By: Anastasia Nazarko
It is likely that you have heard of, and perhaps even visited, Buka Francezeء delightful pastry shop located across from the Sky Tower in the bllok area. However, an aspect of this European eatery that may be less familiar is its owner, Marie Theresa Marchal. A dual French-Albanian citizen born in Rene in northwest France, Marchal’s Albanian experience is unique and well-worth sharing. Marchal has been living in Albania since 1990, when she came on the invitation of some Belgian friends who were on a charity mission to the small Balkan state.
“At first, when my friends told me they were going to Albania, I thought ‘Albania? Where is that?’ But when I arrived, I liked it from the beginning. Albania, at that time, was so poor and was in need of so many things, the idea of being in a place where I had the opportunity to make a difference appealed to me.”
Of the many issues evident in Albania in the 1990s, the one that stood out to Marchal the most was the lack of clean water. This prompted her to return to France in search of a company willing to invest in this sector. “It took me a year and a half to find a company that was willing to invest. Only Vivendi Water accepted, and so in 1992 they came to Albania, allowing me to work as a consultant for them.”
During her time as a consultant, Marchal became very familiar with Albania, as work required her to travel to all the Albanian regions in order to assess the communities’ needs.
“Every place in Albania has its own flavor,” she remarked, when asked about her impressions of the country. “But I really like Korca. It is small, the buildings are low, and it has not undergone the mass construction of high-rises that other Albanian regions have faced. This is good; it makes Korca feel more European.”
However, Marchal’s joint endeavours with Vivendi were short-lived; as, in 1997, Vivendi lost the bid for a development project to an Italian competitor.
“At that point I didn’t know what to do. I had become an Albanian citizen in 1996, and I had spent so many years in Albania. I didn’t feel like I could leave. I also saw that there was still a lot of need in the country, so I stayed. In 1997, I campaigned to become an Albanian member of parliament. It wasn’t because I wanted fame or money, but I did it because I knew that political status would give me the power I needed to make real changes in Albania and develop it. Many people didn’t understand this; but I have always had great hope and belief in Albania.” With regard to the issues she considered of vital importance, Marchal placed great emphasis on improving the employment market in Albania.
“Something I wanted to change was employment opportunities within the various regions of Albania. It didn’t make sense that so many Albanians should come from around the country to live in Tirana. Rather than having an overpopulation of one city, it made more sense to develop employment incentives in people’s own regions so that they could stay in their hometown, make a living, and at the same time contribute to the modernization of their own region. Also, many Albanians were leaving to study abroad. While some came back, many didn’t. I also wanted to stop this, because the loss of so many students and potential workers for Albania hurt the state.”
Though Marchal placed fourth out of ten candidates for the parliamentary elections, she did not give up her belief and drive to improve Albania. When asked about how she transitioned from politics and advocacy to pastries and business, she replied: “As I was working around Albania, I noticed that the quality of restaurants and food was far behind what we have in France; so, I thought that it would be good to open a place that could provide quality products with great attention to detailسomething that was generally lacking. It wasn’t difficult. The hardest element was probably the fact that many people didn’t understand why I was working or what I was trying to do. People at that time were very suspicious by nature, and they questioned things a lot. Now they are more free and open, but back then they weren’t. It took a while for the business to really get its feet on the ground and establish a reputation and clientele.”
Though Marchal notes that major issues still exist within the society and state in generalئor example, the fact that large companies, especially construction firms, focus on large profits rather than the quality of their work or reinvestment in the society itselfسhe also has observed concrete changes, both positive and negative, in the twenty-one years she has spent in Albania.
“In 1992, there was a lot of hope and joy. The Albanian people had high expectations for better times to come. Now that hope is gone. People are indifferentشhey complain, but then when the time for elections comes, they re-elect the same people! If you’re not happy with something, don’t vote for them again! On the positive side, there has been some material modernization and the society overall is more relaxed and open. Albanian people have a good, hard-working, serious element to them. In general I say that Albania takes one step forward and then some steps back. So it’s moving, but slowly.”
Regardless, Marchal says she intends to remain in Albania. “In February this year, I opened a hotel in downtown Tirana called Hotel de Paris. I always like to be busy and have new projects. I like to create and teach and see how people change. I am here now and ready for anything new that could come my way.”
