"Albanian language are Gheg, by majority, and Tosk in parts of the south. Education in Albanian language is provided in all levels, including university levels, such as State University of Tetovo, South East European University, also in Tetovo. The main religion among Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia is Islam (see Islam in the Republic of Macedonia), though there are some who are Roman Catholic, with the most prominent member Agnes (""Anjeza"") Bojaxhiu, also known as Mother Teresa. There are also a few Orthodox Christian Albanian villages located in Gostivar, Reka, and scattered in the southeast. They are remnants of"
"Lorenc Antoni Lorenc Antoni (23 September 1909 – 21 October 1991) was an Albanian composer, conductor, and ethnomusicologist. Lorenc Antoni was born 23 September 1909 in Üsküp (now Skopje), in the Kosovo Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire (present-day Republic of Macedonia). Three years later, the region with which we would be associated for the rest of his life came to be first part of Kingdom of Serbia and later Yugoslavia. He was raised as a Catholic in the Albanian Catholic community of Skopje, and is the cousin of Agnesë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu (Mother Teresa). Since a child, he was active in"
"flower"" in Albanian) on 26 August 1910 into a Kosovar Albanian family in Skopje (now the capital of the Republic of Macedonia), Ottoman Empire. She was baptized in Skopje, the day after her birth. She later considered 27 August, the day she was baptised, her ""true birthday"". She was the youngest child of Nikollë and Dranafile Bojaxhiu (Bernai). Her father, who was involved in Albanian-community politics in Macedonia, died in 1919 when she was eight years old. He may have been from Prizren, Kosovo, and her mother may have been from a village near Gjakova. According to a biography by"
"""Mësonjtorja"" (""The school"") of 1979 produced by Kinostudio Shqipëria e Re is dedicated to her and her brother Gjerasim, even though their names appear different (Dafina and Stefan). <br>Several schools in Albania and Kosovo bear the names of Qiriazi family. Parashqevi Qiriazi Parashqevi Qiriazi, also known as Paraskevi D. Kirias (2 June 1880 – 1970) was an Albanian teacher who dedicated her life to the Albanian alphabet and to the instruction of written Albanian language. She was a woman participant at the Congress of Monastir, which decided the form of the Albanian alphabet, and the founder of the ""Yll' i"
"advocate for UN Women. Lusha has written five books of poetry, ""Inner Thoughts"", ""Drinking the Moon"", ""Amore Celeste"", ""The Call"", ""The Living Air;"" a novel ""The Besa""; and two children's books. Lusha has written poetry and translated it into Albanian. She has translated poems and prayers by Mother Teresa. Lusha was born in Tirana, Albania, and is the only child of Max and Daniela Lusha. Her mother was a magazine publisher.<ref name=""Madden Cover/Section D""></ref> In 1990, Lusha and her family left Albania as refugees. Upon leaving Albania, Lusha moved to Budapest, Hungary, and Vienna, Austria. In an interview in 2016,"
"Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga. He was the grandfather of Kosovar politician Albulena Haxhiu. Ahmet Haxhiu Ahmet Haxhiu (6 May 1932 – 6 July 1994) was a Kosovo Albanian political activist and one of the main gunrunners for Kosovo Liberation Army in the early 1990s. He was one of the leading figures of the Revolutionary Movement for Albanian Unification, which aimed at uniting various illegal groups who fought against the government of FR Yugoslavia. Haxhiu later joined People's Movement of Kosovo and was considered the right hand of Adem Demaçi. On 28 November 2012 (Albanian Flag Day), Ahmet Haxhiu was awarded ""The"
"Besim Bokshi Besim Bokshi (; 1930–2014) was an Albanian poet, linguist and philologist. He served as the president of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kosovo during 2008-2011. Besim Bokshi was born in Gjakova, Kingdom of Yugoslavia. His family moved to Albania when he was a child and he finished elementary education in a school in Dukat, a village near Vlorë. A few years later he studied in Tirana. In 1945, he returned to Gjakova and studied at the Catedra of Albanology of the University of Belgrade until 1959, followed by post-graduate studies on linguistics still in Beograd. During"
"1999 he was decorated with the medal National Cavalier of Italy by Massimo D'Alema at a ceremony that took place in Rome. Ismail Boçari Ismail Boçari (1917 - 11 May 2014) was an Albanian professor of medicine. During World War II he took part in the Albanian National Liberation Front. He has received several awards for his activities. Ismail Boçari was born in 1917 in Tragjas, Vlorë, southwestern Albania. He has studied medicine in the University of Bologna and the University of Sofia. During the Albanian resistance of World War II he escaped from execution from Italian and German troops"
"Rexhep Qosja Rexhep Qosja (born 1936 in Vusanje, Zeta Banovina,is a prominent politician and literary critic from a part of Malësia in modern Montenegro (where locally the region is known as ""Malesija""). He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Pristina and graduated with a master's degree from the University of Belgrade Faculty of Philology in 1968. Qosja is the author of various anthologies and scholarly monographs, including a three-volume history of Albanian literature in the Romantic period. He is also the author of the novel ""Vdekja më vjen prej syve të tillë"" (""Death Comes to Me from Such"
"Arts of Kosovo, while in the past he has served as its vice-president. Bokshi was a member of the Conclusions Commission during the Linguistic Consult of Pristina in 1968, a linguistics event on the topic of the orthography standard of the Albanian language. He was also a delegate in the Orthography Congress held in Tirana in November 1973, and in the Southeastern European Studies Congress held in Ankara, Turkey in 1978. Bokshi died on 16 August 2014. Besim Bokshi Besim Bokshi (; 1930–2014) was an Albanian poet, linguist and philologist. He served as the president of the Academy of Sciences"
"the Albanian community in the Former Yugoslavia. As a successful economist, in 1982, Sapunxhiu became an official at the World Bank. When the Yugoslav crisis began, he opposed the idea of a civil war and did not effectually vote, though he was registered as voting ""pro"". Nevertheless, the civil war was not declared due to opposition by other members of the presidency. Riza Sapunxhiu Riza Sapunxhiu (15 March 1925 – 6 September 2008) was a Kosovo Albanian communist politician and economist of the former Yugoslavia. He was born in Peć, at the time in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and"
"novelist (b. 1941) and Teki Dervishi ( 1943). Kosovo's poetry has been a lot more creative and experimental compared Albania. Among its leading proponents are Din Mehmeti (1932), Besim Kokshi (b. 1932), Azem Shkreli (b. 1938), Rrahman Dedaj (1939), Ali Podrimja (1942), Eqrem Basha (1948), Sabri Hamiti (1950), and Asri Çapriqi (1960). There are two distinct dialects in modern Albanian. Catholic priests wrote most of the Albanian literature in Toske dialect and Gheg which is spoken in northern Albania and Kosovo. It is also spoken in Northern Albania, Macedonia, and in parts of Montenegro. Each area of Northern Albania has"
"from eighteen other countries. Gilbert Galanxhi Gilbert Galanxhi was born on July 28, 1962 in the capital city of Tirana, Albania. Galanxhi has served as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Albania to the United States of America until 2015. He is married and he and his wife have two children, a daughter and a son. Galanxhi grew up under the Communist regime of Prime Minister and community leader Enver Hoxha which lasted from 1944 until 1985. Nine years later, Galanxhi joined the Foreign Service of Albania. Galanxhi attended and graduated from Tirana University. During his time"
"In 1980, she won first prize in a national contest as part of “Pionieri” magazine’s 35th anniversary. In 1989, she took second prize in a competition organized by Radio-Tirana for young poets on the 45th anniversary of Albania’s liberation. Since then, she has won 30 awards in several international literary contests within Italy and Switzerland. In 2013, she won the IX Edition International Prize Universum Donna (equivalent to Woman of the Year) and the Ambassador of Peace nomination from the University of Peace in Lugano, Switzerland. She was also awarded ""The Albanian Poet of the year 2015” prize from the"
"Mother Teresa Mother Teresa, known in the Roman Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta (born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, ; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), was an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary. She was born in Skopje (now the capital of Macedonia), then part of the Kosovo Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. After living in Macedonia for eighteen years she moved to Ireland and then to India, where she lived for most of her life. In 1950 Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation which had over 4,500 sisters and was active in"
"(1992–present). She has been nominated for and she won a range of prizes and awards. Among these are the following: Millennium Peace Prize, ""Honorary Citizenship of Tutin"", ""Honorary Citizenship of Granada"", etc. Nominated for The Nobel Peace Prize as part of the 1,000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize campaign in 2005, also in 2005 and 2007 she was nominated for ""Newspaper Person of the Year"" by the daily Danas. Stasa Zajovic Stanislava Staša Zajović (born 1953 in Nikšić, Yugoslavia, today Montenegro) is a Montenegrin co-founder and coordinator of Women in Black, Belgrade, Serbia. She speaks Spanish, Italian and English."
"Selfixhe Ciu Selfixhe Ciu (married name Selfixhe Broja, pen name Kolombja, born in Gjirokastër in 1918, died in Tirana in 2003) was an Albanian writer and the first Albanian woman writer to ever publish literature in Albania. On 28 November 1935, when she was 17, Selfixhe Ciu published under the plume name ""Kolombja"", a poem on the ""Populli"" newspaper. She then is part of the Albanian writers of the 1930s period. Born in Gjirokastër in 1918, Ciu was friends with Musine Kokalari, the first Albanian woman to publish a novel. She was studying in Florence, Italy, when the Italian invasion"
"Macedonia Blas Flores Macedonia Blas Flores (born 1958) is a Mexican human rights activist of hñañú origin. She was a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005, because of the activism she wages against the violence suffered by the women of her tribe, the Otomi. Since 1997, she has headed the civil association ""Fotzi Ñahño"", which aids Otomi. Blas Flores is from El Bothe, San Ildefonso Tultepec, municipality of Amealco, Queretaro. The mother of 12 children spent decades selling handicrafts. Since 1997, she has worked for ""Fotzi Ñahño"", where she speaks on human rights and gender violence against hñañú."
"Besa (singer) Besa Kokëdhima (born 29 May 1989), also known as Besa, is an awarded Albanian singer/performer. Besa is known for being a contestant and award winner in countless Music Festivals and shows in Albania, Kosova & Macedonia. She has released 5 solo albums. In 2009, Besa represented Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest, with the English-language song ""Nothin' Gonna Change"", and reached the semi-finals. Besa was also a contestant and winner on the Albanian music festivals Kënga Magjike 2013 , and Top Fest 2008. Besa is currently a judge on the Albanian television show The Voice of Albania. In"
"Riza Sapunxhiu Riza Sapunxhiu (15 March 1925 – 6 September 2008) was a Kosovo Albanian communist politician and economist of the former Yugoslavia. He was born in Peć, at the time in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. He served as Deputy Prime Minister and Prime Minister of Kosovo prior to becoming its representative in the Yugoslav Presidency. From 1980 to 1982, Sapunxhiu served as Prime Minister of Kosovo. In 1981, he headed the Kosovar delegation in a historical visit to Albania. This visit paved the way for closer relations between Albania and the Albanian community in Kosovo and"
"Julia Gjika Julia Gjika (born 1949) is an Albanian-born poet living in the United States. She is one of the few writers publishing in the Albanian language and writes poetry as well working as a journalist. Her poems have been praised by her peers and have been included in several publications of collected works. Julia Naçi was born 1 July 1949 in Gjirokastra, Albania during the Enver Hoxha dictatorship, which imposed strict sanctions and censorship on literature allowing no development of literary markets until the 1970s. In spite of the ban, Gjika studied finance at Ushrarake Academy and Albanian literature"
"is also the recipient of the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award by PEN American Center and the Human Rights Award of the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Berlin. Despite this international recognition, it is curious to note that, as a poet, Flora Brovina has never been part of the literary establishment of Kosovo, nor has her verse found its way into the mainstream of contemporary Albanian literature. A collection of her verse has appeared in English in ""Flora Brovina, Call me by my Name, Poetry from Kosova"" in a bilingual Albanian-English Edition, translated by Robert Elsie, New York: Gjonlekaj 2001."
"Vaçe Zela Vaçe Zela (7 April 1939 – 6 February 2014) was an Albanian singer. She began her career at a young age and in 1962 was the first to win the Albanian Song Festival (Festivali i Këngës). An 11-time winner of the festival, Vaçe gained fame during the communist era and was awarded the Merited Artist of Albania prize in 1973 and the People's Artist of Albania prize in 1977. On 24 December 2002 she was awarded the Prize ""Honor of the Nation"" by the Albanian president Alfred Moisiu. Before her death in 2014, she lived in Switzerland. The"
"the government to Liri. In 2008, Berisha founded the Mother Teresa Cultural Foundation. In 2009, the Women's Information Network named Berisha ""Woman of the Year"". Berisha joined Autism Speaks in 2011 in celebrating the opening of a new centre for autistic children in Albania, calling the centre a way to improve the lives of children with autism there. Liri Berisha Liri Berisha, née Ramaj, is an Albanian pediatrician and president of the Albanian Children Foundation, and also an UNICEF ambassador. She is the wife of Sali Berisha, the former President and Prime Minister of Albania, with whom she has two"
"Koto Hoxhi Konstandin Hoxhi, known as Koto Hoxhi (1824–1895) was an advocate of the Albanian language. He taught the language secretly to his students in Qestorat in Southern Albania. He was imprisoned and died in prison for his beliefs. Koto Hoxhi was born in Qestorat in 1824 (Gjirokastër District, southern Albania, then Ottoman Empire). He and Sami Frashëri, Pashko Vasa and Jani Vreto devised an alphabet for expressing the Albanian language. Based on this it was possible to create the first alphabet book in Albanian. Koto Hoxhi was married to the daughter of Christakis Zografos, a local wealthy benefactor from"
"some of the activities and events that Dida attended/organized: Bujar Dida Bujar Dida (born May 7, 1961) is an Albanian chemistry Ph.D and D.Sc and the first Ambassador of the Republic of Albania to Japan. He was nominated as Ambassador on December 12, 2007 by President Bamir Topi. Dida was born in Kukës, Albania. He holds two academic degrees; ""Doctor of Science"" from the University of Tirana (1994) and ""Doctor of Philosophy"" from Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan (1999). He conducted post graduate studies in Japan with scholarship ""Monbukagakusho"" (1995-1999) Japan. He has been the director of the project ""Education Reform"""
"award is given annually to an Albanian or international author in recognition of their ongoing contribution to national and world literature, essentially equivalent to the Pulitzer Prize in the United States. Pjetër Arbnori Pjetër Filip Arbnori (January 18, 1935 – July 8, 2006) was an Albanian gulag survivor. He was dubbed ""the Mandela of the Balkans"" by Albanian statesmen because of the length of his 28-year internment. He was born in Durrës, on the Adriatic coast. President Topi bestowed the Nation's Honor Order upon Pjetër Arbnori (post mortem). Arbnori was orphaned at the age of seven when his father was"
"The Father of A.Strindberg, for the National Theatre Festival of Macedonia and the International Theatre Festival of Kosovo. Arta Muçaj Arta Muçaj (born December 24, 1974, in Prizren, Kosovo), also known as Arta Mucaj, is an Albanian actress from Kosovo. Arta Muçaj studied Drama at the Academy of Arts in Tirana, Albania, gaining a Bachelor of Arts in acting in 1997. She has performed at many national and international Theatre Festivals in Europe and elsewhere, including the Vienna Festival, Bonner Biennale 2000, Festival D’Avignon, Intercult, Bologna 2000, The Summer Ohrid Festival, Macedonia,The Festival of Budva, Montenegro, International Theatre Festival in"
"(1954; song of the lowland pastures) by Martin Camaj who become a leading scholar of Albanian studies in Munich and Rome. In 1974, more freedom and a semblance of equality was given to Kosovo Albanians by the Yugoslav constitution for the first time, and literature bloomed on the Plain of the Blackbird in the following decade. From the several leading prose writers, some that are worth mentioning are Anton Pashku (1937–1995), Rexhep Qosja (b. 1936), notably for his explosive political novel Vdjeka më vjen prej syve të tillë (1974; death comes from such eyes), Nazmi Rrahmani who was a prolific"
"Maria Rilke, James Joyce, Vladimir Nabokov, Alice Munro and others. From 2001, he lived and worked in the United States until his death in January 2015 in Rockville, MD. Betim Muço Betim Muço (21 January 1947 – 15 January 2015) was an Albanian writer, poet, translator, and seismologist. Betim Muço was born in Tirana, the capital of Albania, on January 21, 1947. He graduated in nuclear physics from the University of Tirana in 1970, specializing in seismology. He held a PhD in Earth Sciences. Muço's scientific career spans more than four decades. He contributed to the practice and development of"
"Ismail Boçari Ismail Boçari (1917 - 11 May 2014) was an Albanian professor of medicine. During World War II he took part in the Albanian National Liberation Front. He has received several awards for his activities. Ismail Boçari was born in 1917 in Tragjas, Vlorë, southwestern Albania. He has studied medicine in the University of Bologna and the University of Sofia. During the Albanian resistance of World War II he escaped from execution from Italian and German troops three times in 1942,1943 and 1944. In 1993 he received the Castriota Scanderbeg award for his activities during World War II In"
"Bujar Dida Bujar Dida (born May 7, 1961) is an Albanian chemistry Ph.D and D.Sc and the first Ambassador of the Republic of Albania to Japan. He was nominated as Ambassador on December 12, 2007 by President Bamir Topi. Dida was born in Kukës, Albania. He holds two academic degrees; ""Doctor of Science"" from the University of Tirana (1994) and ""Doctor of Philosophy"" from Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan (1999). He conducted post graduate studies in Japan with scholarship ""Monbukagakusho"" (1995-1999) Japan. He has been the director of the project ""Education Reform"" - World Bank (2000-2004), Director General of Superphosphates Plant"
"the ""Rexhai Surroi Prize"" for the best Albanian novel of the year 2012, for his novel, """"Legjenda e vetmisë"""" (The Legend of Solitude). Luljeta Lleshanaku is one of the most important and most acclaimed Albanian poets today. She's the author of seven volumes of poetry, a couple of which have been translated in various languages. English translations include: ""Fresco"" (2002), """"Child of Nature""""(2010), """"Haywire: New and Selected Poems"""" (2011) and """"Negative Space""""(2018). Fatos Kongoli, born in 1944 in Elbasan, is considered to be one of the most ""forceful and convincing"" representatives of contemporary Albanian literature. During the Stalinist dictatorship in"