The Flamingo Revolution Ongoing
If you have met me, whether somewhere out in the world, or at home in the states, you have heard me go on about how much I love Albania, about how much I love the Balkans. I am fortunate enough to have been around this world. Albania is different.
Right now, in the summer of 2026, the country is undergoing a revolution.
Since late May, Albanians have been protesting after a 1.4 billion euro luxury resort development project on Sazan Island by Donald Trump’s billionaire son in law Jared Kushner, and Ivanka Trump advanced.
This revolution is not about a luxury resort, despite American media outlets solely focusing on Kushner’s development. This has sparked the larger revolution against Prime Minister Edi Rama, the 35+ years of government corruption, and the system as a whole. The citizens are making four official demands through the revolution: government resignation, a formation of a new technical government, abolition of abusive laws and the Zvernec project, and free and fair elections.
I have been in Tirana for almost 6 weeks now. I have listened to protesters make speech after speech, night after night, with so much passion and anger in their voices that it transcends the language barrier between us.
I have sat on my friend’s balconies listening to stories of these hardships brought on them from their childhoods until now.
Every night, I walk down the boulevard towards Skanderbeg Square surrounded by chants of ‘Rama Jepe Doreheqjen’ (Rama, resign), and ‘Ju Erdhi Fundi’(your time is up).
This photo essay is not about the Flamingo Revolution itself, but about the Albanian people that have continued to take to the streets night after night, month after month. It is about the Albanian youth that still has faith in building a future in the country that they love. I hope to convey the feeling of seeing the Albanians at home, and the Albanian diaspora around the world that are all fighting for a future in their country where the options for success do not revolve around leaving and chasing opportunity elsewhere.
These weeks here have inspired me in ways that I did not expect. I will bring this inspiration and dedication to working for a better future back home to the United States.
