"Children of the Dictatorship" screening in Tirana I
The documentary "Children of the Dictatorship" is being screened at schools and universities. This initiative of IDMC comes as a necessity for all the young people interested to know more about the past of their country. Stories of the four persons in the film who were born and raised in prisons or internment places are real testimony of that suffering.
This time, in cooperation with UET Centre, the University of Tirana organized a discussion with the young people. Students and lecturers in the room shared emotional experiences and were surprised by the four stories about Communism. After the documentary screening, a debate was moderated by journalist Alfred Lela with IDMC executive director, Dr. Jonila Godole, the documentary character, Ritvana Mena and sociologist Ergys Mërtiri.
Asked by Mr Lela whether the former persecutees now felt less persecuted than before, Mrs Ritvana answered:
"In 26 years, nothing has been done to grant the former persecutees their deserved place in society. The people who took the decisions to kill innocent people must be judged, at least. Sufferings of that time are nothing compared to the sufferings we are experiencing now when we see these people in leading positions. They are killing us a second time."
Ms Godole talked about the reasons behind this documentary:
"I work with young people every day and try to raise their awareness about the past, so they talk to their families about what happened. We are only in the beginning of dealing with the past but it is necessary that we raised awareness of the whole society."
Communist era and the events of the time leave a mark and need sociological explanations. Sociologist Mërtiri said:
"A nation has no identity if its inheritance, its past are not put on the scale. It was not just the dictatorship that condemned us. We have been compromised completely. The whole community was violent, hostile."
About the Guests
- Ergys Mërtiri – sociologist
- Ritvana Mena – documentary character, witness of the dictatorship
- Alfred Lela – journalist