TIRANA, Jul 5 - Friendly, small-scale and cheap, colourful and somewhat improvised, Tirana, like its people, seems to be happy and curious about any visitor. Whether it can preserve this charm remains to be seen.
The capital of Albania, Tirana, hosts roughly 1.000000 of the country's total of 3.6 million people. Its population increased threefold over the past decade.
After the fall of state socialism in 1989 and, consequently, the closing down of industries that were supported by the state, and after the financial crisis in 1997, many people in the country were left jobless and poor. Those who did not go abroad saw no choice but to move to the capital. In Tirana, they found more and more work in the services sector, which has been expanding following the liberalisation of the economy.
But, in spite of its rapid growth, the capital retains an air of communal life, which can be refreshing for a Western tourist accustomed to big city alienation. Tirana might be the only European capital where people are still ready to interrupt any activity they pursue in order to show a confused traveller around.
Albanians are willing to communicate with foreigners and can do so in many languages. While English may be useless in some parts of Tirana, Albanians will usually understand Italian and, oftentimes, French and Greek. Many of them work in these countries. Others have picked up Italian from television.
Moving in from small towns and villages, people have brought along old habits. One of the most crowded places in Tirana is the promenade next to the artificial lake. Young girls stroll up and down the alley next to the water, showing off their best. The smell of barbeque rising from the nearby terraces brings a delicious aroma to the street.
That combines with the sight of fresh fruit and vegetables, sold at stands on most sidewalks in the city. From imported fruit, perfectly equal in size, to the local outrageously shaped 'heart of the ox' tomatoes, anything can be found, and cheap.
As in any other city in the Balkans, coffee shops are the most common sight on the streets of Tirana. Modest ones, with just one or two tables, where only the locals, usually men, dare to sit down, and posh ones, frequented by the Tirana youth, expats and foreign tourists, where prices compare to those in the West.
And as in any other Mediterranean city, freshly washed clothes hang from all the balconies of apartment blocks, as well as from the windows of fancy hotels in the centre. "There is no other way, we have the Mediterranean sun and it's a crime not to make the most of it," says Alba, a young journalist living in Tirana.
Perhaps the most distinguishable feature of Tirana is its colourful buildings. Like in most Eastern European cities, the capital's residential blocks were built during socialism in the characteristic style of the times: minimalist, functional and uniform. In the early 2000s, as a symbolic gesture of breaking with the past, the mayor of Tirana decided to have all the grey buildings painted in bright colours.
While some appreciate the initiative of mayor Edi Rama as bringing change and variety, others are critical of the chaotic look of the blocks, arguably bordering kitch.
As Tirana quickly modernises, its inhabitants and authorities are faced with a dilemma. Whether they are aware of it or not at the moment, the people of Tirana will choose between developing "at any cost", or expanding while also preserving the sense of community, staying in touch with old customs and natural surroundings.
A comparison between the scenery on opposite shores of the artificial lake illustrates this crossroads. On one side, continuous construction takes place unauthorised and unchecked. Invading the wild nature and ignoring urban planning, people raise high buildings in expectation of a boom in real estate.
On the other side of the lake, a large park remains a favourite hideout from the heat and noise of the city. The inhabitants of Tirana say the town hall has plans to bring down the unauthorised buildings. But it remains to be seen whether the municipality can resist pressure from the businesses.
The present local administration has so far proven concerned with the environment and the community. The current mayor, Socialist Edi Rama, has cleaned up the area around the central square, getting rid of the countless kiosks and small bars, a heaven for drug trafficking. Instead, he created a new park for the city. Much remains to be done though, like creating ecological solid waste and sewage management systems.
Tirana is nowadays going through one of its most dynamic periods. At the moment, it represents one of the best locations to observe the transformation from socialism to liberalism and its impact on the social fabric.
"Visitors appreciate the fact that Albania is just different from what they have seen before," says Kate Yarhouse, a Peace Corps activist working in the country. "Albania is not perfect, but people who come here don't seem to mind that." (END/2007)
(IPSNews)
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