On the first of July, artists, curators, and art afficionados gathered at the gates of the Sharra landfill of Tirana to attend the inauguration of a public artwork by Kosovar artist Sislej Xhafa. The project was organized by “Contemporary Art Platform” Harabel, directed by artist Driant Zeneli and Ajola Xoxa, the wife of mayor of
A bust dedicated to the national hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeu, in Korça has been desecrated with an inscription on the supporting base. It appears to have been vandalised on Sunday, the 553rd anniversary of his death. In the images brought by Euronews Albania the words “Stop Masonic dictatorship” have been scrawled in spray paint. The bust of
In an attempt to save his tarnished image, Danish “starchitect” Bjarke Ingels has suggested that the Danish journalist Jóhann Thór Haahr Hansen, who wrote a well-researched and critical exposé of Ingels’s involvement in Albania, was “xenophobic.” Last week, Haahr Hansen authored a front-page article for the largest Danish newspaper Politiken, discussing Ingels’s involvement in the
Already before the outbreak of the pandemic, it was clear that the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama cared very little about one of the foundations of the European Union, the rule of law. Even the widely proclaimed but poorly implemented Justice Reform never addressed the issue of the rule of law but instead went
During the June 2017 elections, Lëvizje Vetëvendosje (LVV) became the largest political party with 27.49% of the vote and 32 seats in Parliament. The party, however, was excluded from the government by a hastily formed coalition led by then Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj. During the local election in November of the same year, LVV again
Shkëlqim Fusha, the owner of Fusha shpk, paid €1,816 for a 2-night stay in Barcelona, Spain, for Tirana Deputy Mayor Arbjan Mazniku. A Credit Card Authorization form, dated June 21, 2018 shows Mazniku being authorized by Fusha to use his credit card at the Alma Hotel in Barcelona. The Municipality of Tirana admitted the payment made
The government has awarded another €1.8 million contract for more reconstruction works on the Italia Square, in front of the new national stadium. One of the usual government contractors, Salillari shpk won the tender launched by the Albanian Development Fund with the lowest bid offer. The company will work for three months to pave the
Prime Minister Edi Rama was one of the most avid supporters of preserving the historic center of Tirana back in 2000, when he was Minister of Culture and Sports. Today, President Ilir Meta brought back to public attention an excerpt from a talk show just before Rama left the ministry to become a mayor. Almost
Just when you think that Albanian journalism cannot go any lower, you read a breathtakingly pathetic interview with Italian architect Stefano Boeri in Shqiptarja.com. Shqiptarja.com is owned by Italian entrepreneur Carlo Bollino, a fervent supporter of the Rama regime and frequent apologist for its worst excesses. His warm relationship with Rama is what Bollino shares
Nearly twenty years ago, when Edi Rama was elected as the Mayor of Tirana, he designed a masterplan for the transformation of the entire centre, stretching from Skanderbeg Square right to the Lake. The plan, put down on paper by the Architecture Studio in 2003 envisaged Skanderbeg Square being surrounded by around 10 tall towers,