Godfather in the French senate: Franco-Albanian archaeological mission, contribution to cultural heritage
2024-12-02 14:15:50
TiranaPost
The Minister of Tourism and Environment, Mirela Kumbaro, delivered her speech in the French Senate at the event "Apollonia of Illyria, 100 years of Franco-Albanian archaeological research".
"I am very honored to participate in this seminar dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Franco-Albanian archaeological mission of Apollonia in Albania. French archeology in Albania, (we can even call it Franco-Albanian archaeology), is old, with the first observations, researches and excavations, which I can call pre-scientific and often fueled by the passionate historical romanticism of travelers and the French consuls in Albania and Epirus during the 19th century. It had its real institutional beginnings after the Great War, thanks to the will of Justin Godart, minister, deputy, senator, mayor of the city of Lyon and passionate about history and culture, continuing with the extraordinary adventure of the archaeologist Léon Rey, who spent more than 17 years of his life to create and develop the first real scientific mission in Albania. This work was further followed by French researchers, Albanians formed in France or francophones, to reach peaks with the work and commitment of the distinguished professor Pierre Cabanes, continuing the mission with his excellent Albanian colleague, professor Neritan Ceka, and former -director of the Franco-Albanian archaeological mission of Apollonia, author of a monumental Corpus of writings from Southern Illyria and Epirus, as well as scientific works and articles. I would also like to welcome the work done by other personalities in the framework of this cooperation between Albania and France in the field of archaeology. Some of them are among us this morning, Etleva Nallbani or Saimir Shpuza, whom I want to congratulate and especially thank for their commitment. Apollonia, is this place where, thanks to the precious contribution of the ancestors of the French present in the public, today one of the treasures of the ancient Mediterranean culture is located, which is visited every year by thousands of French, the descendants of the first pioneers, strengthening even more the bond between our peoples."
During her speech, Minister Kumbaro mentioned the role of Albania as a meeting point of cultures between East and West, from where it has inherited many sites protected by UNESCO, such as the city of Gjirokastra, which the French have known through the writer Ismail Kadare, for which France was his second home.
"Albania, a meeting point of cultures as much as a connecting bridge between east and west, between the Mediterranean and the central part of the Balkans. A place where in a short distance you can find UNESCO heritage cities with Ottoman architecture such as Gjirokastra, the birthplace of our great writer Ismail Kadare, and allow me this lack of modesty because it is also where I come from, but Ismail Kadare then found his second home here in France and described Gjirokastra as "a steep city, perhaps the steepest in the world". A world that had broken all the laws of architecture - and this was the Albanian world of Gjirokastra - all architectural and urban planning laws. It's still there. A place of hospitality. It is the place of his childhood, where many things were unbelievable and many things were like dreams. In fact, these are the realities that I invite you to visit", said Kumbaro. Further, Minister Kumbaro spoke about the tourism development of Albania and the original experiences that are attracting more and more French visitors to our country.
"Albania today is experiencing an extraordinary growth or a tourism boom. And not only for the sandy coast of the Adriatic and rocky beaches full of mysterious caves of the Ionian Sea. The philosophy that defines Albania as a "unique destination" means to be friendly with the inhabitants of this country, who immediately invite you to become part of their world. It is to share original experiences with them. To see in the perspective of an orange sun immersed in the Ionian and Adriatic seas over 450 kilometers of coast, which fascinates with its reliefs and caves in the south and with long sandy beaches that welcome thousands of vacationers or open the scenes of summer festivals. This is the reason why our slogan is "Albania All Senses" as an invitation to enjoy Albania in all its flavors", Minister Kumbaro concluded.
In the ten months of this year, more than 200,000 French visited Albania, or 75% more than last year. During October, the leaders of the French union "Les Entreprises du Voyage" held their next convention in Tirana, as a fast-growing destination for French visitors.
