Blogpost: The Balkans: Albania

On a recent visit to Europe, we visited Albania (country #73), and information and photos from our trip are below.

Albania (phonetically called “Shiperia” by the locals [spelled Shqiperise], and the language is phonetically called “ship”) is 11,000 Square miles (you can drive from the north to the south of the country in 7-8 hours), has a population of 3 million people, and is one of the poorest countries in Europe (at the time of this writing, $1USD = 105 Albanian Lek; 1 Euro = 124 Albanian Lek). History in this area begins with ancient local civilization inhabited by the Illyrians, followed by the Roman Empire, and then the Byzantine Empire for 1000 years, and then the Ottoman Empire for 500 years. Albanians subsequently obtained their freedom in 1912. Albania was involved in three wars, including World War I, the Balkan Wars, and World War II, where they were subjected to both Italian and Nazi occupation. After evacuation by the Nazis in 1944, the Albanian Communist party took power and reigned until 1992. Before 1991, Albanians were not allowed to have the freedoms that they are now allowed, including privately owning cars. In 1991, trade started, private businesses started, and private cars were made more available (vs. cars only being allowed to be owned by government officials). Drivers had to go to driving school for 2 years, and now that they can own cars privately, they prefer German cars and Japanese cars, as they need cars that are strong enough to withstand the roads. Gas is very expensive. Albania is considered to be a developing country, with a population of about 3 million people. The language is unique and hard to learn (there are 36 letters in their alphabet; e.g. of easy words: “po” is “yes,” and “you” is “no”), and is spoken by 8-9 million people, including in Kosovo and North Macedonia.

Tirana is 400 years old, but it was made the new capital city 100 years ago. The population has grown from 700K to 1 million within its 1500km. The Albanian Lek (currency) is connected to Europe, though Albania is not yet part of the European Union (EU). Albania has 300 days of sun, with the rainy season in Autumn. In the west, the weather is hot because it is close to the sea. The east is close to North Macedonia, so, the winter is very cold, and the summer is not hot. There is not much difference between the north and the south, climate-wise. We were told that people come to Albania to hear about ancient history that is different from the western part of Europe, and also come to the coast, and the mountains in the north (for hiking). The Albanian flag is red (to represent the blood of warriors) with two eagle heads, representing enemies from the Roman and Byzantine Empires, looking in opposite directions to protect itself from each. During the time of communism, a star was put on the top to represent communism.

Skanderbeg is the most important person in Albanian history. He was born to a Christian Orthodox family (his Christian name was George), but was trained as an Ottoman General. He abandoned the Ottomans, and came back to Albania and became Christian again. He fought for the Ottomans for 25 years, which allowed Albania to remain independent for 25 years, and protected Christianity during that time. However, after his death in 1468, the Ottoman Empire took over again and reintroduced Islam. The current Albania flag was Skanderbeg’s flag and is one of the oldest flags in Europe because it belonged to Skanderbeg, but is not considered one of the oldest when compared to official country flags.

Albanians are not very religious. They put country first and then religion to fight the Ottomans. Religion was subsequently banned by the constitution from 1967 until 1991, during which time 80% of churches and mosques were leveled. As a result, Albania was considered to be the first atheistic country during Communism (which is fascinating since Mother Theresa was born in Albania). Sunni Muslims (such as those in Turkey), Catholics, and Bektashi Muslims (“liberal” Muslims – they eat pork, drink alcohol, and pray together, but the main restriction is that they not eat rabbit…) had been present at the time, and Bektashi Islam had become the center of that form of Islam when the ban began (70% of the population is Muslim). Since 1991, there have been no religious problems in Albania.

Interesting fact: During WWII, no Jewish people were taken from Albania to concentration camps, so, some Israelis went to Albania during that time to escape persecution. After the borders opened in 1991, many of them went back to Israel. Since then, there has been a friendly relationship between Albania and Israel, and it is one of the only places Albanians can go without a visa. There is not much of a Jewish community in Albania now.

Communism history includes 1941, when young people formed the Communist party and chose Enver Hoxha (ho-jah; the gentleman in white marble above) to lead them. They fought against fascism and Nazi occupation. When the war ended in 1944, Albania communists took power because they had the support, and they created one party, making it a dictatorship. They cut ties with Italy and Greece, but had a special relationship with the former Yugoslavia. But then Tito (the leader of Yugoslavia at the time) and Stalin (in Albania) had problems, so, they cut ties. Kruschev came to power when Stalin died, and tensions started and almost resulted in a war with the former Soviet Union. As a result, Albania cut ties with the Soviet Union in 1960. Albania had no friends at that point, so, they became friends with China, led by Mao Tse-tung, since all of their investments came from China. However, when Chairman Mao died in 1978, Albania cut ties with China as well.

Because Albania was not aligned with any country for several years, very few people could come to visit, as it “was like a country prison” in the 1980s according to our tour guide. During that time, Albanians could not leave without risking execution at the border, and if they did get out and got caught, their families were persecuted. During that time, media was completely controlled by the government, and was usually saturated with propaganda. People had to get approval to buy a black and white TV, and they could only watch the Albania TV station. The government officials could tell if people were watching Albanian TV or Italian TV based on the way the antennae were pointing. There was a centralized economy, with no private sector. Inhabitants received 2 kilograms of meat and 1 chicken a month with a voucher. They usually ate bread and vegetables, and did not have simple pleasures like jeans or bananas until after 1991. Men were also not allowed to have beards or long hair, and women could not wear short skirts.

Those who lived during that time were able to identify some good aspects of Communism, including the fact that the country was very clean, possibly because they did not have anything to throw away (they now have a very big trash problem, according to our guide). They used their money to buy basic food and clothing, as even with multiple jobs, they did not get paid much. Education-wise, everyone was required to finish 8^th grade, and they had a 100% literacy rate as a result. Now, they are required to go to school through the 9^th grade, but the poor and Gypsy communities cannot afford to go to school. There are private and public universities in Albania, but the medical school is the only one that is not allowed to be private. Public university costs about $300USD per academic year, including books (vs. $2000-3000 per year for private university).

Overall, the general economy is improving, as agriculture brings in money, as does tourism (which has just begun in earnest in the past year or so, and added 20% to the GDP in 2019). They also make money from the mining and service industries, and those who emigrate send money back to their families in Albania. There is also an underground market of/for Marijuana, which is produced and sold to other parts of Europe even though it is illegal in Albania. We were told that Albania has a bad name in Europe, and is seen as a place for traficantes, bad people, and criminals, and this is reinforced in movies (e.g., the movie “Taken” with Liam Neeson, who talks about the “Albanian Mafia”). While they admit that they have people who engage in illegal activity to “make money faster,” the majority of people make an honest living.

Interesting fact: Albania is part of the Green Card Lottery process, so, Albanians are always very invested in the election process in the USA to see which candidate will uphold that tradition. They are more interested in these elections than their own, as the president of Albania is just a figure head.

Hoxha, who ruled with an iron fist, died in 1985. Alia was next, and he was not considered to be as bad as Hoxha. During this time, Albania tried to ignore what was going on in Eastern Europe (e.g., the impact of Polish leader Nicolae Ceauşescu). In March 1992 was when Albania had their first free and fair elections. Alia won the first election because in 1990, the Democracy opposition formed, but because the people were not familiar with Democracy, that party lost the first election. This was in spite of the fact that they had special support from the USA, which was seen as a symbol of freedom and democracy then. The USA helped Albania become a member of NATO, and President George W. Bush has been the only US President to visit Albania. The Democratic party won the subsequent election, which resulted in a somewhat peaceful change of government system (Albania is a Parliamentary Republic).

Albania has reconnected with some countries, including China, with whom they buy and sell goods because it is cheaper than doing so with the USA. They also have a relationship with Russia again, but no one since Khruschev has been to Albania. The Hoxha statue was pulled down from the city square in 1991, and they hold elections every 4 years, within which the public votes for members of parliament, and the winning party elects the president and prime minister. Our guide said, “Albania is blessed by God (because of their history and nature), but we don’t have the right leaders,” due to the high level of corruption.

When Albania obtained its independence, the country was geographically split into many pieces, with some given to Bosnia and Kosovo. The citizens of Kosovo actually consider themselves to be Albanian.

There were 173,371 bunkers built all over Albania during communism. They were each designed for 2 soldiers to use during the war. Most of them have been destroyed, and two of them have been turned into museums called Bunk’Art (Bunker + Art). The bunker has become a symbol of paranoia for Albania since they were never targeted for attack/war.

Interesting Fact: There are no McDonald’s or Starbucks in Albania. KFC came to Albania four years ago, and Burger King came one year ago.

Human rights are much better, now that they know that they have rights. They have the laws in place (in anticipation of joining the EU), but society is still trying to “catch up.” It is better in capital city, Tirana, than in other places. They opened up negotiations this year to become a full member of the EU, and hope to join in the next 5-10 years, as 93% of Albanians want to become part of the EU. Albanian parliament has a list of laws, and those with a star need to be approved by the EU, which is already present in Albania through investments. There are simple influences of the EU already in place, such as how their license plates are designed. Albania is part of the Western Balkans, and will probably become part of a bloc with the other Western Balkan countries when they join the EU, as it would be easier for them to join as a bloc than to do so individually.

Tomori Mountain is 2400m tall with a holy place on top of the mountain. Berat is over 2400yo, making it one of the oldest cities in Albania.

In all, a very informative visit to a beautiful country that leaves much to be explored! Until next time, take care and be well…