Albanian author Ben Blushi has published a new book, Komploti, or The Plot, set in Albania in 2044. It tells a cautionary tale about what may happen in the future. The plot revolves around a future scenario where foreigners living in Albania and Albanians mobilise to reclaim Kosovo and reunite it with Albania.
A fantasy novel with a dystopian twist, Komploti touches on several topics that are already the subject of much debate today: the migration of Albanians outside the country and the immigration of foreigners.
The book becomes even more pertinent as it touches on a love story between a Muslim Afghan migrant in Shengjin and a Catholic Albanian woman.
The book was written between February and April 2023, months before the agreement signed by Italy and Albania to process refugees in Shengjin and Gjader. Shengjin is home to tens of Afghan migrants after Albania opened its borders to them following the exit of Western forces, which led to the takeover of the Taliban in the summer of 2021.
While many were repatriated by the US and other Western countries, many remain in Shengjin, forgotten and left to integrate as best they can in the local community.
In Blushi’s book, 2044, Albania sees Shengjin with an Afghani mayor and the Minister of Defence also coming from Afghanistan and who declared war on Serbia to liberate occupied Albanian lands. In Blushi’s dystopian future, the country is also home to more than 200,000 Afghans and just 700,000 Albanians due to significant and continued waves of migration.
With many other strands to the tale, the book has been well received both in Kosovo and Albania, including at the Book Fair held earlier in November. It aims to provoke thought and reactions due to lines such as “Albanians always love the conquerors” and the assertion that the Afghan minister wants to do “what the Albanians cannot do on their own, unite Kosovo with Albania.”
The book is only available in Albanian, but Blushi hinted he would love to publish it in English.
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