and one hundred years later

25 November:

and one hundred years later…

(thank you Ardit for the clarification!)
I’m not sure it’s totally clear—but that big red thing at the end of the street is actually an Albanian flag covering the House of Culture in celebration of the Albania’s 100th birthday (Nov 28), the 104th of the adoption of the Latin script for the Albanian language (Nov 22), and the 569th anniversary of the adoption of the two-headed eagle (symbol of Skenderbeg family) as the official seal/symbol (Nov 28). So November is a big month. Tetovo has been totally decked out in the red and black two headed eagle. A few days ago, maybe Wednesday, I passed a tailor shop and there were these three young guys slaving away over these mounds of red fabric—and I gave them  a pitying look—and only today realized that they were actually making flags upon flags upon flags. They’re everywhere. but they’re hand-made (and locally at that!), so it’s ok. 

I think the best we saw was a beach umbrella made out of Albanian flags—but they’re on cars, in windows, on buildings, I even saw a guy a few weeks back wearing the flag like a cape (although I’ve also seen quite a few young guys wearing hooded sweatshirts with American flag pockets—so, take that as you will). 

it’s exciting: one hundred years is a nice round number, and I’m all for a good cultural celebration, but it’s a little overwhelming—in the way the 4th of July is overwhelming when people start getting their stars and stripes whirligigs out and Uncle Sam garden gnomes. it’s the way I feel about the Alexander craze in Skopje currently—‘can’t you go anywhere without him lurking about?’—redefining, dare I say intruding on, public spaces. and now there’s a big portrait of a local political big-wig in the city square (which is also carpeted in a nice layer of the pamphlet they must have been passing out at the event or rally last night)—watching over the comings and goings. 

One of the stories Culi told on the road trip was about how right down town (where the McDonalds now is—so Tetovo prime real estate—except that it’s been a construction zone for the past month [election season anyone?]) used to be the cafe where on religious holidays (typically you go visiting from one relative to the next to the next (or, if you’re a woman: hosting relative after relative after relative—somethings never change, eh?)….) all the hard-core socialists used to sit and judge their weaker, less devout comrades who would still partake in the religious customary visiting. we’ve now entered the high-tech era, so rather than having real, live people sitting, watching, judging, we’ve just stuck a portrait (or a statue-as the case may be) up, so he can gaze down on us mortals. 

I know I don’t exactly have my finger on the heartbeat of Tetovo (speaking neither of the local languages) but I was also surprised by the lack of activities happening around the centennial (or surprised by how hidden they were from me): as far as I can tell there were two art exhibits (one that was taken down three days after it went up), this rally last night where the portrait was unveiled, and a volleyball tournament (I’m sure there’s a link to the Albanian language somewhere in there), and then the flagging of the town. To me, the flags are oddly aggressive—and yet not very descriptive as to what is actually being celebrated (other than the generic Albanianess). What do they (the flags) tell me about what it means to be Albanian, what aspects of their heritage people are so proud of—some of the most obvious—poetry, literature, text-based-arts in general were markedly absent (there was a conference at SEEU on Albanian language, although I’m not sure how widely publicized it was, or how wide it’s reach was other than the SEEU community), or folk arts, history.. But this text-sword cuts both ways, I know. I very may well have been just been totally oblivious to these events—especially as text-based celebrations are, well, text-based, and therefore somewhat hidden from the view of non-Albanian speakers, and thus, not really accessible. where as the flags, well, they’re certainly not subtle, and rather hard to miss.