselves in a state that increasingly keeps Albanians as foreigners in their own lands.
In this climate, the Council's response is not only necessary, but indispensable. It must be supported by all Albanian parties, by Albanian media in the region, by international institutions that monitor human rights, and by every voice that calls itself a defender of freedom and equality.
Albanians will not be afraid of those who want to silence them with street noisemakers. Films cannot be stopped, culture cannot be censored, and identity cannot be destroyed with hateful shouts at a festival./ Pamphlet
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