Presenation on the Albanian diaspora at the Conference 'New normal challenges and opportunities'
Posted on 2 May 2021
On 30 April, Othon Anastasakis presented as a guest speaker at the Conference 'New normal challenges and opportunities' organised by the European University of Tirana (EUT), Albania
In his talk, Anastasakis spoke about the increasing impact of diasporas on the homelands around the world, beyond the traditional means of monetary remittances and lobbying for questions of national interests, through other forms of social or economic remittances. By focusing on the Albanian experience, he stated Albania’s historical tradition with diasporas outside its borders in the region of South East Europe as well as emigration further afield and focused on the potential positive effects that diasporas can have in many aspects of Albania’s social, political and economic life, in areas such as entrepreneurship, start-ups, education and opening up new opportunities and networks for trade and investment. He touched on the recent phenomenon of Albania’s post-communist emigration and the reasons behind the decisions of young dynamic people to emigrate, and how these can be potential agents of change whether they decide to return or not. Finally he spoke about the role of individuals as “ambassadors to their country” in the field of public diplomacy, and how these can often help fight negative stereotypes, be they well known global figures like Mother Teresa, Ismail Kadare, Dua Lipa or Rita Ora, or other anonymous individuals who through their hard work and integration into the host countries can change the stereotypical perceptions on the Albanians abroad.