I was out of the country for a while and came back just in time for the 8th of December celebrations here in Albania, which also coincided with the Muslim Eid al-Adha, also known as Bajram Kurbani in Albanian. The 8th of December is an important date for many Albanians because it marked the beginning of a student revolt/uprising against the then communist leader Ramiz Alia. It is a date that is celebrated annually to mark the beginning of the end of communism in Albania. The national TV stations were broadcasting special programmes to mark the occasion, and politicians of all parties were out and about giving speeches left right and centre as they love doing here in Albania. One thing that struck me in particular as I watched ‘Opinion’ on KlanTV as they showed videos of Qyteti Studenti (student city) with all the students gathered around in protest shouting “we want an Albania like the rest of Europe” was that generation of students was probably the last group of young Albanians that actually did something. Many of those student leaders are now in politics and some are and have been ministers. However for what ever reason I cannot see the students occupying the dorms and halls of Qyteti Studenti ever doing anything close to what was done on the 8th of December 1990. I am not even suggesting for the current students to get involved in politics or to demonstrate against the government, no, what I am implying is that the Albanian students today do not have the initiative to get involved in issues relating to them as students let alone more important issues affecting their country.
As I sat watching the archive images I saw students taking notes of what was being said, others were organising people, while now walking in Qyteti Studenti I would struggle to find one student carrying a book never-mind a bag. The intellectual class of a nation usually has its roots in the educational establishments of the country, sadly the last batch of intellectuals to graduate from Albania’s universities were those who began the protests on the 8th of December 1990.
3 responses so far ↓
Kim H // December 9, 2008 at 3:02 pm |
Oh so true! I have almost never seen a student carrying a book in student city and from what I hear they really never study- they prefer to ’share the answers’.
qafirarnaut // January 14, 2009 at 5:41 pm |
Well these students arent really students (methinks). The mere fact that they prefer to ’study’ when there isnt really a market for their brains, speaks volumes.
If their parents belonged to what we called ‘the burned/wasted generation’, these students you see today are what the communist authorities would call “dark and destructive forces”. The Student City is like a safety valve that keeps them on some kind of leash. Take that away and BOOM!
ZeriPopullit // January 18, 2009 at 1:16 am |
There is a sad truth on all your comments about the Albanian students. On their defence, the biggest draw back for them to study is “the insentive” that the government gives them. As some of us know it is not easy to dedicate your full time to studying at an academic level ranging from 3 to 5 years. Saddly the Albanian government does not guarantee these boys and girls a workplace at the end of their graduation so there is no reason why they should study hard. Instead they use the Student City as a ground to waste time in my opinion.
On the other hand it is quiet frightening to think that in 3 to 10 year times some of these graduates (and I am not generalizing) will be the next doctor, banker, or politician amongst other professions.
It is such a shame for the genereation that is suffering such injustice and I only hope that today’s politicians think about tomorrow’s genereations which ultimately is the brain of the country