Albania’s nightmares ... seem over

There was a time in my early years when I was somewhat fascinated with Albania, its hyper-closed society with odd-looking names, like “Hoxha,” its longtime dictator (pronounced “hoe-ja”).  But it was a brutal place, from the advent of Hoxha’s communist rule after WWII to the end of that regime 5 years after he did in 1985.

The residue of the dictatorship are everywhere, as the ~700,000 concrete bunkers he had built to defend against Albania’s serial enemies - first Russia, then China, then “the West” - are strewn like sarcophagae on the shores of Turkey.

We were told that in the case of the invasion - which never came - 800,000 Albanian men and women aged 14 - 64 would be called up to take up arms in these bunkers.

Two of the biggest bunkers are in the capital, Tirana, and they are now among the museums dedicated to the oppression and intense fear of the dictatorship.  We visited one called “Bunk’Art II” near the central square (the largest, Bunk’Art I, is a little outside the center), an underground labyrinth that connected several of the federal ministry buildings.

The exhibits charted the history since independence of the various police forces and militias, but the most gut-wrenching were the rooms describing the ubiquitous surveillance, work and prison camps, torture, and executions.  Some rooms also had stark art installations, like this one - the dictatorship “monster.” 

The interrogation room 

This plaque told stories about the work camps - note the quote about children in the camps, foreshadowing the Trump horrors.

These hung displays listed names of those executed as enemies of  the state.

An homage to the surveillance state. 

But Albania has changed, and we found there a very welcoming, positive people.  Tirana, in particular, was quite “European,” and the cafes and bars were alive with its people.  We are here in the Balkans during the World Cup, and every cafe and restaurant has at least one TV screen on with the games.  Tirana’s central square was no exception.

Some Tirana street scenes...