Since the proclamation of the Shebenik-Jabllanicë area as a
National Park is recent, at the level of local population and authorities there
is still a lack of information and awareness on the status, conservation
demands and zoning of the Shebenik-Jabllanicë National Park. The area is still
perceived as a forest which can be normally exploited for timber and non timber
products, therefore in such context it becomes crucial to firstly inform locals
about the latest status that has been given to the area and explain the
implications and new opportunities of leaving inside or around a National Park.
On behalf of the above mentioned objectives, the IUCN/PPNEA
project "Institutional Support for Protected Areas in Albania” decided to
participate and support the annual Traditional Festival of "Dorez” which
takes place each mid June inside the National Park territory. "Dorez”
Festival has been initiated in year 2006, when a group of motivated local
people in order to revitalize an ancient tradition of the area, and moreover to
promote the local traditional culture and history, and organized the
celebration, which since then has been officially certified from the regional
authorities as the Traditional Festival of "Dorez”. The PPNEA local
partner NGO "DOREZ” in collaboration with "Qender” Commune, local
education institutions and other institutions and different donors made possible
the organization of this festival every year.
The 2012 session of Dorez Traditional Festival took place
during the sunny day of June 24th, with the participation of around
600 people; mainly local inhabitants, ex-inhabitants of the area,
representatives of local authorities, Regional Deputy in the Parliament of
Albania, Local cultural and education institutions, Forest District Service
representatives, NGO representatives, amateur local football teams, local and
national media journalists.
The festival got open at around 10 am, by few speeches being
held from the organizers ( Fatmir Brazhda), local and central authorities’ representatives and
the IUCN project - local coordinator. In their joint speech; the chairman of
"Qender” commune Mr. Enver Shkurti and the regional deputy at the Parliament
of Albania Mr. Taulant Balla, congratulated and encouraged the participants to
preserve the culture and traditions of the area and the amazing natural beauty
of the National Park. In addition in his speech the PPNEA project coordinator
Mr. Mirjan Topi after been emphasizing and explaining the new status that the
area holds made a brief presentation of the project "Institutional Support
for Protected Areas in Albania”, including the general objectives and the
approach followed. Further to that, participants were invited in the project’s
tent to receive more information about the National Park through leaflets and
posters that has been prepared by the project for that event. "We are here
to work with you and to work for you, to share our knowledge and experience for
a sustainable management of this magnificent nature” said during his speech for
the journalists Mr. Andrea Ghiurghi - the IUCN project manager in Tirana.
Traditional music, dancing, and exhibition of traditional
costumes being performed by the talented young artists of the Cultural Center
of Librazhd entertained the participants for more than one hour and elevated
the atmosphere till the level that enthused almost all the participants to flow
into the dancing chain.
