Jaho Brahaj: There is no attention for the national costumes of the National Folk Festival of Gjirokastra

The National Folklore Festival of Gjirokastra returns in June. The most important event in the field of Albanian intangible cultural heritage will take place this year in June after the 2015 edition. The news about the development of the festival was announced years ago by the Minister of Culture Elva Margariti on social networks, where she stated that the preparations have started. The return of the festival is welcomed by various artists and researchers, but according to them, little attention has been paid to national clothing during these years. Researcher Jaho Brahaj, who has previously expressed his concern about folk clothing and their preservation, says that all problems must be addressed by the Ministry of Culture. The researcher Brahaj states that the National Folk Festivals have an extraordinary importance, but according to him, more serious work is needed for national clothing. "The transition period we went through has opened up many problems and created difficulties for traditional folk costumes. But there is no serious voluntary work, that national folk costumes are preserved and they are revealed at the National Folklore Festival of Gjirokastra that will be next. From the experience and what we have seen from the previous festival, clothing is generally not given importance and this also brings consequences, because the general public, seeing clothing that is lacking and sometimes even surprised, then it creates the impression that it can to be. All problems and issues are handled by the Ministry of Culture and work is done from the ground up. No attention has been paid by the MK to be completed for the various groups that will perform at the festival".

Folkloric festivals

The National Folklore Festival of Gjirokastra held its 10th edition in May 2015 in the city of Gjirokastra. The main goal of this festival is the broad reflection of the genres of folklore and its values. Researcher Jaho Brahaj says that folklore festivals are a golden thread that unfolds the soul of our nation. "The Folklore Festivals of Gjirokastra have made a leap forward in Albania in the popularization, study of music, dances, clothing, these values ??were and are the people's. But when they are compared province by province, district by district, folklore group by folklore group, their value is only added, on the other hand, to become immortal since the festival was an administrative organization, and they are documented and preserved for generations. different until our days", says Brahaj, which adds that the folk costume parade is an important link of FFK. The National Folklore Festival of Gjirokastra took place for the first time in 1968.