Media Amfora has had a great experience with the UK-funded Media for All programme, through which it has started its journey towards consolidation as online media. Being part of the Western Balkans Media for Change programme provides an opportunity for Amfora to strengthen its capacities further and to expand its reporting across Albania.
These programmes are crucial as they directly support the media and independent journalism that report on issues of public interest, rather than focusing on a spectacle, public relations and politics. Thus, these programmes indirectly contribute to the empowerment of diverse communities. In the case of Amfora’s work, this includes rural communities, young people, the elderly and women and girls, thereby enriching media reporting with diverse perspectives. For media outlets like Amfora, which specialise in in-depth and thematic reporting, the programme’s flexibility is of great significance as it provides the specific support that is truly needed, helping us adapt to unexpected challenges.
The Western Balkans Media for Change grant follows the tradition of combining financial, technical and mentoring support, a very efficient combination to achieve high-impact results. The mentoring process during the implementation of the grant facilitates the administrative and journalistic aspects of the work, helping us publish quality stories. With this grant, Media Amfora was enabled to further improve the technical capacities and the recording equipment that has helped us to create an even better experience for our audience. And, thanks to this support, Amfora is stepping into a ‘new territory’, which we’ve been targeting for a long time. Reporting on rural communities often poses challenges for media and journalists. High costs, challenging terrains, remote communities and limited national audience interest are all factors that reduce traditional media coverage of local communities in Albania.
Amfora’s new initiative focuses on bridges, which are not only engineering constructions connecting the banks of a river but are also tools that facilitate communication. For us, bridges are channels that enable the exchange of goods and information, and help communities to develop. Through this reporting, we have expanded our coverage to include remote areas in the south and southeast of the country. Additionally, we are developing a more in-depth approach to video reporting, using video-documentary techniques to bring the stories of local communities to life.
Our project is called ‘The bridges we inherit’ as those bridges serve new generations century after century, turning into the ‘living monuments’ which preserve the memories and traces of the people that have been there. The bridges with the status of ‘Cultural Monuments’ hold exceptional historical, architectural and engineering value, serve as tourist attractions and are a source of pride for the locals.
Historical bridges continue to be used in different parts of Albania, serving elderly residents who live alone in remote villages, who carry out agricultural and livestock work. Also, children who go to schools in other villages cross these bridges every day during the winter. Women often accompany children to school, and, due to the nature of rural life, perform various family tasks using these bridges. Our goal is to give a voice to residents of rural areas who are deeply affected and saddened by the collapse of these bridges, as their daily lives are significantly impacted because these bridges played a crucial role in facilitating their daily activities.
Many bridges that are cultural monuments have been destroyed due to atmospheric conditions. Therefore, Amfora is committed to investigating the role of the authorities in maintaining and preserving these cultural monuments, including their responsibilities and the extent to which they fulfil their legal duties.
Geri Emiri, Editor-in-Chief, Amfora.al