Feminism in Albania Restoring Trust in the Feminist Movement

Decades of living under a dictatorship with its culture of surveillance and fear have left a lack of trust throughout Albanian society: a lack of trust in institutions and in the possibility of progress. Since 2021, a feminist magazine has been aspiring to drive change. Co-founder Liri Kuçi tells her story.
 

How I Became a Feminist “Killjoy”

As I look back to my younger self, when I often refused to speak to my father for weeks on end, I am reminded of being dismissed as nothing more than an angry, petulant child. But as time went on, I came to realise that my wrath was far from temporary – it was rooted in the petrified society in which I had grown up, where young women like me were expected to be meek and submissive. 

No longer was I the same little girl, whose emotions could be controlled or swept under the carpet with ease. Yet, through my anger, I was able to cultivate a powerful sense of purpose and identity. I became a feminist. My attitude now had a voice, and it was articulate, pointed, and unapologetic. I embraced my newfound identity as a “feminist killjoy” long before discovering the conceptualised term coined by Sara Ahmed: She argues that feminist voices are often dismissed as “killjoys” because they challenge the status quo and disrupt the comfortable narratives of those in power. This is certainly true in Albania, where feminist discourse is often met with hostility and resistance.

Tracing the Path of Feminism: Building Upon Past Legacies

The history of patriarchal systems and oppressive regimes has left a deep imprint on many societies, including Albania, where feminist movements have struggled to gain traction for decades. The regime of Enver Hoxha, who ruled Albania as a dictator from 1944 to 1985, maintained the façade of fostering women’s emancipation. But under the state propaganda machine that was dominant for nearly half a century, coupled with a culture of surveillance and paranoia, the deeply ingrained patriarchal mores and a lack of trust within the population have made it difficult for feminism to establish a lasting legacy. Additionally, this lack of mutual trust in society has contributed to a slowing down of social movements and has hindered the influence of feminism as a key and necessary element in social cohesion.

Building trust in a society that perpetuates systemic inequality through education, politics, public institutions and societal mores is a challenging and ongoing task. However it is a crucial step towards creating lasting change. This endeavour necessitates collective effort, solidarity, knowledge and commitment. Only through this collective effort can we achieve the implementation of feminist principles and establish an authentic feminist movement. 

“No means no”: Illustration from a Shota article on sex and consensuality. | Photo: © Shota.al/Gea Madhi This profound realization became a transformative process, as my friend, Gresa Hasa, and I embarked on our journey towards developing a deep sense of feminist comradeship, we found ourselves gradually unravelling the layers of awareness. Our journey began in 2013, when we were involved in student organisations and protests, arranged and attended meetings, engaged in group readings, and took action through graffiti and artwork. It was the time when civil society was becoming active for the first time since the dictatorship. There were mass protests against the prospect of Syria’s chemical weapons being dismantled in Albania – and this was only the start. The student movement was awakened, and in the following years we took to the streets against privatisation, high tuition fees and the displacement of public university faculties. With increasing public awareness and support, we started to articulate and organize against sexual harassment in education. Additionally, we began publicly denouncing sexual crimes and amplifying our voices against violence and homicides towards women. At the same time, the backing for LGBTIQ+ public initiatives in Tirana was growing.

By that time that it had become clear to Gresa and me that there was a need for a feminist collective to address the systemic and patriarchal violence that was prevalent in our society. In 2016, we began having periodic meetings with feminist activists in Tirana, and our campaigns grew more and more frequent. “Shota” started as a nickname used to cover the walls of Tirana with radical feminist graffiti. Later, it evolved into a media platform that would become the first progressive feminist magazine in Albania – founded by the two of us.

Restoring Trust: The Empowering Journey of Shota.al

Shota magazine wants to amplify the voices of the LGBTIQ+ struggle: illustration of the article “DUA NJË GRUA” (“I want a woman”) from Shota’s third issue. | Photo: © Shota.al/Gea Madhi Our aim with Shota.al was to encourage feminist discourse and practice in the country, to initiate a public conversation on gender issues and to establish a basis for more radical and critical thinking. At the same time, we wanted to lay the foundation for a progressive theoretical analysis of our shared reality. The platform was meant to amplify the marginalised voices of the anti-capitalist struggle, the struggle for gender equality and social justice, the ecological struggle, the anti-racist and anti-nationalist struggle, the LGBTIQ+ struggle, as well as voices from the queer radical culture with its ideology and activism. In other words: Shota magazine came to life in order to connect and solidify various social causes under the umbrella of intersectional feminism.

But Shota Magazine was also a response to the need for feminism to be better understood and more easily embraced in Albania. The intention is to achieve this by not relying on borrowed concepts or symbols that may feel foreign or inauthentic. We named our magazine after Albanian freedom fighter and people’s heroine Qerime Radisheva, also known as Shote Galica, who fought in the Kachak movement of the 1920s, using her nom de guerre “Shota”. Thereby we hope to establish a connection between past struggles and present-day efforts towards a just and equitable society. It is an invitation to revive trust in feminism by celebrating and reclaiming the contributions of inspirational women within our own society, paving the way so that future generations are motivated to continue the collective struggle.

Shota also reflects the courage required to challenge oppressive patriarchal systems. While Shota fought with a gun, we continue her legacy today by wielding the written word and authentic design – and we’re always “armed” with a megaphone to speak out against systemic injustices. Through our magazine, we hope to counter the lack of recognition of feminist history and of political education in Albania.

Breathwork: The Launch of Shota

Building trust by commemorating historical women’s achievements: illustration showing Shote Galica. | Photo: © Shota.al/First Edition/Gea Madhi The digital magazine’s first edition was published in February 2021, in the middle of the COVID19 pandemic. This inaugural effort, aptly named “Breathwork” (Frymëmarrje) set the tone for what would become a twice-yearly publication. Since then, three themed editions have been released, each one delving deeper into the intersections of social causes under the umbrella of intersectional feminism.

Looking towards the future, Shota is preparing to release its fourth issue, deconstructing war and conflicts from critical feminist perspectives. This new edition will also mark a milestone for the publication as it will be the first one to have a simultaneous printed version. Depending on financial support, we hope this tradition will continue, as the printed format will allow wider distribution and increased accessibility for readers.

It is heartening to see that Shota has transcended borders to pursue the vision of intersectional and transnational feminism. Through our “Beyond Borders” column we have forged solidarity on a regional scale and beyond, with texts in English and translations provided by activists. It is a deeply humbling experience to receive feedback and engagement from our readers, students, journalists, activists, and professors, who have found Shota to be a source of empowerment, belonging, and community.