Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ditmir Bushati, has reacted to the debate surrounding the protests and Kanye West's concert, criticizing the use of public money to organize such an event. He believes that the protests of recent weeks have given Albania an international image that, according to him, cannot be built with any concert.
Bushati raises questions about the government's priorities, demanding accountability for the funding of a private artist at a time when the country, according to him, is facing significant economic and social challenges.
Bushati's note:
In a democratic society, people are free to make the choice they think is best for them. The heated debate between protest and concert is divisive and unproductive. Albania needs both protests and concerts.
The lights and joy of a concert last a short time, compared to the weeks of protests that have given Albania an international image that has no money and the concert that creates it. An image that reflects the living spirit of a society that stands up and fights with dignity for its country.
It is worrying that politics is not reflecting on the serious concerns raised by the protests, deepening the gap with the people. The protest that began as anger over access to land and beaches and the preservation of our shared natural heritage has transformed into a larger spirit that has to do with the essence of democracy. In terms of who and how should decide on the future of Albania.
The questions shouldn't be asked whether you're with the concert or the protest, as there are two sides and not two poles, as the digital brigades want to treat them.
The questions that require answers are related to the essence of the governing system we want to build: Why should public money be spent on entertainment, while the country faces more acute economic and social problems? Why should Albanians give millions of euros to a private company and an artist who does not contribute to the cultural development of the country? How long will we treat culture as a spectacle?
Under these conditions, the political appropriation and financing of the concert with our money takes on significance beyond the concert and the artist's name, as it reveals an outdated governance model.
#Albaniadeservesmore
