An afternoon prayer

Cities and Memory - remixing the world

The recording captures a scene where various everyday sounds are heard, including the call to prayer (Adhan) from a nearby mosque, footsteps of a dog in the house, barking dogs outside, chirping birds, and children playing in the background. The people involved could be the imam or muezzin calling for prayer, pedestrians going about their daily activities, stray dogs and children enjoying their time outdoors.
This recording resonates with the theme of migration by portraying the multicultural and diverse environment often found in urban settings as well as Albania, a place where many people leave from to live abroad. The call to prayer, a quintessential sound in Islamic culture, is a typical sound mark in many places in Albania. As a person coming "back" to my parent's hometown, this sound feels very foreign to me, having grown up in Greece, but i remember always finding it fascinating in my childhood, visiting Albania. This relates to the background of Albanians migrating to other countries and some of the cultural effects to the next generations as well as other cultural influences towards Albania. Additionally, the mixture of sounds from various sources reflects the blending of cultures and backgrounds that occurs in areas shaped by migration.
The sound captures the harmonious coexistence of different elements in a community perceived by a person shaped by migration, having "come back" in different forms. The call to prayer serves as a reminder of cultural and religious diversity, while the sounds of footsteps, dogs, birds, and children playing evoke the vitality and liveliness of the neighborhood. Despite language barriers and cultural differences, the everyday sounds create a sense of shared space and interconnectedness among residents.
The recordist may experience a sense of curiosity, fascination, alienation, childhood memories and appreciation for the rich tapestry of sounds that make up the urban environment. The call to prayer may evoke feelings of respect or intrigue, regardless of the recordist's religious background or understanding of the language. The presence of everyday sounds like footsteps, dogs, birds, and children playing may elicit a sense of comfort, familiarity, and belonging, highlighting the mundane yet reassuring aspects of everyday life in a migrant community.
Recorded in Tirana, Albania by Ili Os.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration