“I have to interpret what I experienced as a signal that Albania wants to emerge from its cultural isolation,” says Kjell Bækkelund, just returned from his stay as a guest artist in the country’s capital, Tirana.
– Perhaps it is worth noting this, after the almost complete isolation that has characterized Enver Hoxha’s People’s Republic of Albania for so long. I don’t know why they chose me, but, nevertheless, I am the first performing artist from the West to be invited to appear there. And it was clear that there was a strong desire for closer cultural contacts with some Western countries.
It all started, apparently, as a joke. A newspaper asked Kjell Bækkelund if there were still blank spots on his map, and he replied that he had never given concerts in Drøbak and Albania. Drøbak is a different story – but, nevertheless, a letter came from the Albanian Embassy in Stockholm with an official invitation to concerts as a guest artist. Three concerts took place, there were long lines in front of the ticket counters, the halls were full and the audience was extremely interested.
– The interest in Edvard Grieg (the outstanding Norwegian composer and pianist) was extremely great, while the acquaintance with his music was surprising and impressive. Again and again, and everywhere in the world, I am struck by the fact that Grieg is much more well-known and loved than we actually think, says Kjell Bækkelund.
– In addition, they wanted traditional, classical-romantic music. No modern experimental music in that direction – but some musicians showed that they knew even the most advanced currents of music. And the interest in music is very great. For example, in Tirana there are four symphony orchestras. In Oslo we have only one, which is not even complete.
ALBANIAN MUSIC LITTLE KNOWN IN THE WEST
In the West, Albanian music is little known. The country has no composers who have gained an audience beyond its borders. Interest today is strongly oriented towards the national; this applies especially to folk music and folk instruments. Equally great importance is attached, for example, to folk costumes and folk art. This nationalism – about which both positive and negative things can be said – is clearly part of the effort to build self-confidence and an Albanian identity. Remember that the country has a very short history as an independent state.
Kjell Bækkelund stayed in Albania for ten days and made a strong impression of how backward the country is in many respects. The supply of goods is poor, the status symbols of the kind we are used to do not exist and the standard of living is low.
– According to relatively reliable sources, there must be 200 cars in Tirana and, since two of them were put at my disposal, then there were a total of 198 cars in circulation. Very unusual, very quiet, without exhaust gases. There must be a little more than 200 kilometers of railway in Albania, but the network is expanding. The main impression is that of an agricultural country, where everything seems as if time has stopped for a few generations – but there is also industry: oil, chemical fertilizers, cement, textiles – and Albania is an exporting country in terms of alcohol and tobacco.
A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN CULTURE
– Eight-year primary education became compulsory in 1963. There are a number of higher education institutions and institutes; the University of Tirana was founded in 1957.
A visit to the Conservatory (Liceu) of Music showed that it – following the Chinese model – was included in a complex that also included educational centers for actors, for theater workers, for opera and for the visual arts. The system offers forms of contact and cooperation beyond the boundaries of professional fields, which can undoubtedly be stimulating and enriching. Theatrical life flourishes; mainly Western European classics are staged, but around the new state theater a part of dramatic literature has also arisen that takes themes from Albanian history. Ibsen is quite well known – his collected works were first published in Albanian in 1928.
DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
From a diplomatic point of view, the People’s Republic of Albania is not as isolated as many people think, says Bækkelund. The embassy in Stockholm covers the Nordic countries and Albania has diplomatic relations with more than 90 countries. The exceptions are the two superpowers, the Soviet Union and the United States, as well as England and Germany. It has good relations, for example, with France.
– French, for a long time and undoubtedly still today, is the most common foreign language among Albanians.
Tourism is developing, especially on the beaches along the Adriatic. Albania wants tourism, but at the moment it seems to prefer mainly group travel. Individual tourism probably belongs to a somewhat more distant future. There are good air connections with Tirana and the country has its own airline. There has been some contact between Norway and Albania. An Albanian oil industry delegation has been to Oslo and Stavanger; Norwegian delegations went there when Albania, in the 1970s, was considered a model country by many Marxist-Leninists in the West…
– Despite this, isolation is certainly the most visible thing. So I think there is reason to follow up on all signals that indicate a desire to break out of self-imposed isolation, says Kjell Bækkelund.
Who, by the way, expects the issue with Drøbak to be resolved soon.