By Shqipe Malushi

If “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” shook London with the story of a different boy, unheard, unseen, and misunderstood; then “Memories from the River” by Zana Hoxha echoes that same pain in the heart of Prishtina: a poetic cry for the invisible and emotionally imprisoned in our society.

The evening of July 28th was more than a premiere, it was a pilgrimage through water and memory. It began by the fountain, a symbol of the river and of innocence. But the path quickly led us into a prison of ideals, and the inner prisons we carry in silence.

Zana Hoxha, a fearless director and truthteller, built a performance where the audience became co-travelers and, perhaps, co-responsible. Memories surged like wave, silent traumas, drowned identities, boys punished for being themselves, girls growing up in fear.

A boy puts on his mother’s dress and sings “Nessun Dorma”—a sacred moment crushed by society. He ends his life in the river. But isn’t it the river itself that guards the memories of those who were never protected?

Actors Qendresa Kajtazi, Edon Shileku, Flamur Ahmeti, and Elisa Belegu delivered honest, emotionally charged performances. Liburn Jupolli’s music was the breath of a wounded soul.

Zana Hoxha dares us not to hide behind social norms. She reminds us that we are all imprisoned in our bodies, our memories, and our silence. But through this performance, she opens a window to hope, to self-acceptance, to truly living.

“Somewhere you’ll find me, with a smile that cannot be erased.” – Ali Podrimja

This line lingers through the show as a testament that even in darkness, hope still speaks.

Memories from the River is not just theatre, it is a collective act of healing. And Zana, as always, invites us to dare to be different, not to be accepted, but to be fully alive.