Prime Minister Edi Rama’s remarks at the inauguration ceremony of Micro Folie, the newest creative space opened in Tirana to allow more young people and children with access to art and  technology:

 

Good evening everyone!

I am immensely pleased that this new creative space is opened at the very beginning of this year, which is the year of Tirana as European Youth Capital 2022, also the year we want to entirely devote to youth and children. This structure, borrowed in France, has been quite successful in France, offering the opportunity to children and young people to tour the world art masterpieces being showcased at France’s museums through a digital visit that provides to children and young people what not everyone can afford travelling and visiting in person, including French children and young people, let alone our youth. But this is the primary goal.

We will create a chain of spaces and similar structure that take advantage of technology to virtually access the magical corridors of art, as well as provide young people with the opportunity to interact and engage in all these micro-activities available in every corner of this structure, which also offers fresh opportunities for socialization and interaction among children and young people.

In the meantime, we are working to deliver in tandem with the micro folie structures on a novelty in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the project will feature a large mobile bus to stage performances in various communities, a large mobile bus take the opera, music, theatre and other art works to the communities across the country, making them more accessible but also bringing them closer to the people in the community. We will introduce the first but not the only bus of this kind and together with the micro folies we will enliven the afterschool and the leisure time for children and young people. We are determined to support and host an array of events and provide more opportunities for children and the youth.

For all of them watching us now, the initial micro folie centre is opened here at the park behind the Prime Minister’s office. I am convinced that there will be many requests as this has been the case in France too and, as Erion said, everything will be arranged that way with the interested people having to book for an event here, so that this space is as beautiful and as liveable as possible when the children come and so that chaos is avoided.

Thank you for organizing and immediately setting in motion this initiative and I am fully confident that sooner rather than later a second micro folie, a third and more centres like this will become operational in other parts of Tirana, but also in other cities across Albania.

Thank you!