Shkodra, Albania—Approximately 150 people participated in the first “Peace Road” event to take place in the northwestern Albanian city of Shkodra.
The Albanian chapters of UPF and several affiliated organizations jointly organized the event on June 7, 2017. Shkodra’s municipality and representatives of civil society, organizations and businesses helped to make the event a success, as did UPF chapters in other cities.
The program was organized in two parts. In the first part, bicyclists followed a planned route for around 40 minutes. Before the start of the bicycle tour, the professional Music Band of Shkodra City performed the national anthem and after that gave the departure command. After the bicyclists departed, the band performed for their supporters until the cyclists came back.
The second part of the program started with opening remarks by Mr. Ali Laçej, the coordinator of the Albanian Peace Council. He was followed by three other dignitaries giving welcoming remarks: Marie Koliqi, the vice-chair of UPF-Shkodra; Mr. Jack Corley, the UPF regional chair for Europe; and Shkodra’s deputy mayor, Mr. Dritan Meta.
After the opening and the welcoming remarks, these individuals added their signatures to the big Peace Road banner. At the close of the event, all the participants and supporters also were invited to sign the banner.
The program continued with a concert of international and Albanian performers. Young UPF volunteers who were visiting from Korea and Japan sang songs from their homelands. The public really liked and welcomed them. The international performances were followed by the Albanian dance team “The Passion,” who performed a traditional dance prepared professionally by Vladimir Saiti, a famous choreographer in Shkodra City.
Five famous singers—Arsed Muça, Serxho Gjergji, Ilsi Ademi, Niki Mjeda, and Rezarta Smaja— performed Albanian songs. Their participation was possible due to the support of Mrs. Brunilda Keci, the head of the Department of Art and Culture in Shkodra City.
Local and national media covered the event, including TV Rozafa, STAR PLUS, TV1 Channel, and ORA NEWS.