Description
The Accursed Mountains in Albania have a unique ruggedness. They don’t feel as clean-cut and polished as the Alps. Instead, they’re bold, powerful, imperfect. It gives them an uncharted feel; still untamed. And it made me immediately curious about the communities that live within them.
Communism fell in Albania in the early 1990s, and with it came an exodus of people from the mountains, moving closer to cities. This valley once had thousands of people living within it, with a thriving agricultural economy and bustling farms. Then, with residents leaving, farms were abandoned, schools emptied, and villages vacated.
But Bora’s family remained. Their farm lay anchored in the landscape they called home, whilst neighbours migrated with the tides of change. Now in her sixties and with arthritic hands, Bora continues to make yoghurt and cheese from the recipes her mother taught her. Her daughter, Hana, helps with milking and tending the land, whilst admitting hopes of moving to the city to become a teacher. “I don’t even like yoghurt!” She chuckles to us.
We watched as Hana took over the shepherding, a process handed down through generations, on a farm built by her ancestors. It was hard to ignore the changing tides of both family and landscape.
To one side of Bora’s farm, you had a bumpy track leading into a wild, mountainous valley. The other, tarmac, paving the way for cars and buses, bringing visitors to a land filled with restaurants and hotels. Money and development had returned to parts of the valley, but with it came the familiar tale of environmental damage and diminishing tradition.
Bora’s farm stood at the precipice, rooted between worlds. The younger leaves pushing ahead in search of life, the older burrowing down, reaching in, holding on.
Print details
• Printed on premium C-Type Fuji Matt photographic paper
• Available in multiple sizes
• Made to order
• Carefully packaged for delivery
• Photograph taken during our cycle journey from England to India
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— Josh & Sarah
