Alabania: Provider of Illegal Labor

Tomor and His Wife Making Grappa
see all photos »

Half a day is plenty of time to see the ruins scattered about Durres, so I took the 1pm bus to Berat. I was accompanied by a native man whom I met at the bus stop. He had lived illegally in the UK for 5.5 years and was recently arrested and deported back to Albania. I was thankful to meet an Albanian with excellent English, because I have not had a true conversation with anyone in over a week! I also learned more about this unique country. The average Albanian makes about 150-200 Euro per month ($214-$286 US). This is all fine and good, except that the cost of living is not comparable. A person cannot afford to rent an apartment on this income. This is why a large percentage of Albanians move to other countries, despite the Albanian government urging them to stay. Because Albanians have a reputation for being illegal immigrants, many more developed countries like the USA and those int the European Union are unwilling to let them into their countries for work. They may never leave! This means that Albanians must go there illegally. You can see how this is a vicious circle. I learned that obtaining illegal documents in Albania is fairly easy. You can get a very convincing passport for about $200 US. My friend who was so recently deported from the UK is already looking for another way out. Another passport, another country, another dollar to feed his family.

So why is Albania such a poor country? It seems that Albania is struggling to have an identity. It only became an independent country in 1912 after 500 years of Turkish occupation. Soon after one third of the country, what is now Kosovo, was ceded to Serbia. With the outbreak of World War I many countries occupied Albania, most of which thought the country should be divided among them. Despite all of this, Albania remained intact. In 1929 Communist Italy invaded under Mussolini. The Albanian Communist Party was formed as a resistance movement against the Italians. Led by Enver Hoxha the Albanians fought and eventually kicked out the Italians.

In 1946 the People's Republic of Albania was formed under dictator Hoxha. Rather than join Yugoslavia, Albania started making ties with Russia which angered the USA and Britain, who tried unsuccessfully to overthrow the government. Eventually  Albania stopped diplomatic relations, but then turned to China. A cultural shift fllowed similar to the one in China. People were forced to quit their current jobs and work in communal fields in the countryside. Organized religion was banned. All of this was happening while the USA was experiencing the swinging 60's with its hippie revolution of love, peace and happiness. When Mao died in China, Albania no longer had a relationship with that country leaving it with no allies.

Their communist system fell apart with Hoxha's death. There were food shortages and high unemployment as industries failed. Many Albanians fled to Italy as refugees. In 1990 the government allowed opposition parties to be formed. The 1992 elections ended communist rule and Albania became a democracy. Unfortunately, the transition was not a pleasant one. Smuggling and organized crime became prevalent. The once communal land began to be used for marijuana cultivation by the citizens. In 1996 the economy crashed and a billion dollars was lost due to private pyramid investment schemes thought to have been supported by the government. Yet another crises occurred in 1999 with the influx of hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing Kosovo during the Serbian ethnic cleansing campaign.

Now Albania has bounced back.  It goes withut saying that a country that has had so much strife so recently, the people will be in poverty. Although the unemployment rate is still high, the economy is more stable. There is hope.

When I arrived in Berat and said farewell to my friend, I walked to the nearest hotel to see what the prices are like. I was grateful that the hotel was full, because the desk clerk knew a family that had a bed for me. The man of the house Tomor and his wife were wonderful. Tomor could not stop smiling as the two of them accommodated my every need. Grapevines serve as the shade of their front porch. When I arrived, they were making grappa (100 to160 proof brandy made from leftovers of wine-making, grapes, stalks, etc.). I sat and ate grapes while learning of the process. Neither of them spoke English but with the help of a 11-year-old translator we understood each other well enough.