Walking the Dog. Chapter 3. ALBANIA.

Posted by chunko on January 7, 2013 , 5 Comments

The next chapter in the project “walking the dog” sees Creative Director and Editor in Chief of FreeStyleMagazine Jason McGlade and his intrepid canine Ozzy traveling through Albania. The trip took in several Balkan countries across land and sea by foot and public transport covering more than 3,000 km over 7 weeks. The travel log can be seen further down in the blog but here is a photographic essay on a country that is so close to us here in Europe but feels so far away.

There is a short forward by the anthropologist and peace activist Antonia Young who has worked extensively in Albania and in the Balkans and whom Jason and Ozzy met in Tirana during there adventure.

“Jason’s pictures from the remotest corner of Europe capture the essence of traditional culture of a people who were cut off from their compatriots with whom they shared Ottoman rule for 500 years. They were cut off by a border drawn on a map in London in l9l2, which left half of the Albanian population outside the border of the newly founded Albanian state. Half a century of Europe’s strictest Stalinist regime, followed by 2l years of ‘democracy’ has left its toll. the KULLA (fortress tower in Thethi) may now be an historic relic from days of bloodfeuding, but sadly the phenomenon has taken new routes (invisible to foreign visitors), supporting issues of honor and revenge, leaving many families leading deprived lives. A brighter side of the retention of tradition is beautifully portrayed here, as living history, through the unique costumes and the care of livestock.”

On the road.

Valbone.

"The Kulla" a fortress tower in Thethi where men could find refuge from a blood feud.

Rinia park Tirana.

Boy on bridge.

Wildfire #1.

Disgruntled men. Gjirokastra.

Sheperd, Thethi

Goat herders.

Thethi

Thethi.

wildfire #2.

Blood Feud.

Thethi graveyard.

Tetaj.

Valbone.

Valbone valley.

Two sisters. Thethi.

Berat.

Girl on bridge.

The selimaj Family, Valbone.

BajramCuri

Scroll down to see the photoblog of Ozzy and Jason´s travels or visit jasonmcglade.com to see more of the project.