Albania: Shadows of the Past
Can Albania come to terms with its painful past - the prisons, concrete bunkers and secret police headquarters?
Maria Margaronis explores the debris of Albania's painful past - the prison labour camps, concrete bunkers and secret police headquarters - as archives are unlocked and new monuments put up in an effort to redefine who Albanians are. The country's citizens are trying to come to terms with history and move on from Enver Hoxha's dictatorial regime, the pyramid schemes and the political and economic collapse that followed. Instead of moving on, though, many are moving out of the country altogether. Do their leaders' efforts represent real change, or are they just an attempt to plaster over the cracks and reinforce Albania's plan to enter the EU?
(Photo: Spaç, the notorious labour camp in Albania)
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‘What a Horrible Life we have Had’
Duration: 01:31
Broadcasts
- Thu 3 Dec 201500:32GMTBBC World Service except News Internet
- Thu 3 Dec 201503:32GMTBBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean
- Thu 3 Dec 201505:32GMTBBC World Service Online, South Asia, Europe and the Middle East, East Asia & UK DAB/Freeview only
- Thu 3 Dec 201507:32GMTBBC World Service Australasia
- Thu 3 Dec 201518:32GMTBBC World Service Australasia
- Thu 3 Dec 201519:32GMTBBC World Service except Australasia & News Internet
- Mon 7 Dec 201502:06GMTBBC World Service Australasia
- Mon 7 Dec 201506:06GMTBBC World Service East Asia


