Blast from the Past – Republic of Albania

Let’s start the week with our new “Blast from the Past” feature, which will place emphasis to cultural highlights presented in past editions of the BSEC Month of Culture.

The first infographic includes cultural highlights from Albania. In particular:

Literature

• Ismail Kadare, novelist and poet, considered the greatest modern Albanian writer. Kadare died in July 2024 at the age of 88.
• Music
• Aleksandër Vezuli, award-winning composer and producer.
• Albanian folk iso-polyphony, characterised by songs consisting of two solo parts, a melody and a countermelody with a choral drone. It is included in UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Cinema

• “Where are you now?”, a short film awarded at the 12^th“Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival”.

Natural/Cultural Monuments

• Albanian Alps, Bovilla Lake and Llogara National Park, places with a rich natural heritage.

Gastronomy

• Ballokume Cookies, Pispili and Kungullur, traditional must-try dishes.

Painting

• Vangjush Mio, considered the best Albanian landscape painter of the 20^th

Art

• Tirana Art Lab – Center for Contemporary Art, a contemporary art institution, the first in the country to collaborate with the “Institut national d’histoire de l’art” in Paris.

Photography

• Pietro Marubbi, an Italian painter and photographer who settled in Shkodër and introduced the art of photography to the region.

Architecture

• Historic Centres of Berat and Gjirokastra, rare architectural examples, inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List of cultural sites.

City

• Gjirokastra, with a series of outstanding two-storey houses built in the 17^th

For more information, you may visit the past editions HERE.

#ICBSS #MoC2024 #CultureBSEC #Albania #BlastFromThePast