On October 18^th 2022 the department of Political Science and International Relations of Epoka University organized a visit to the Museum of Secret Surveillance “House of Leaves”. The building of the museum was previously used as an investigation center by the former “State Security” during the Albanian communist regime. Nowadays is serves as an important piece of history that reminds us of the dark past that should not be forgotten.

   The museum was divided into different room and sectors, each describing and showing different aspects of surveillance during the regime. With the help of the museum guide, students were able to get more information about the origin of the “House of Leaves” and its later uses. One of the most interesting sectors was the one of surveillance equipment. The regime would spend big portions of its budget to buy the latest equipment such as cameras, microphones, recorders etc. to spy on its people or foreigners while the majority of the population was suffering in poverty. The Albanian communist regime, as most totalitarian regimes, was a built on paranoia and fear of an enemy. And even if the enemy didn’t exist, it had to be created. For this purpose, many people were tortured and killed as “political enemies”. One of the rooms in the museum showed a long list of all the innocent people that were victims of the regime. In total around 18.000 people were imprisoned and 5.500 executed. The heart-breaking stories of victims of the regimes that were shown in short documentaries left a big impact on us viewers that are fortunate enough to not have lived in that time period. Also, the museum showed how propaganda was created: from movies and magazines to undercover agents used to denounce the Yugoslavs as corrupt and Albanians as real socialists.   

   The visit was followed by a discussion with Prof. Avdi Smaljaj, Prof. Dea Bashkurti and the students of the department regarding the legacy of the communist regime in Albania and the dangers of totalitarianism. The visit and the discussion were very valuable for us students of PIR because it helped us apply the knowledge that we have gained in our courses to real life events. Museums such as the “House of Leaves” are of significant importance not only for us students of the field but for every Albanian citizen so that we don’t forget our dark past. The consequences of the communist regime can be seen every day in Albania, from the authoritarian tendencies of our governments to the lack of a culture of freedom and democracy. By remining ourselves of the crimes and horrors of communism we Albanians have one more reason to protect and cultivate values of liberal democracies. After all those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.