The International Youth Literary Festival “Tirana Gate” 2023 get started with the theme “Face.”

The festival’s opening ceremony attended by the Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Tirana, Andi Seferi, the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Albania, Major General Manushaqe Shehu, the Director of the National Center for Books and Reading, Alda Bardhyli, as well as esteemed Albanian and foreign authors.

The inaugural panel featured renowned writer and journalist Enkel Demi, Montenegrin author Andrej Nikolaidis, along with Arian Leka and Ivona Djuric from Serbia. The theme of this panel was “Us and Them” – Europe’s Divided Skies: Why the West Doesn’t Understand the East.

The writers approached this topic with the perspective that, regardless of one’s identity as Montenegrin, Albanian, Kosovar, Roma, Serbian, Christian, Muslim, or any other, we are all part of the Balkans.

They tackled questions such as: Is this land our mother or our blessing? How does Europe perceive us? Who are we, and who are they? Is Southeastern Europe truly distinct from our neighboring regions, from what we are familiar with? What separates the realms of imagination from reality in terms of distances? How significant are the differences between us and them, Here and There? Is the division of the world into “East” and “West” still (or once again) relevant?

During the event, the author Nikolaidis discussed how writing is a process of self-discovery. Enkel Demi immersed the audience in the besieged Shkodër, emphasizing his love for his homeland. Arian Leka explored events both Here and There, and Ivona Djuric shared her insights for the screen.

“Us And Them” unites authors whose characters defy convention, crafting narratives in which individuals are determined to carve their own paths. These stories feature children who reject assigned roles, challenging assumed labels and societal attitudes.

/m.ll/