The Land That Time Forgot

by Liberty and Power

British journalist A. A. Gill tells you everything you need to know about life in Albania.

More Comments:

Daku Cage Xhill - 8/1/2006

You seem to be the kind of person who considers respect as a weakness(the first symptome of masokism).Is useless to say anyway that yuor article sucks (I really have to say that),it's unprofessional and very cinique.The next time you visit Albania you really deserve a lesson...in albanian.Anyway you don't look and think either like an Englishman. Best Regards, Serbia loves you now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Uran Kolosi - 7/30/2006

The journalist without identity

Mr. Gill you are loosing your identity by traveling around the world.
If I call you racist, maybe you feel good because you are like that.
Anyway I will call you: Stupid idiot from the Frankenstein laboratory, which is hated in his own Country.

lea B - 7/26/2006

Mr. Gill

If you didn`t get enough responses so far it`s most probably because people find this article really disgusting, provocative, intentionally abusive and unworthy of any comment.
As for myself, I kind of felt sorry for your talents being wasted on bitterness and twisted views about everyone and everything that do not live up to your “sophisticated” standards.
By the way Mr Gill, our language is beautiful and while you mock it, we enjoy reading our marvelous folkloric legends and our distinguished contemporary writers.
As per those badly dressed teens, most of them can surprise you with their fluency in your own language. Your 2 word knowledge of Albanian is a poor match and does hardly add any credit to your intellectual skills.
Please do us all a favor and stick to your restaurant reviews for as long as they still let you in!!!.

Lea B.
Tirana , Albania

tomi korca - 7/26/2006

Dear Gill,

There are lots of untruthful comments in your paper. There are so many that first I thought that is not worth it replaying to you, but then I thought. What about the other readers that do not know the truth and take your facts, as the true facts. So I will take only few facts.

You are saying in the beginning that Albania is now an organized crime nation. Yes is true that is organized crime in Albania, but do you know about the organized crime in Russia, Bulgaria, Serbia or Macedonia. I like to tell you that the level of organized crime in Albanian is lower that some of those states. I know it is not something that Albania has to be proud but it is not something that big that you can name an entire population as criminals.

The conclusion that the teens in Albania are the most worst dressed in Europe, makes me think that you are a person so closed minded that remind my grand grandfather accusing me for hippie because I use to wear jeans pants long and wide at the end and tided at the top, and he liked me seeing with tuxedo and tie. Have you seen (I am sure you have if you live in London and not in some rural Muslim state countries) the teenager dressing code today. I do not like either, but because I am not a teenager. I can ensure you that the Albanian tens are dressed the same.

You are saying that is insane to name the only Albanian runway with the Mother Teresa name. Sir or madam you do not know Albanians. Yes they may be 70% Muslim and 30% Christians but there religions separations are so narrow that is hard to distinguish who is a Muslim and who is Christians. I remember during the communist regime, my grandmother, a Greek religious person, during Easter had to color the eggs with red paint in hidden places from the public eyes (religious was illegal in communism) and give the red eggs to my neighbors that were Muslims. (She trusted them with her life), same with every Bajram day we had baklava from my Muslim neighbors. For the Albanians, Mother Teresa is an Albanian that dedicated her life to the poor people. It does not matter to them (Albanians) if she was Christian or Muslim.

You are saying that the black bird is bad luck. This may be true for you, but not for every one. Is like number 13, some believe that is bad luck number and some a good luck number. It is again a narrow, close minded idea. The black bird is an old symbol from the Romans. Maybe Romans were less cultured then you because they did not believed that the black bird is bad luck.

As for the part about the Albanian history, what you write tells me that you not only do not know the Albanian History but also you did not even try to learn that.

Here is one example. King Zog fought against the Italian (Mussolini) occupation and was forced out of Albanian. The Albanians have heroes that die on April 9 1939. Some of them were solders of the Albanian Kingdom. Please visit the city of Durres and you will see there memorials.

I am not an architect and so are you, so let not get in the discussion about the Tirana architectural system. But as for the parks I like you to know that Tirana was named as one of the greener capital city in Europe during the 1970-1980. Of course you do not know that.

As for the Albanian language, I like to advice you to read the History of Languages where Albanian language is considered to be as old as Greek language. It is true that is a unique language, but the foreigners have learn that language very easy. (Unless you have learning difficulties).

I like you to reconsider the article and if you believe that you have overstepped with your untruthful comments I like you to apologies publicly to all Albanians and other readers.

Unless you have other agendas, that goes hand and hand with the political and social situation in region today. Kosovo is so closed to become an independent nation, and Serbian government does not want that. As a result some of your conclusions sound to me as fabricated in the Serbian cuisine.

Albania is close to become a new member of BE, and there are few in the Strasbourg that disagree with that. Maybe your paper will help their agenda

Please do not misuse the trust that Sunday Time Magazine (a very well known magazine) and we as readers have on you.

Sincerely
Tomi Korca

grunilda qeli - 7/26/2006

Sorry but is not at all true.

Albania is beautiful country and is such a country that eventhough the people are poor they fed him, a rich and idiot guy.

I understand he got frustrated because he needed a prostitute but what can we do, he was not in the right country there.

He is such an idiot that he is one of those that starts conflicts