By: Shqipe Malushi
On Wednesday evening, from 19:00 to 20:30, the FemArt Festival unfolded yet another unforgettable performance at ODA Theater in Prishtina, Kosovo. Led by the visionary founder of Artpolis, Zana Hoxha a tireless artist and activist whose heart beats at the center of FemArt’s creation, the evening was a tribute to the power of art to heal, unite, and provoke necessary dialogue.
The stage welcomed a powerful cross-border collaboration: “Marrja e Zezë” (The Burial of Shame), a unique performance created in partnership with guest artists from Germany—director Jehona Jahaj and musician Arbëreshë, both of Albanian descent.
Jehona Jahaj opened the performance by sharing her deeply personal story—how shame becomes ingrained in the body through generations. She spoke of how tradition creates a repetitive and oppressive cycle, echoing phrases like: “Don’t do this,” “Don’t speak too much,” “Get married soon,” or “If someone touches you before marriage, you are no longer ours.” Her voice trembled with the weight of inherited emotions—pain and anger that were not truly hers, but passed down like an invisible chain.
In a powerful moment, Jehona recited Maya Angelou’s poem “And Still I Rise,” with lines that pierced the room:
“You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.”
The poem resonated as a defiant anthem against the silencing power of shame.
Following this, singer and performer Arbëreshë took the stage. She appeared with a daire (traditional drum), covering her face behind it, letting her hands speak through rhythm. The beats she created were raw and ritualistic—expressing pain, remembrance, and release. Transitioning to guitar, her voice emerged—deep, haunting, echoing centuries of love and loss. Through old folk songs infused with jazz and blues undertones, Arbëreshë transformed folklore into a visceral protest, giving voice to a wounded collective soul. Though some lyrics were difficult to discern, the emotional truth transcended language.
To close the evening, the audience was invited to participate in a symbolic ritual: the burial of shame. Jehona distributed 21 red roses. Each recipient stood and shared something they wished to bury—guilt, self-denial, the inability to say no, people-pleasing, fear, anger. The room became a sacred circle of vulnerability and shared truth.
Once again, FemArt delivered not only performance, but transformation. Through voices like Jehona and Arbëreshë, the festival reminded us that when shame is spoken, it begins to lose its power—and when art becomes ritual, it can offer liberation.
