State of Mind
Albania, 2019-2025
After decades of dictatorship, isolation, and state surveillance, the fall of communism in the early 1990s prompted the Albanian people to reassess their relationship with their homeland. Although there has been steady economic growth, nearly half of all ethnic Albanians now live abroad, having moved in pursuit of new opportunities and a better life. Those who stay are likely to be haunted by painful memories of the past while navigating times of significant change concerning all aspects of life. In stark contrast to the rapid modernisation and growing prosperity of urban centres along the coast and in Tirana, Albania’s capital, centuries-old traditions are still upheld in rural and mountainous areas, where people often live in severe poverty and seclusion.
Travelling through the country reveals significant improvements to the infrastructure in recent years, albeit alongside an unchecked construction boom that pays little heed to the environment. Ongoing corruption and nepotism cause recurrent societal friction and political scandals. For better or worse, Albanians have undergone some of the most significant transformations of any European population in recent times. Nowadays, many people live in a state of mind that fluctuates between frustration and optimism.
