Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs

Colours of Albania shone Rozafa Castle in Shkodra, on a grand closing event for the annual “Colours of Albania 2018” competition.

Out of 35 thousand photos published in the last 6 months, which set a record of the four editions, five were selected as best photos of this edition. In a festive atmosphere, together with an exhibition of the 40 best photos, traditional products and a performance by Shpat Deda, the participants had the opportunity to enjoy something different from the usual weekend.

The event was attended by the accredited diplomatic corps in Tirana, the Minister of Tourism, representatives of local government, representatives of civil society, religious communities, tour operators, artists and young people who are into photography and social media.

The evening was opened by Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Ditmir Bushati, who in his remarks emphasized that the cultural component contributes to Albania’s reconnection with Europe, the European values and European civilization. Through this competition, which gave the opportunity to all Albanians and foreigners to post their pictures of Albania, we showed what the best of us is.

Minister for Environment and Tourism, Blendi Klosi, considered it a wise choice to celebrate this event in Rosafa Castle, in Shkodra, as it promotes culture, cultural heritage and values like this of the 2500-year-old castle. We are here to call on many tourists to visit Albania and see how beautiful it is. It looks magnificent from the pictures.

This event was also praised by the Ambassador of the European Union Delegation in Tirana, Luigi Soreca, who in his remarks said that the EU delegation has been a strong supporter of this event, which shows to everyone the best and the most beautiful of Albania. He also called it a successful closing event.
The jury made up of artists, well-known photographers, such as Albes Fusha, Blerta Kambo, Alket Islami and Jorida Murati selected as the winning photo of the lavender field in Koplik, which was shot and posted by Erisa Shaba.

This year, the motto of Colours of Albania was “Cultural heritage and European belonging”, which coincides with the leitmotif of the European Union for 2018. During these six months, through their photographs, the citizens became the best diplomats in promoting the beauties of the country. They spotlighted the material and non-material heritage of Albanians, the preservation of this legacy as part of our identity preservation, as an added value to the continent where we live. Colours of Albania will be back next year.

Full speech by Minister Bushati:

First of all, I would like to thank all those who participated in this photo contest, which this year marks its fourth edition, all our supporters throughout all four editions, Blend Klosi and the wonderful team of Ministry for Tourism, Mirela Kumbaro and the Ministry of Culture team, and of course all the colleagues from the diplomatic corps here, who honoured us today with their presence here in Shkodra. I would also like to thank the new Ambassador of the European Union Delegation to Albania, Luigi Soreca, who confessed that he wished to make his first public appearance in a cultural event and in a city of culture like Shkodra, also for the fact that 2018 is the year of European cultural heritage. As the European Union High Representative, Federica Mogherini, has rightly put it, culture is the antithesis of frivolousness, of parasitism, of authoritarianism. Thus, the more events like this we have, the better for all our societies; and the future of our societies may be brighter and more prosperous.

I would also like to wish a happy birthday to the Ambassador of Israel who is here today and chose to celebrate his birthday here with us. Happy birthday Ambassador! The reason we left Tirana this year and chose the castle instead is to clearly make a point that the cultural component in promoting the country is very important. The cultural component is very important also for re-connecting Albania with Europe, with European values and with European civilization. And through this very simple photo contest, where Albanians and foreigners could post their photos of Albania’s images, gave us the chance to beautify not only our homeland but we also had the opportunity to show what is the best of us. And the castle, which has been the reference point for many photographers and many painters, is the symbol that defines our past, our tradition, as well as innovation.

I am delighted that the number of visitors that visited Albania this year has increased compared to the previous years. This is why Colours of Albania has collected more than 30,000 photos and we really hope that together with the good work of entrepreneurs in the field of tourism, in the field of culture, with the campaign of the Minister Klosi team, with the campaign of the municipalities all over Albania, including the Municipality of Shkodra, we will have the opportunity to have more visitors, more welfare and why not a better image for our common homeland.

Congratulations to everyone, let’s celebrate tonight. We also have tonight a wonderful artist from Kosova, Shpat Deda, and I believe that this is the best answer for all those who unfortunately may be afraid of Albanian talents, wherever they live.

Enjoy this evening everyone!