Caritas Albania and UNHCR in Albania have opened together a photo exhibition entitled "Dreams we carry".
The ceremony was held on November 8 at 18:00, at the National Historical Museum, Tirana, with the participation of the Deputy Minister of Interior, representatives of the Border and Migration Police, leaders of religious communities, diplomatic representatives, resident Coordinator and heads of Agencies of the UN, representatives of Caritas Albania , Caritas Austrian and Caritas Italian, refugee families and media partners.
The photographs, taken by Renuar Locaj and curated by curator Oltsen GRIPSHI, portray the resistance and aspirations of people forced to flee their countries due to conflict, violence and persecution.
Since 2015, our country has become a transit route for thousands of refugees and migrants, who are forced to leave their countries and seek a safer life. They travel in groups, alone or as a family. The trip starts in the country of origin and lasts a long time, where part of their trip is also organized by smugglers paying large sums. Some of them walk for days, in places, areas dangerous for their lives, many are separated from the group or get lost, others die on the way.
The idea of this exhibition arose as a need to bring to the public and present the issues of migration through photography conveying the images, the identity of these people, the sufferings, the individual and family stories, so simple, suffered on a daily basis. in their journey, trying to give value to what is above all, the desire for life. The images travel to different times and moments, where portraits of children, women, men, families or of a grandfather with his granddaughter, unfold a great human saga. The exhibition does not only bring the pain and image of such an iconic phenomenon as asylum or migration, within the walls of a museum, instead of conveying strong and meaningful messages, combining them with original elements lived and brought by themselves. The soles of their feet are the most painful evidence of the long journey they have treaded and silently expressed in the form of onomatopoeias. The abandonment of the hearth, the physical and spiritual connection with that land, the place where these people were born, is the most indelible pledge for the future that awaits them.
Speech of the Bektashi World Leader, His Grace, Haxhi Dede Edmond Brahimaj, at the same time Chairman of the Inter Religious Council Albania.
Dear Minister of Interior, Mr. Bledar Çuçi! Honorable UNHCR Representative in Albania, Mr. Palolo Zapata! Dear my brother, Monsignor Angelo Massafra! Dear organizers! It is a pleasure to share together this emotional exhibition of this event and I would sincerely like to bring to this hall, my most warm greetings personally, but also of all Bektashi religious communities wherever they are! Children, the sorrows, the joys but also the dreams they carry, have been and will remain not just their world. They are first and foremost our greatest sensibilities, at the same time our greatest responsibilities, because in the end, they are the reflection of our life and work, they are a future in the memory of which we, the adults of today, we will not be merely names of the past, but mirrors where they will see themselves from time to time. It is a beautiful thing to tell all of you today that in all the holy books, of every religion or belief in the world, sensitivity to children is quite evident. This is because the Creator, Whose will is present in every child who comes into this world, has always taken care that we, the adults, are near in the first place with our spirit, with the unwavering faith in the All-Merciful, by enabled us to guide them to the only path, that of wisdom, generosity, and human and divine knowledge. It is very sad today, not just for us, the religious leaders, but for any ordinary believer, when he sees poverty, destitution, spiritual and moral ruin, or even worse, ethnic and racial rape among children. It is just sad to think that thousands of children in the world today, have become the object of unprecedented violence, while they had to deal with school books or their dreams. This reality so painful and tangible, has actually made us and made us think long. Precisely for what I said above, I think such activities are quite important, not just in terms of civic and human responsibility, but also as a call to religious communities, whoever they are and in whatever cultural spaces they live. The reception and care of the Albanian Government, for children coming from Afghanistan, but also for children the hips that came from other countries before, in its substance has exactly our human love and care. In this context, we as religious communities have definitely played and still play our role. I really liked today your words and greetings, but also the wonderful photos of Mr. Renuar Locaj. I take this opportunity to sincerely wish Mr. Locaj for further success, as I promise that at the head of the Bektashi Holy See, I will always be close to the concerns and the world of children. Once again, thank you all! Amin!
