Mayor of Tirana, Edi Rama, at Harvard

Edi Rama, the Mayor of Tirana, Albania, was an accomplished artist long before he entered politics. Utilizing his unique style and creativity, Rama transformed the outside walls of grim, Stalin-era buildings in Tirana into huge and colorful abstract paintings that are a wonder to behold! Rama also planted thousands of trees, bushes, and flowers throughout Tirana enabling people to enjoy beautiful scenic vistas as they strolled along the city's long and wide boulevards.

I know, because my wife, Jane, and I personally enjoyed those wonderous Rama creative spectacles first-hand when we visited Tirana a couple of years ago!

Edi Rama is a truly interesting, multi-talented individual so here's an excellent opportunity to see and hear him up front!

The Kokkalis Program would like to invite you to the following event:

MONDAY, JANUARY 25
4:00 p.m.
Dialogue in Cultural Diplomacy and Urban Transformation: Mayors Edi Rama and Antanas Mockus
Nye ABC, Taubman Building (5th floor), Harvard Kennedy School
Moderated by Professor Elaine Kamarck, lecturer in public policy, Harvard Kennedy School

Co-sponsored with the Cultural Agents Initiative and the Public Diplomacy Collaborative. Open to the public; no registration required.

Recognized as two of the world’s most creative and innovative leaders, Antanas Mockus, former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia, and Edi Rama, mayor of Tirana, Albania, will visit Harvard to share their insights on the role of creativity, culture and the arts in transforming cities and nations.

Mockus and Rama have been revolutionary in their use of what may be termed “artistic acupuncture” in Bogotá and Tirana to promote reform, good governance and civic engagement. From the use of pantomimes to ridicule traffic violators in Bogotá, to attacking drab communist facades in Tirana with bold and irreverent color, Mockus and Rama have used art and alternative practices as tools of cultural persuasion, civic transformation and empowerment. The results have been transformative in ways never seen before in their societies.
For more information, please visit: http://www.hks.harvard.edu/kokkalis


If you cannot attend this lecture in person, you may still watch it live by streaming from this link.

http://iopforum.harvard.edu:8080/ramgen/encoder/live