Michel Setboun has been one of few foreign photographers who captured four decades of Albanian political, social, and cultural development from the last decade of communism. He is probably the only one to bring through photos of the resurrection of religion in Albania in the early 90s. One of the most important moments was the photo of Mother Theresa praying on the ruins of a church with At Zef Pellumbi, who had just been liberated from Albanian prisons after 22 years in Shkodra.

You can see through these photos all the turbulent moments after the fall of communism, such as destroying the state farms or cooperatives in villages, the first democratic elections, and the dramatic exodus toward other countries.

But the most dramatic ones are the photos of weddings, death, the maternity hospital, and the mental health center in a scandalous condition.

Michel Setboun worked as a photojournalist for the SIPA Agency when he first visited Albania in 1981 and has regularly visited our country every three years up to the present day. He said that this collection of 100 photos is essential for him, and he can’t wait this day to bring these photos to share them with the Albanian public.

If you want to see this exhibition, the entrance is free and open until September. Don’t miss these rare collections of what happened in Albania in the most turbulent years of our history. We have to look back to our history to know the past so that we can build the future.