Macedonians of Albania

ethnic group


flag_caption= Flag of the Macedonian dominated district of Pustec.
group= Macedonians and Torbeshi of Albania
poptime= 4,697 (by language 1989) [ [http://www.fes.hr/E-books/pdf/Local%20Self%20Government/09.pdf 1989 census LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT AND DECENTRALIZATION: CASE OF ALBANIA. HISTORY, REFORMES AND CHALLENGES] ] - 30,000 [http://www.culturalpolicies.net/web/albania.php?aid=422]
popplace= Liqenas (Pustec), Gora,
Korçë (Gorica), Pogradec
rels=Predominantly Eastern Orthodox and Muslim
langs=Macedonian
related-c=Other ethnic Macedonians

Ethnic Macedonians of Albania are an officially recognized ethnic minority in Albania [ [http://www.osce.org/documents/odihr/2005/07/15541_en.pdf OSCE INTERNATIONAL ELECTION OBSERVATION MISSION] ] [ [http://www.coe.int/NewsSearch/Default.asp?p=nwz&id=1255&lmLangue=1 Council of Europe 2004-2008] ] . In the 1989 census, 4,697 [Artan Hoxha and Alma Gurraj, [http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/kroatien/50257.pdf "Local Self-Government and Decentralization: Case of Albania. History, Reforms and Challenges"] . In: "Local Self Government and Decentralization in South - East Europe". Proceedings of the workshop held in Zagreb, Croatia. 6 April 2001. Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Zagreb Office, Zagreb 2001, pp 194-224] people declared themselves Macedonian. The condition of the Macedonian population living in the Prespa area is described in positive terms and particular praise is given since all the villages of the area have classes in their mother tongue. [Minority Rights in Albania, page 3 - Albanian Helsinki Committee, September 1999] Macedonian organizations allege that the government undercounts their number and that they are politically under-represented, arguing there are no Macedonians in the Albanian parliament. [ [http://www.macedoniansinalbania.org/news/osce_albania05.html Interview with Edmond Temelko, president of the Macedonian organization “Prespa” in Albania] ] Past Helsinki reports stated, "Albania recognizes [...] a Macedonian minority, but only in the Southern regions. Those who identify as Macedonians [...] outside these minority regions are denied the minority rights granted in the south, including minority classes at state schools." [ [http://www.greekhelsinki.gr/bhr/english/special_issues/CEDIME-unwgm2001/un%20wgm%20ghm-mrgg%20statement%203a%2014-5-01.doc Helsinki report] ] Some say there is disagreement among the Slavic-speaking Albanian citizens as to whether they are members of the Macedonian nation, as a significant percentage are Torbeš.

Areas inhabitated by Macedonians

Most Macedonians live in the Mala Prespa and Golo Brdo area. The region is located west of Lake Ohrid and Prespa and forms the western most part of the Macedonia region including areas of the Korçë, Pogradec and Devoll districts (sometimes considered to be a part of Aegean Macedonia). Many Macedonians can be found in the following villages: Lajthizë, Pustec, Zaroshka, Tserje, Šulin, Glubočani, Dolna Gorica, Bezmishti and Gorna Gorica. From the administrative point of view, the nine villages of the Macedonian minority constitute the Commune of Prespa, with the village of Pustec being the center. The villages of Progun, Rakitsko, Suec, Zagradec and Vrbnik are also Macedonian villages found in the Devoll District.

Many inhabitants of the Gora region are known as Torbês, whose number has been estimated at c. 40,000 - 120,000. [M. Apostolov, "The Pomaks: A Religious Minority in The Balkans", (1996)] External estimates on the population of Macedonians in Albania include 10,000, [ [http://www.albanien.ch/albinfo/pmwiki.php/Main/AlbGeoInfo Landesinformationen: AlbINFO by albanien.ch ] ] whereas Macedonian sources have claimed 120,000 - 350,000 Macedonians in Albania [ [http://www.florina.org/html/2003/2003_osce_albania.html 2003 OSCE - Macedonian Minority in Albania ] ] [ Jakim Sinadinovski, Macedonian Muslims, Then and Now ]

Despite high levels of emigration the official number of people registering as Macedonians in Albania has nearly doubled over the last 50 years:
*1950 - 2,273
*1955 - 3,341
*1960 - 4,235
*1979 - 4,097
*1989 - 4,697

Education

There is a general high school in Liqenas, one eight-year school in Dolna Gorica and six elementary schools in Djellas, Lajthize, Zaroshke, Gorna Gorica, Kallamas and Globočani. There are eight-year schools at the two biggest villages of the commune, Liqenas and Gorice e Madhe, where 20 percent of the texts are held at the mother tongue language. At the centre of the commune there is a high school as well. The history of the Macedonian people is a special subject at the school. All minority schools have twin partnerships with counterparts in Macedonia. [http://www.usefoundation.org/foundation/research/olp/viewResearch.asp?CID=4&TID=6 U.S.ENGLISH Foundation Official Language Research - Albania: Language in everyday life ] ] All the teaching personnel is local and with the proper education.http://www.ahc.org.al/deklarata/Report%20on%20the%20macedonian%20minority.pdf]

Macedonian organizations

In September 1991 the "Bratska" Political Association of Macedonian in Albania (BPAMA) was established. Other Macedonian organizations include Macedonian Alliance for European Integration, Prespa, Mir (Peace), Bratstvo (Brotherhood) and the MED (Macedonian Aegean Society) [ [http://www.macedoniansinalbania.org The Macedonian Minority in Albania ] ] .

Religion

The Macedonians in Albania are primarily Orthodox or Muslim. The Torbeshi are Muslim, they are primarily found in the Gora region. While the Macedonians found in the Prespa and Golo Brdo region are primarily Orthodox. The Community is currently in the process of building the first of many Macedonian Orthodox Churches [ [http://www.macedoniansinalbania.org/news/osce_albania05.html Macedonians in Albania] ] [Minority Rights in Albania, Albanian Helsinki Committee, September 1999 ] . The Church 'St. Michael the Archangel' was started in the early 2000s. A new church is that of Saint Mary for which a considerable funding has been given by the Macedonian Orthodox Church.

Macedonian media

The local radio of Korçë broadcasts the Fote Nikola ("Macedonian: Фоте Никола") program which comprises news bulletins and songs in Macedonian for the Macedonian minority in Albania for half an hour each day.The local TV station has also released programs from Macedonia [Under the direct auspices of the Albanian Helsinki Committee, from September 1999 to September 2000, an intensive work was carried out for the realization of the project “On the status of the minorities in the Republic of Albania”. This project was financed by the Finnish Foundation ‘KIOS’, “Finnish NGO Foundation for Human Rights”] . On November 7, 2002 the first private Macedonian language radio station was set up. It is known as Radio Prespa. Many Macedonian language newspapers have been launched but most have failed due to finanial reasons, the only Macedonian journal is the quarterly Prespa newspaper [ [http://www.mhrmi.org/news/2004/october12a_e.asp Macedonian Human Rights Movement International ] ] .

Representation in Government

At present there is no Macedonian in the Albanian Parliament. But many of the Local Government representatives are Macedonian. The mayor of Pustec/Liqenas is Edmond Vangjel Themelko according to 2007 local elections. He is a Macedonian. There are Macedonians represented in the districts of Звезда (Zvezda) and Горна Горица (Gorna Gorica). [Makedonski Icelenuchki Almanac '97, Matitsa na Icelenitsite od Makedonija; Skopje: 1997; p.60-61]

Notable Macedonians from Albania

*Edmond Temelko - Mayor of the Pustec Commune, Politician and Ethnic Macedonian activist
*Spase Ilinden - Macedonian language Writer and Poet
*Kimet Fetahu - Doctor and Professor
*Nikola Berovski
*Sterjo Spase - Writer

ee also

*Macedonians (ethnic)
*Bulgarians in Albania
*Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia

External links

* http://www.macedoniansinalbania.org
* [http://www.ahc.org.al/deklarata/Report%20on%20the%20macedonian%20minority.pdf Albanian Helsinki Comitee report on the Macedonians in Albania]
* [http://www.dnevnik.com.mk/?ItemID=5C79D3543F0BEA4599300F2E277575DA Latest Edition of the Prespa Newspaper]
* [http://www.osce.org/documents/eea/2005/05/14595_en.pdf Osce report of Minorities in Albania]
* [http://www.osce.org/documents/odihr/2003/10/730_en.pdf Republic of Albania]
* [http://www.osce.org/documents/odihr/2005/07/15541_en.pdf ODIHR]
* [http://clubs.dir.bg/showthreaded.php?Board=maked&Number=1944451473 Photos of Macedonians in Albania]

Multimedia

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4bzPPjslmA A video about the Ethnic Minority with both Albanian and Macedonian sources]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnIj7dp4X-0&feature=related Macedonians in Gora celebrating Gjurgovden]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeNX8yZPv1Q Macedonians in Pustec, Albania]

References