This project tells the story of Albanian survivors from the notorious concentration camp of Mauthausen in Austria, by shaping, recording their personal stories and collecting documents form Albanian archive regarding National Socialist period in Albania.
The stories are unique, since they escape the hell to live in another hell, in Communist regime of Dictator Enver Hoxha. Some of them were imprisoned again in dictatorship, considered as spies or collaborators with foreign enemies. Our aim is not only to collect and record their stories, but to create educational opportunities for young generations, to offer them tools to learn this part of history, from Albanians point of view.
The project will create a living archive room in the National Historical Museum of Albania, to connect the institution with the city and with community, especially with young generations who don’t know much about this period. An exhibition and a digital storytelling will lead the audience to places of that era, accompanied by the voices of Albanian survivors.
Survived people and their familiars from Albania (Tirana, Durres, Vlora) will tell their history as victims of National Socialism and then as survivors in communism. Through the national and international collaboration we will enable an innovative multimedia project to educate generations that what happened, should never be repeated again.
Idea:
The aim of the project is make the history more “inclusive”, recognizable as a personal and collective experience in a site-specific manner. It builds a bridge between the museum as a place of remembrance and the cities of Albania as a `memorial` space. The project focuses on a microscopic, bottom-up view on history.
Two Year project includes:
- Research about that part of Albanian history, facts, names and itineraries of Albanians arrested and sent to nazi camps during the WWII
- Recording at least 8 stories of Albanian people suffered in Mathausen camp
- Opening an exhibition with all facts gathered for this part of Albanian history at National History Museum. Moving this exhibition to Durres and Vlora.
- Producing a documentary for these stories and broadcasting to main media
- A forum with all academics, historians, presenting these facts to be used in academic curricula for students
- Creating a website with all materials recorded, videos, to be used by researchers, students etc
- Essay competition with this topic with students from high schools, awarding winners
