The dangerous dream across the sea
Why do hundreds of Albanians flee to the U.K. by boat?
Malbor Duka, 26 years old, wanted to become a doctor, but not in Albania. Photo: Isa Myzyraj.
“I rarely go to my hometown, as I have no one to meet there, my friends have all left, there were 16 of us, today there are only three of us in Albania; my parents usually come to Tirana on the weekends, and I no longer have a reason to go there,” said Duka, who despite wanting to leave Albania, continues to live and work in his country.Burrel, like many areas of northern Albania, is a region that young people are abandoning.There are no exact numbers for people who leave, region by region because Albania has not conducted a census since 2011, and the census planned for 2021 failed.
In the town of Kruma in Has, you can spot cars with British license plates. Photo: Isa Myzyraj.
On the outskirts of Has, dozens of new houses are being built. Locals say they are funded by migrants in the U.K. Photo: Isa Myzyraj.
In the city of Kruma, one shepherd is named Britani. Photo: Isa Myzyraj.
The village of Dobruna, Has. Photo: Isa Myzyraj.
In the town of Kruma in Has, the ‘Britain bar’ also has a typical London phone booth. Photo: Isa Myzyraj.
Isa Myzyraj
Isa Myzyraj is a journalist in Albania, currently working for the television chain Ora News and for the portal Historia ime, where he covers current events in the country, region and the world related to human rights violations. He completed his studies in Political Science at the University Aleksandër Moisiu in Durrës, Albania.
This story was originally written in Albanian.