Eye for an Eye

In Albania, the centuries-old tradition of blood vengeance has seen a renewal over the past decade. The void in the law-and-order system, left by the collapse of Communism, sent many Albanians back to the common laws of their tribal roots. These laws include also the right, for the membership of a family, to avenge for a murder by killing a member of the murderer’s family. This can be read in the article 8 of the Kanun, that is a set of traditional Albanian laws. About 2,800 Albanian families are thought to be living in self-imposed isolation, in the attempt to avoid the destiny of victims of blood vengeance. Of course, for none of them there is the chance to work. In some areas the right of vengeance is even considered an obligation, compelled by the community, with the risk of the complete exclusion. In too many cases this turn¬s into a complete and utter feud, provoking an endless chain of crimes. What I tried to do is to impress into pictures the impact of this situation on the life of a family and especially on its young members. The latter ones, in fact, spend all day stuck in their houses, with nothing to do. I met both families fearing vengeance, and families craving for it. I tried to focus on emotional instability, on depression, on anger. The title of my project is “Eye for an eye” and it centres upon the impact of this stalemate on minds and souls. I’d like to convey this situation and support somehow those Mediation Organization that try to bring the only possible solution: forgiveness.