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Scoop

Scoop

It's the mid-90s in Albania, all hell breaks loose and Joanna Robertson gets her scoop.

The Essay · BBC Radio 3

July 12, 202113m 44s

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Show Notes

It's the mid-90s, and Joanna Robertson has moved to Albania to be a foreign correspondent, on a hunch that something major was about to happen there. And it has: multiple pyramid schemes collapse, leaving many destitute. In the resulting uprising, the military's arms depots are looted - 2.7 billion items of weaponry, ammunition and explosives now in the hands of a population of 3.4 million, over half of whom are under 15. The country descends into violence and anarchy, the capital Tirana gets a record number of international visitors, in the shape of the world's media - but Joanna is well ahead of them, landing her scoop.

Presenter: Joanna Robertson Producer: Arlene Gregorius

Photo: 'Theth - waiting for transport’ by Stan Sherer from the book, ‘Long Life to Your Children!’