Gezuar! - Festival dei Popoli

Gezüar means “cheers” in Albanian and is a word traditionally used when making a toast. For us, it becomes an invitation to come together and a true celebration of our Balkan brothers and sisters, their stories, and the bond they have built with Martina Franca.

📍 Ex macello — Via Locorotondo, Martina Franca
📅 October 17, 2026
🎟️ Free entry
Organized by APS Mademù.

An evening to remember, to listen, and to understand our own history.

🎙️ 6:30 PM — INTRODUCTORY TALK
A meeting with Baki Cela, intercultural mediator, on the history of Albanian immigration and the relationship between the community and our local area, introducing the screening that follows.

🎬 7:00 PM — LA NAVE DOLCE | DOCUMENTARY FILM
Daniele Vicari’s documentary recounts the arrival of the Vlora in the port of Bari in August 1991: thousands of people, a journey across the Adriatic, and one of the most powerful images in the history of migration to Italy.

🎶 9:00 PM — BALKAN EXPRESS LIVE CONCERT
The evening continues with Balkan music by Balkan Express, four musicians who reinterpret Balkan traditions through contemporary influences.

🚌 HOW TO GET THERE
A shuttle service will be available every 20 minutes, from 6:00 PM to 10:30 PM, departing from:
- Piazza d’Angiò
- Viale Europa, near the Giovanni XXIII Comprehensive School
- Viale Europa, near the parking lot

A gathering to understand. A film to remember. Music to bridge distances.
People are not merely places from which we depart or places we arrive at, but stories that meet, cultures that blend, and generations that grow together.

GEZÜAR: a toast to our stories, our differences, and everything that unites us. 🥂