From independence to interdependence
As global funds and brands swoop in, regional differences are smoothed out.
We visited the Albanian city of Vlora (or Vlorë) in May and had a lovely time. The people are friendly and welcoming, the food is fresh and delicious. The air and water are clean, the vistas are beautiful.
As with Tirana, the city has changed in the last 30 years and it continues to change.
Fast.
111 years ago Albania declared independence in Vlora.
Like other Balkan nations a volatile century followed.1 Colonialism, war, independence, dictatorship, freedom, mass emigration, lawlessness and now, at last, a stable democracy.2
As stability arrives, global investment funds swoop in.
Building identikit blocks to house the same ‘aspirational’ lifestyle available in countless cities worldwide.
They replace working ports with leisurely marinas. Magnets for influencers.3
They tidy up the waterfront with a 5km promenade. Home to well dressed strollers, white table-clothed restaurants, languid cyclists and relaxed drivers.
International brands spend millions to tempt the populace to conform to the global norm.
New monuments don’t celebrate achievers, they sell “Real Magic.”
There are still places one street back4 which hint at the recent past.
They will soon be gone.
Development marches on. Blurring regional differences. So travellers like me can order in English, eat food I’m familiar with and buy brands I know back home.
I will return. The soul of the city and the people will call me back. But I know it will look and behave differently to how it is today.
Vlora is half way down the Albanian Riviera. It has been colonised by Romans, Normans, Ottomans and Italians. When communism fell in 1991, chaos ensued and thousands came to Vlora to commandeer ships to sail across the Adriatic in the hope of finding a haven in Italy. In 1997 riots over failed pyramid schemes began a chain of events which almost led to civil war and subsequent control by armed gangs. The arm gangs have long gone and it’s now a safe place to visit.
Albania started accession negotiations with the EU in 2022.
Vlora Marina will offer “a limited number of Premium and Branded apartments, with exclusive sea views. World-class marina – the first in Albania with 438 berths for an all-year-long mooring for yachts and mega yachts.”
Or ippon-ura’d as Craig Mod delightfully calls it.
Photos taken between 26th - 30th May 2023 on my trusty Leica Q.
Recommended reading: ‘Coming of Age at the End of History’ by Lea Ypi is a beautifully written coming of age memoir as Albania freed itself from communism.
Great piece Andrew and a sad one as it so well records that march towards conformity and uniformity. The irony is that it is the visits of those from elsewhere that, while being economically important, drives that march. You can see why I prefer those areas and cities who endeavour to say - take us as you see us in the spectrum of colour we are, rather than the 'beige' of everywhere else. As you know from my latest 'Meander' I seek out the so called 'poorer quarters' for when I do, I truly experience the culture, belief and character of a place. Far more rewarding than to tour simply to 'see' and just maybe that helps the true local economy even more. As ever though it's purely a personal view and thanks again for a thought-provoking offering.
Beautiful observations Andrew!
This reminds me of some of the main port cities in Croatia along the coast (my wife's Croatian) and how incredibly inaccessible to locals they have become exactly because of this.
It's the sad reality of western Capitalism I guess.