Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0006/00065.txt

Text File | 1991-06-24 | 22KB | 372 lines

$Unique_ID{COW00065}
$Pretitle{298}
$Title{Albania
Chapter 7B.   Cultural Development}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Eugene K. Keefe, Sarah Jane Elpern, Willaim Giloane, James M. Moore, Jr., Weston White}
$Affiliation{HQ, Department of the Army}
$Subject{albanian
cultural
works
communist
literature
party
albania
culture
music
war}
$Date{1971}
$Log{}
Country:     Albania
Book:        Albania, A Country Handbook
Author:      Eugene K. Keefe, Sarah Jane Elpern, Willaim Giloane, James M. Moore, Jr., Weston White
Affiliation: HQ, Department of the Army
Date:        1971

Chapter 7B.   Cultural Development

Intellectual and Artistic Expression

     In 1944, when the Communist regime came to power, there was little or no
heritage in the various areas of cultural activity-literature, music, drama,
or painting and sculpture-upon which the Communist leaders could build. Since
the end of World War II, however, a consistent effort has been made to foster
the growth of an Albanian cultural tradition and to generally raise the
cultural level of the people. Writers and artists are supported by the state,
and cultural institutions have been established throughout the country to
ensure maximum cultural exposure of the masses. In 1967 there were 35 houses
of culture in cities, 395 in villages, and 1,266 cultural circles throughout
the country. In addition, there were 24 national museums and 25 local museums.

     The various cultural institutions sponsor plays, concerts, and literary
readings; subscribe to libraries; arrange trips to museums; and direct other
such activities. Often courses in the arts, such as music lessons, are
conducted. The activities of the houses of culture and the cultural circles
are not restricted to cultural recreation, however. They also have been
assigned the general task of educating the masses.

     Special cadres of culture are trained to direct the cultural
institutions. Their preparation extends beyond the realm of culture to
Marxism-Leninism, however, and they are generally trained to enable them to
become involved in all aspects of the life of the community. The various
cultural institutions, while genuinely serving to expose the masses to
culture, are also important instruments of political and social
indoctrination.

     In practice, the principles of socialist realism require that literary
and artistic works actively promote the goals of the Party and reflect
Communist ideology. Besides generally being "a weapon for the education of the
new man with the ideals of socialism and the principles of Communist
morality," literature, drama, music, and art must inspire nationalism and
allegiance to the Party and stimulate the people to work toward fulfillment of
Party plans, whether they are in the economic or the social spheres. The
criterion used to evaluate cultural works is the degree to which they further
the goals of the Party and socialist development.

     In conjunction with the initiation of the Cultural Revolution, Enver
Hoxha expounded upon the vital role of the various aspects of culture in a
speech to the Fifth Congress of the Albanian Workers' Party in November 1966.
The task set by the Party is that "literature and art should become a powerful
weapon in the hands of the Party for the education of the working people in
the spirit of socialism and communism; that literature and art should stand at
the vanguard of the struggle for the education of a new generation
ideologically and morally pure; that all artistic creation should be of a high
ideological level and be permeated by both the Party's militant revolutionary
spirit and a healthy national spirit."

     Such demands have been made of authors, artists, and musicians since the
inception of the Albanian People's Republic. Since 1966, however, when the
Cultural Revolution was initiated, the importance of culture has received
greater emphasis and the demands for ideological purity of all creative works
have increased. The Cultural Revolution was still in motion as of the early
months of 1970.

     The dominant themes of Albanian culture under communism have concerned
the history of Albania, the struggle of the Communist-led partisans during the
War of National Liberation, and the transformation of the backward,
superstitious society into one that is modern and governed by progressive,
socialist principles. In the mid-1960s, however, the Party called upon writers
and artists to go beyond these themes and to portray the contemporary
struggles for the creation of socialism. Party guidance stipulates that it is
not enough to describe the past struggles and achievements. The ongoing
hardships faced by the peasants and workers must be reflected in artistic
works. The heroes are to be workers, peasants, and engineers, as well as the
partisans.

     Throughout the period of the Cultural Revolution, artists and writers
have been going to the mountain villages, industrial centers, and agricultural
cooperatives to live for varying lengths of time. Living and working with the
people provides the writers and artists with insights into the life and
problems that the various types of people must face. These experiences are
designed to help them create themes that reflect the contemporary developments
more accurately and to make cultural works more relevant to the masses.

     Given the influential role of culture in society, it was imperative that
the Party establish strict control over all creative activities. Authors,
dramatists, musicians, and artists must belong to the Union of Artists and
Writers. This organization is nominally independent of the Party, but in
reality it is firmly under Party control. Another source of control is the
Ministry of Education and Culture, which has close ties with the Directorate
of Education and Culture under the Politburo of the Party. Furthermore, all
individuals involved in cultural pursuits are dependent upon the state for
their income as well as for the financing of their various projects.

     The twofold task of the Party leaders in the cultural field-that of
fostering cultural development while maintaining control over the content of
the cultural works-was difficult in many respects and easy in others. The lack
of a firmly established tradition in many cultural fields, as well as the lack
of a substantial cultural community, facilitated the establishment of Party
control. Writers and artists who received their training under the Party's
tutelage know only the socialist realist approach. On the other hand, the lack
of experience and personnel in many fields, such as drama, meant that the
developments in these areas would be slow. Furthermore, the leaders were
dependent first upon the Yugoslavs and, after 1948, on the Soviets to train
people in the areas that were totally lacking in Albania's cultural heritage.

     The paucity of artistic and intellectual achievements, compared with
those of other nations throughout the world, was basically the result of
Albania's long history of foreign domination and of the rugged topography of
the country, which facilitated the isolation of many communities for
centuries. During the several centuries of Turkish rule, the Albanians were
forbidden to develop a written language. Furthermore, there were no schools
that conducted classes in the Albanian language; there were only Turkish
schools for the Muslim population and Greek schools for the Orthodox
population. To compound these difficulties, there are two major dialects of
Albanian-Geg, spoken in the north, and Tosk, in the south. Albania did not
have a uniform alphabet until November 1908, when a congress of intellectuals
agreed upon the use of the Latin alphabet. It was not until the Communist
regime came to power that it was decided that Tosk would be the official
literary dialect (see ch. 2, Historical Setting; ch. 3, Physical Environment;
ch. 4, The People).

     An additional obstacle to the development of a substantial intellectual
and artistic community and tradition was the fact that until 1957