Ministria e Ekonomisë, Kulturës dhe Inovacionit

Speech of Minister Elva Margariti in “Mondialcult 2022”, Mexico City,

Sep.2022

Thematic session 2: Heritage and cultural diversity in crisis

Ladies and gentleman,

Dear colleagues from all over the world,

First of all, I would like to congratulate the organizers of “Mondialcult 2022”, who have gathered us together in Mexico City, in this world heritage city, to discuss about cultural policies,  sustainable development and to share our experiences, how we are facing great difficulties that come as a result of world crises and climate change.

Albanians have always been a people who have cherished the harmony of various religions and cultures. Between ancient Greeks and Romans, at the frontline of Catholicism, orthodoxy, and Islam, Albanians have witnessed some of the most dramatic developments throughout history, old and new. It’s not a coincidence that you find churches, mosques, and synagogues alongside older monuments. In this respect, we are no different from many other cultures worldwide. Still, we bring our distinguished flavor: the unmistakably Albanian harmony between various cultures and peoples. We do not have numerous temples and monuments of stone or other building materials, but we have these monuments engraved in our psyche, our history, and our custom and tradition.

It has not been an easy period for Albania. Since 2019 we have experienced two devastating earthquakes, followed by the pandemic. Now, like the rest of the world, we are sharing the current energy crisis while hoping for an end to a war that threatens humanity’s very existence (due to the nuclear threat).

One would think that for a country with little economic room for maneuver, this means taking hard decisions that prioritize the wellbeing of the people. At the same time, investment in culture becomes an unnecessary luxury. Not in our case. We are fully aware that material wellbeing and cultural development go hand in hand, for it is in our human nature that even in the face of adversities, we exercise culture, even at its most basic level.

I made this short introduction to place in context our steps which focus on creating a functional cultural policy framework and tools. To this end, in 2018, we passed the Law on Cultural Heritage and Museum, which introduces changes in the management of cultural heritage and museums, decentralization of administration, and financing. While compiling it, we had to make tough questions that take into consideration core values and principles, such as:

  • How do we successfully manage cultural assets in the current local and world contexts?
  • How to empower cultural institutions to strike a balance between centralization and decentralization?
  • How do we secure accountability and responsibility in managing and preserving our national cultural heritage?
  • Is cultural heritage an exclusive domain of the state, or is there room for the private?

While we recognize that there is no one satisfactory answer to all these questions, we are determined to learn from the best available models while being flexible in implementing models that will fit our context and reality.

While the law on cultural heritage and museums set forth a new landscape of management of cultural heritage and assets, we also saw the necessity of a national strategy which was approved in 2019. It provided directions and measures regarding creative industries, culture in economic development, digitalization of cultural expressions, and inclusion of youth and civil society in cultural policy debates, to name a few topics.

Dear colleagues,

I hear a lot about the expression of cultural heritage as an important factor in sustainable development. However, I would be cautious in placing culture in the economy’s service. I believe the opposite; culture in all pervasiveness also has an economic dimension.

In Albania, we have initiatives aimed at rehabilitating, preserving, and promoting cultural heritage. I can mention our latest initiative, “Revitalization bonus”, as part of the national fund for the care and tangible cultural heritage. It aims to support owners/lawful users of cultural assets that are integral to historic urban ensembles, historical centers, and archaeological sites.

At the same time, the Albanian government has successfully cooperated with the Delegation of EU in Albania, UNESCO, AADF, World Bank, and other development and cooperation agencies of various states. In the aftermath of two earthquakes (especially the one in November 2019), GoA (the government of Albania) had an excellent collaboration with the EU, UN agencies, and World Bank. Ministry of Culture and the National Institute for Cultural Heritage were part of this cooperation and contributed to the cultural heritage post-disaster damage and needs assessment. Out of this cooperation, the program EU4Culture was funded by the EU and implemented by UNOPS in close partnership with the Ministry of Culture. It is one of the largest cultural heritage programs designed by the EU with a budget of 40 million euros.

In addition to the restoration, the project will invest in revitalizing 27 selected cultural heritage sites, including upgrading services and site conditions. The project will benefit tourism, emphasizing local entrepreneurship, artisanship, and local production through the support of grants.

Another step we have taken is to enhance the dialogue and cooperation with UNESCO and the Advisory Bodies. We are committed to safeguarding the Outstanding Universal Value of the world heritage properties and implementing the World Heritage Convention and the World Heritage Committee Decisions. Our cooperation has already beard fruits as one new property has been inscribed into the UNESCO Heritage List, a mixed and transboundary one, the Albanian part of the Natural and cultural heritage of the Ohrid Region. Two other nomination files were proposed for inscription in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity submitted in 2021 (Xhubleta and Kercimi i Bjeshkes (Mountain Dance).

While emphasizing cooperation, we have also strengthened the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural property and reinforced dialogue for the return and restitution of cultural property. We are building capacities of the administration through technical assistance provided by EU Commission to align our legislation with the Union acquis in this field. Albania played an active role in the Interpol operation targeting illicit trafficking in cultural goods conducted in 28 countries.

We also signed a MoU with USA that protects Albanian cultural property. We have started a three-year cooperation program with Italy that focuses also on fighting against illegal trafficking in cultural property.

Alongside these steps, we have also started the systemic documentation of heritage, including new technologies like digitalization. Online platforms and tools that were effective during the pandemic are accelerated.

Our efforts cannot be successful without the full engagement of local communities. We have encouraged them to participate directly in preserving and protecting cultural assets while supporting them through innovative schemes.

In the end, I think promoting a culture should always be an inclusive, open and sincere process, because what unites us can also divide us. In this brave new world we are living, where the boundary between what is real and what is not has become more difficult to distinguish, we should use culture as a human element that brings us together. At the same time, we should not forget that each culture is unique, and diversity is a strength, not a weakness.

Thank you!