I have a Dream

The “I Have a Dream” photography project, supportet by UN Women Albania, illustrates the dreams of Albanian young and adolescent women from remote areas of the country. In front of the camera, they freed themselves from the customary surroundings and the patriarchal norms, embracing the liberty of their dreams for an attainable future.

I wanted to capture the true spirit of such dreams through a contemplative study of the young women’s eyes as they entrust their aspirations to the camera. Suddenly, the remote comes near, the subject becomes real; the unknown portraits cross into the familiar sphere, with their distant, limited environments growing into a world of possibilities.

My aim wasn’t to just narrate stories, I wanted to enable the viewer to pass the state of mere spectator and develop an actual connection with the human behind the image, with her hopes, her energy, the true manifestation of her being. I wanted the voices of these young Albanians to be heard, their desires to be felt, their aspirations to be understood, whether they dream is to become an artist, a doctor, a lawyer, or a strong independent woman making their parents proud.

Some of the Dreams

“My name is Nepa. My biggest dream is to become a strong woman, that kind of woman that inspires. And I also want to become an amazing doctor.”

“My name is Klejda and I am from Tirana. My dream is to be an actress, to feel the emotions on stage when you are in front of thousands of people, to feel the happiness of knowing that people like what I do. It will feel so good.”

“My name is Erta, sister of Fatma and I live in the Vajkal village. My dream is to be independent, to find a job that I love, to help my family and staying close to them and being there for them.”

“I am Sindi and I live in the village of Rëmenj. I am a girl who has faced many hurdles in life. I have always wanted to have the opportunity to realize every dream of mine, one day. I really want to go to school, and while I tried hard, circumstances made it impossible. One day, I want to be a hairdresser, a profession I really adore. I try hard to learn new things and I hope that one day, I will fulfill all my wishes.”

I am Elsaeda from Has and I dream of becoming a judge. I really want this. Even though I am poor and with divorced parents, I have my mom supporting me.