In the Grand Final of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest, Jonida Maliqi of Albania executed a stunning rendition of Ktheju tokës and finished 17th in the entire song contest. The performance is full of passion, meaning, and national pride. The idea of national identity is prevalent in this performance from the colors, the language, the clothing and the imagery on the stage. Maliqi's performance stood out as she clearly did Albania proud. When I initially saw this performance, I was immediately drawn to the artist, the sound of her voice, the clothing she wore and the intense imagery in the background. There is so much in this performance that stood out to me. This performance is the reason I picked Albania as my country to focus on. The first thing I want to talk about is the choice of clothing and the colors present in the performance. Jonida Maliqi is dressed in an all black gown with different gold emblems going up and down the sides and in parts of her hair. The black to me, sym...
National identity is an expression that relates to the unity of people in a certain country. National identity can be shown through a common language, religion, ethnicity or an experience. National identity to people can be a sense of belonging to a certain nation. However, no nation is perfect. There is history. There is turmoil. There are people who have been historically excluded from the defining features of what it means to be someone who fits into a national identity. That is why, for some national identity is a dangerous social construct that is unnatural and made up (Then & Now). Throughout history, there have been groups of people that have been left out of what it means to be someone with a national identity. This group of people is considered an “other”. In the context of Albania, the others are a group of people that have been historically discriminated against. There are ideas discussed that can contribute to national identity but there is no one way to a person from...