Last weekend, Albania saw the highlight of British Week which was Freedom & Transformation ideas festival, co-curated by acclaimed British Albanian academic-author, Lea Ypi and EA Festival.

The event was split between Durres on day one and Tirana on day 2. Durres, being Lea Ypi’s birthplace, she was able to pay homage to both the city where she was raised and the former capital of Albania.

Hosted in the newly renovated Children’s Cultural Centre, Freedom & Transformation festival generated excitement, open discussion and cultural exchange. In a packed auditorium, all eyes on Lea Ypi and Noel Malcolm, one could sense the buzz at the opening of this festival.

Lea regaled the audience with a lighthearted story of the beginning of her life on stage in that very children’s centre which was followed by more historical discussions of Albanian communities spread across the region. Controversial topics were not avoided, as the EU, Brexit and Albania’s zeal to join this monolithic European institution were discussed by Lea and Noel, where Noel is known to have openly expressed his support for Brexit. A fruitful discussion which covered much intellectual ground and reminded the audience of the intellectual prowess of both speakers.

Other invited speakers came from far and wide geographically and intellectually, with various nuances in their topics of research and passions. In Durres, millennial author Olivia Sudjic described growing up in a generation that experienced the gradual yet swift switch from an analog to a digital world. Former director of British human rights advocacy group Liberty, Shami Chakrabarti covered what human rights mean in today’s world where they are increasingly under threat.

The day closed with Misha Glenny, a renowned expert on the Balkan region who spoke on his more recent area of research which is cyber-crime and geo-politics. He debusted the misconception that there is an inherent criminal nature in the Balkan region and gave staggering figures on the rise of cyber-crime and its reproducibility.

Day two of the festival, hosted in Tirana’s National Theatre of Opera and Ballet, shed light on more emotionally burdening topics but none that are foreign to the Albanian population. World-famous war journalist Christina Lamb discussed her work with women in war-torn areas internationally and female victimhood.

She raised the pressing issue of how rape is continuously disregarded as a war crime amongst international legal circles and how female war victims are often overlooked. Sally Hayden, recent winner of the Orwell Prize in 2022 for her book ‘The Fourth Time We Drowned’ which follows Libyan migrant detention camps, engaged in conversation with Albanian ambassador Uran Ferizi. Uran having been a migrant himself following the fall of communism, added a personal and empathetic touch to this open conversation.

The final speaker of the day was acclaimed author, poet and philanthropist William Sieghart who brought the day of talks to a gentle and calming close. William actively interacted with the audience, prescribing them with poems from the multiple editions of his anthologies ‘The Poetry Pharmacy’, for struggles with courage amongst other modern day ailments.

Finally, Alda Dizdari, an internationally recognised violinist and daughter of one of Albania’s most famous composers graced the stage with British harpist, Camilla Pay.

They played a selection of pieces from Alda’s album, ‘Words of the Candle’ which was compiled by Alda at her father’s hospital bedside when he had COVID. Returning to her native city of Tirana, Alda’s raw and emotional performance shone through which incited floods of tears in those who were family and friends of Alda as well as simple spectators.

She resonated with the weekend’s theme of freedom and transformation, highlighting how these themes resonate with her as a free and ever-evolving artist.

Discovery and return were emblematic of this memorable weekend, echoing themes of freedom and transformation which fostered a unique experience for the speakers and for the audience. A British week and weekend, certainly to be remembered for its originality and innovation.