Chameria in photos

TIRANA, June 20 – An exhibition, featuring the history of the Cham community in Albania following their expulsion from Greece just before World War II, opened this week in front of parliament’s headquarters on Tirana’s central boulevard. The exhibition held as part of the “Commemorating Cham” week is divided in three sections. The first section includes prominent ancient Cham figures Pyrrhus of Epirus, hero of the War of Greek Independence Marko Bocari, as well as modern figures, like writers Elena Gjika and Mitrush Kuteli, and painter Kol Idromeno.
The second section display photos from the Chameria region, from 1913 to 1935– focusing on traditional costumes, local towns and villages and views from the killings of the Albanian population in Chameria, which is located in present day northwestern Greece.
The third part of the exhibition brings a panorama of the current situation of Cham towns and homes.
The Cham week events will culminate on June 25 with a traditional march in the Qaf-Bote border crossing point with Greece, to commemorate the mass exodus from their homes in Chameria.
Since the early 1990s, the Cham population in Albania has been demanding the return of their property in Greece which was seized after their expulsion.