Linda Rama, 60, might be known on the world stage as the wife of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, but her decades of advocacy work in human rights and economic social justice following the fall of communism in her country has been pivotal, particularly for women and girls.
“Three decades ago, I couldn’t have imagined meeting one of you,” she the global audience at the Forbes and Know Your Value 30/50 Summit on Friday. “In three decades, I am with 300 of you and this is a miracle for the generation of my age living in communism.”
Now in its fourth year, the 30/50 Summit brings together generations of the most influential female leaders, influencers and innovators for unprecedented networking, mentorship, and leadership opportunities — all with the goal of fostering global change and gender equity.
The researcher, economist, co-founder and activist joined 30/50 Summit chair Mika Brzezinski on stage to talk about her country’s dynamic transition and the part she’s played in that process.
“[Albania] was called the North Korea of Europe,” she recalled of her childhood in communism, widely regarded as one of the harshest dictatorships among former communist bloc countries.
While she felt love and care at home, she also saw her family struggle under the regime, which controlled its citizens through fear tactics. “Fear was like a glue that kept the society together,” she said. “When we were very young, we were constantly told by our parents not to whisper anything … not to trust anyone and to keep our head down.”
By the late 1980s, Albania reached a state of extreme poverty due to heavy repression, strict isolation from the outside world, and a highly centralized economy — one that ultimately failed.
But after the regime’s collapse in 1992 and its transition to a Democratic system, Rama realized the underlying crisis for her people was not climbing out of poverty. “I think that it was the trauma, because if circumstances are changed, you can deal with poverty and you can take opportunities to recover,” she said. “But even though you might have a good economy it’s very difficult to escape from the trauma.”
The experience inspired her to pursue earn a master’s degree in economics in Prague, later notching a PhD in Economic Sciences. “We knew nothing about what was coming, nobody knew,” she recalled. “And I understood over the years that the biggest lessons and the biggest learning was by our mistakes … and with extreme cost for the whole population.”
In 1998, after spending years of contributing to government reforms on property transformation and leading the National Agency for Privatization, she co-founded the Human Development Promotion Center, a think tank that provides critical research insights on the socio-economic development of Albania. Through the transformative decades since the end of communism, Rama herself has authored more than 50 publications focusing on economic, social, and civil developments that have lifted the country from deep darkness into the daylight.
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“We ended up at the end of communism as survivors. Being a survivor, you are a fantastic fighter, a warrior,” Rama told Brzezinski. “Before the Second World War started, the country was 90 percent illiterate and now the country [is] ahead compared to all countries in the region.”
Additionally, while Albania has been a member nation of NATO since 2009, the country formally began the process of applying for EU membership in 2014.
“So Albanians have managed over these three-and-a-half decades to overcome a large part of all the trauma,” she said.
To that end, Rama acknowledged the support the country received from Democratic nations, including the U.S., during the difficult transition period.
“The most important thing [was] their presence,” she recalled. “The message was given to everyone that we were not alone and you can’t imagine what it means for someone in need, for a country in need … transforming from extreme communism to a democratic country is a long path and you cannot do it alone.”
A strong believer in the principles of an open society and a dedicated advocate for human rights, particularly for women and children, she co-founded the Albanian Children Alliance, an Albanian-based civil society movement for the protection of children’s rights.
Rama does not shy away from prioritizing these issues as the wife of prime minister Edi Rama, who also served three terms as Mayor of Tirana.
“I take the opportunity to share [the issues], but what I have learned over the years is to be patient, to give myself time to understand better,” she said. “Edi, with time, has increased his patience a lot, his capability to hear, and I think this is an amazing combination because we can be very helpful to each other.”
Despite the ongoing conflicts in places including Ukraine and the Middle East, Rama maintains hope for their future as a survivor of political trauma. “With all the challenges that are in front of us, I think that we are lucky because we know a lot — by being altogether, by sharing the values, by resisting and by making our kids capable to take on whatever challenges would be ahead of us.”
Bianca Brosh