Albania’s Flamingo Revolution: Jared Kushner, Kanye West + the Fight for Sovereignty

For well over six weeks massive protests have filled the streets in Albania against a luxury coastal development project led by US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and his wife Ivanka. The so-called Flamingo Revolution started as an environmental movement to protect wetland breeding grounds but has since evolved into a full-blown national uprising: In the last week the country’s anti-corruption prosecutor launched an investigation into allegations the resort deeds were forged, and after Prime Minister Edi Rama spent more than $4 million in public funds to host a concert with Kanye West, he’s facing calls for resignation.

Albania can’t meet the basic needs of its people, says Dajana, an activist in Tirana. She joins BT Live to explain why this fight over the country’s Vjosa-Narta coastline and Sazan Island has become a national reckoning over corruption and sovereignty — and why the question of who Albania’s land really belongs to matters for the rest of the world:

“We’re not doing it only for us — this fencing of public beaches is happening all over: Puerto Rico, Spain, Italy. It’s important to stop this madness. Jamaican people cannot go to their own beaches because it’s now for elites. What do you mean? We cannot accept our land being sold off.”

“You can’t go on TV and say you’ve discovered an island that already exists. What is this, Christopher Columbus in 2026?”

Albanian activist Dajana explains how the Kushner-Trump plans for a luxury resort sparked the “Flamingo Revolution”