Theatrical Book Promo

Why launch our historical books at a theatre? Because history is meant to inspire and because the Qiriazi family loved music and theatre. On November 7, 2016, the Cultural Center of Tirana welcomed the IAPS to its Metropol Theatre for a unique book launch. In an earlier press conference,  IAPS director David Hosaflook and the Cultural Center’s director Jonida Vogli explained to the media why a theatre was chosen as the venue for historical books. The Qiriazi family lived for grand ideals in times of pessimism and uncertainty. Their books—Sevasti’s unpublished (until now) autobiography and Gjerasim’s account of being captured by brigands—are filled with examples to follow and ideals to embrace. The program included Tirana’s brass band playing patriotic songs, brief greetings from Vogli and Hosaflook, Tirana mayor Erion Veliaj conferring the “Symbol of the City” honor upon Sevasti Qiriazi-Dako (given to her grandson, Robert Dako), a dramatic poetry reading from about women’s education from two young ladies Rebeka Borisha and Klarita Ceka, solo from Miss Jona Doçi (a hymn translated by Sevastia), a mini-lecture by Dr. John Quanrud about Gjerasim Qiriazi’s ideals, a dramatic reading by “Gjerasim Qiriazi” (Aleksander Kondi) from his work Captured by Brigands, and the singing of the iconic “Alphabet Song” written by Parashqevi Qiriazi.