History plagued by suffering

The Albanians, who live in southeastern Europe, are a people who have a history plagued by suffering. From the 15th century to the early 20th century the nation suffered at the hands of the Turks who ruled the Balkans. It was during this five-hundred-year domination that Albanians were intimidated into converting to Islam. After the release from Turkish rule in 1912, the nation struggled to make democracy work for over two decades before being invaded by the Fascists of Italy in 1939. Nazi Germany also ruled Albania until the communist revolution in 1944. Instead of bringing the promised utopia, communism brought a reign of fear and end to personal freedoms. The slightest of infractions often led to long jail sentences and ostracism from society. All public expressions of faith were banned and severely punished in this Stalinist country that declared itself the "world's first atheistic state." This continued until 1992 when the wave of revolution sweeping Eastern Europe came to Albania, bringing an end to the long nightmare of communist oppression that had crushed the country for years.

The coming of democracy brought freedom of religion and other civil liberties, but did not immediately bring the prosperity and improvement for which the people had so long hoped. Instead, the daunting task of rebuilding the country began. The infrastructure was completely in shambles. No jobs. No investment. No expertise. No security. A restlessness and disappointment quickly set in as the dream of living like the west seemed more and more like an illusion.

This frustration continues to the present day. Although some progress has occurred on many fronts, turnaround will take decades and many just don't think they can wait for it to come. Many think it will never happen. They place their hope in emigration. The lack of economic opportunity and corruption at every level of society make people look elsewhere for a better life. Pessimism affects every age group. Even school children know that the way to get a good grade for an exam is to pay a bribe. Everyone who goes to a doctor or hospital knows that they must pay bribes to get quality care. The police and judicial system do nothing to protect the people from this kind of abuse. Sadly, many of the police and judges are involved in the bribery and corruption themselves.