Daniela Kortoçi
Daniela is a 29-year-old activist from Albania who graduated with a degree in civil engineering. She is part of the #EU4Culture programme engineering team in Albania and is currently studying for a Master’s degree in the conservation of cultural monuments while also being a Young European Ambassador advocating for gender equality and girls’ right to education. Daniela is passionate about female empowerment and is the author of two poetry collections, while also having a blog where she dedicates verses mainly to women’s empowerment and social inclusion. We decided to interview Daniela so we could discuss her passions and professional activities and gender equality and gender empowerment in Albania and in the Western Balkans more generally
How did you get involved in the EU4Culture project restoring the mosaic at the National History Museum?
I am a civil engineer and last year I started a second Master’s degree in the conservation of cultural monuments as I think it is very important to conserve heritage while working for new ways of building the future. Then, through the EU Delegation to Albania’s posts in late December I saw the advertised position for someone to work on restoring the National History Museum mosaic and I could immediately see myself working there.
EU4Culture is funded by the European Union and is one of the largest cultural heritage programmes designed by the European Union and I wanted to get involved with it. While the UNOPS recruitment process took some time, each stage of it was engaging and, in the end, when the contract was ready to sign it felt really rewarding being one of the local staff selected to work at the UNOPS Office in Albania.
Tell us a bit more about the mosaic’s background, history and significance as cultural heritage monument
The Historical National Museum, including the mosaic on its southern facade, has been declared a second category cultural monument by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports. The mosaic was damaged by the earthquake and so it became one of the monuments to be considered as part of the EU4Culture project.
The mosaic includes a number of different people. The female figure in the centre represents the Albanian woman of the communist era: a strong woman (as we see from the gun that she holds in her right hand) and, at the same time, a friendly woman (as we see from her left hand that is held wide open, which reflects hospitality). She wears one of the best known Albanian traditional garments from the northern highlands, the xhubleta.
Since the creation of the mosaic, no restoration or maintenance interventions has been performed. The only intervention carried out was done during the first years after the communist state collapsed. These modifications aimed to change or remove some communist symbols and were done by one of the original designers of the mosaic.
You are a women civil engineer which is not very common. Tell us more about this and, about the role of women in these male dominated fields
I guess almost every girl who dreams of being an engineer in Albania has listened to her parents telling her that this is a man’s job. I was lucky that for me this was just a suggestion and didn’t impact my choice.
Now I can feel the huge difference working within an organisation like UNOPS where women can receive the same recognition as men; an organisation that has already reached gender parity. The next goal is to reach gender equality. Being in construction, for us women engineers is a mission, we feel the urge to be a role model for that little 5-year-old girl who is now drawing a house and putting a sun in the corner of the paper. We really need her to grow up realising her full potential in order to build a more inclusive and sustainable future.
The EU4Culture project is doing a great job in Albania. Please tell us more about the long-term impact, in particular in relation to building back Albania’s cultural heritage following the tragic earthquake.
EU4Culture is focused on improving the condition of cultural heritage sites but not only physical ones. We will be working with content creation, interpretation, musealisation and digitalisation. We support local development through cultural heritage revitalisation and improved capacities for its safeguarding, management, and promotion.
Through this, the cultural and economic well-being of Albanian society will improve.
You are also a Young European Ambassador. Why did you decide to become one and how is it going ?
While growing up I often heard the cry “We want Albania to be like the rest of Europe”. This is why I was always curious about knowing the European Union and then having the same wish as our parents had. I wanted to become a Young European Ambassador (YEA) because I believe in the values of the EU and I want to share those values with my peers. Being a YEA was also a great opportunity for regional networking: we share the same issues and we are looking forward to a common future – the European Union.
I also want to mention that besides the support from the programme and DG NEAR (the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations), the last year has been very active for us YEAs from Albania thanks also to cooperation with the EU Delegation to Albania.
*Daniela has given this interview in her personal capacity and not on behalf of UNOPS or WeBalkans.
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