Yo, I planned this Albania 🇦🇱 trip long before the protests began, and I’m grateful I

JUN 27 2026 · 23:32

Yo, I planned this Albania 🇦🇱 trip long before the protests began, and I’m grateful I arrived when I did. Over the past 24 hours, I’ve spoken with everyone from young construction workers, cab drivers, to PhDs struggling to find work in Tirana. I’ve met a lady who lived through the country’s decades of communist isolation and constant surveillance, and now, for the first time in her life, she’s participating in a peaceful public demonstration. Listening has been the most rewarding part of this trip. Many headlines abroad reduce this movement as a reaction to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump’s proposed resort development. Being here, I’ve learned it’s much bigger than that. The people I’ve met describe it as frustration with a system that has left many feeling stuck despite years of change. Some of the Albanians I’ve met are living in France 🇫🇷, Italy 🇮🇹, Switzerland 🇨🇭, the Netherlands 🇳🇱, and elsewhere who flew home, and used their PTOs just to stand alongside family and friends. They’re incredibly patriotic, hopeful, and believe this largely nonpartisan movement represents something unprecedented in modern Albania. I also realized how different social media can be from reality. I came across misleading videos that misidentified old footage, mislabeled locations, or made the demonstrations appear violent. What I witnessed was the opposite: Families, grandparents, children, and neighbors gathering peacefully after dinner, united by the hope that their country can do better. As always, there’s no substitute for being on the ground. Thank you to everyone who welcomed me, and shared your stories 🇦🇱 Aight, peace and blessings 🤜🏼🤛🏼