Today I read an open letter to PM Rama regarding the health system in Albania. The letter goes to great lengths in detailing the events which occurred to a Dutch citizen, Ton Daans, living in Albania for the past 5 years as a non-residential expert in the field of corrections. He was injured and taken to the Trauma Hospital in Tirana and in the letter recounts his experience in detail in the hopes that the Albanian government open its eyes to the plight of their Health System.

This is something that I have been expressing to people here for the last 10 years. The Public Health System is a disgrace! Not because of lack of competent medical staff, although that is dwindling in time as well, but because of the conditions under which the staff are forced to operate: outdated medical equipment or lack thereof, lack of supplies, lack of hygiene particularly in the rooms and bathrooms, lack of medicine and the list goes on.

Why? Why does a country who aspires to enter the EU have such horrible conditions in their public hospitals? I’ll tell you why. For the last 31 years the government has done nothing to improve their medical standards. The DP was in charge for the better part of the first 20 years (1992-2013) and they did nothing. The SP has been in charge for the last 10 years or so and they have done nothing.

What is the government doing with all the funds available? Building resorts, shopping centers, tearing down theaters to build some more commercial buildings, all the while the medical system is receiving zero attention. Oh yes, they talk a good game, although I never hear anything about revamping the health system and bringing it up to standards equal to or better than the rest of the western world. I never hear anything about incentives for young people to study medicine. I don’t see any money being invested in their public hospitals, but I do see buildings being built, roads being repaired to attract tourism for the newly built resorts, mainly in the south, so that when tourists come and are injured they can be taken to a public hospital that can’t attend to them as they should.

It is fair to say that the government as a whole, past and present, have failed the Albanian people. It is also fair to say that the Albanian people who are rising to protest should do so for their own interest and not attend a rock concert coordinated by a has been dictator to try and remove a current one and go back in time instead of moving forward.

They should protest for health, education, decommunization, infrastructure, lower taxes for businesses so that it attracts foreign investors thus bringing employment, property rights, justice for the victims of communism. They should protest against TV personalities who glamorize communists and their crimes by promoting their books and having them on their show!

But most of all they should look for new leadership in someone with a clean past. A leader with a true love for Albania and its people. A leader who cares, a leader who is not full of empty promises, one who sympathizes with them. A leader with a purpose to benefit them and Albania, one who has zero ties to the communist past. A leader who truly believes in democracy and the rights of all people. A leader who wants to lead a free nation. A leader tough on crime, drugs and human trafficking. A leader with conviction. One who doesn’t blow with the wind. One who says what he means and means what he says. Not like many of the current MPs who follow a leader one day, hate him the next, then love him again, if that’s where the wind takes them.

I don’t see many out there who would stand by their convictions at the risk of losing their precious seat.

We need a leader who loves all of Albania, from north to south. And a leader who puts Albania before anything or anyone else. A patriot!

I don’t see any in the current political movement, do you?

Bianca Gjomarkaj



During the communist regime my aunt Bardha Marka Gjoni was brought to the castle as a prisoner and held there for six months. This period was one of the darkest of her life and every time she tried to remember it all she could do was shake her head and close her eyes. She wouldn’t speak much about it only to say that she passed a terrible time inside, and after having visited it I can only imaging what she went through. The prisoners lived in squalid conditions through the winter, no heat, no water to speak of, barely any food, no coats or winter clothes, all huddled together to keep warm. No sanitary facilities. Imagine, just imagine.

When I saw this post on Facebook today, glamorizing the castle my first thought was that these young people who visit Albania are never really told the truth behind some of these monuments. All they know is the glamor of being a Pasha in the 18th century and living the high life in a ‘castle’. That was probably true, but they should be made aware that in more recent times these castles ie. Porto Palermo and Gjirokastra served as prisons for the anti-communist population between 1944-1990. These prisoners lived horrendous lives in these structures, some for many years, like my uncle Ded Gjon Marku in the Gjirokastra castle, and when one visits these places there should be boards not only glorifying the days of the ‘Turkish harems’ but also recounting the more recent events which occurred there under communism.

Personally, it is very offensive to see these tourists go to these places and be totally ignorant of all the history and events that took place there and only be told of the happier days of old, all in the name of tourism!

Yes, it is a stunning spot. Yes, it is well worth visiting. Albanian is a beautiful country and should be on everyone’s list of places to visit, not only the south, but the north as well, with its stunning mountains, rivers and lakes. But everyone should be well educated on the places they are visiting.

The government must ensure that ALL the history of its castles are provided to tourists, not just pick and choose the eras they feel are more appealing.

Fifty years of communism, fifty years of isolation, fifty years of atrocities cannot be just swept under the rug with some promotional videos and pictures of foreigners admiring the view.

Below is my comment to the post on PM Edi Rama’s page.

Bianca M. Gjomarkaj

The time to rebuild the Sarajet e Gjon Marka Gjonit is here and now!

It has sat in somber silence, an eerie reminder of its glorious past from the day it was burned to the ground in September 1944. Restoring the majestic Sarajet will be a private initiative which will benefit all of Mirdita, creating a hub of culture, education and history in Orosh. It will be a welcome center for all Albanians and foreigners alike, to enjoy its museum, cultural activities and the surrounding gardens. It will provide an avenue to facilitate learning, growth and well-being.

During the communist regime Mirdita was in upheavel. The Gjomarkaj Household palaces in Orosh, along with all their contents, were burned down to the ground by the communists. The family was dispersed in jail, camps and around the world. The people of Mirdita fell into a black hole for the next 45 years. Their leaders lay dead, jailed or in exile. Their hopes shattered. Their dreams spent.

I was raised in Rome and New York but in 2012, my husband and I made the decision to leave our life in the USA behind and make our new life here, in Shkoder, in my family’s home. It was an extraordinary decision and a turning point in my life. We moved into my family home and made Shkoder our new home.

During this period of reflection I began envisioning the rebuilding of the Sarajet (Palace) and transforming it into a museum, in honor of my family and our heritage, and as a cultural center for Mirdita, to let the people know that they were not forgotten.

Not one single day passed by that my grandfather, Kapidan Gjon Marka Gjoni or father Kapidan Ndue Gjon Marku, did not speak about Orosh. It was their home, always. Even though torn away from it, even after all the despicable things that occurred there, even though they had lost their sons and brothers at the hands of the communists, they never once forgot about Orosh, nor did they love another place as much.

It is with this in mind my heart is full of hope and my vision for a resurgence of the Sarajet is to mark a new cultural beginning for the people of Orosh, Mirdita and all of Albania. It will be a welcoming center for all Albanians and tourists, where they can learn about the great history of the Gjomarkaj Door, the “Dera e Gjomarkut”, their cultural importance and contribution to Mirdita and Albania.

The Sarajet will be a place to reflect on Mirdita’s unique history and the family of Kapidan Gjon Marka Gjoni, who has never forgotten the sacrifices, the losses, the contributions and above all the loyalty they showed to their Kapidan.

As an Albanian-American, daughter of a noble family who relocated to her father’s homeland, making it hers, I want to thank all those who accepted me with open arms and made me feel welcome. To them and to the people of Mirdita I want to say “let’s make this dream a reality, let’s build the Sarajet together and let’s rejoice in the proud history of Mirdita and Albania.”

With your support this endeavor will help me to help Orosh and Mirdita be known to all!

To support this initiative please visit SarajetGjonMarkagjonit.

Bianca Gjomarkaj