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| Albanians of Bucharest, Asdreni in the middle, 1931 |
Many others came from Albania to study in Romanian high schools. The life of the Albanian community was greatly enlivened, especially in Bucharest and Constanta, under the auspices of the "Union" Society, but also of its sisters, created mainly on geographical criteria.
Among the publications of this period, the newspaper "Shqipëria e Re" stands out, which came out continuously in the years 1919-1935.
Let’s take a step back in time. During the last two decades of the 19th century, the Albanians of Romania carried out a dense activity for the benefit of the Cultural Renaissance of the Albanian people. After the publication of a series of studies by Arbëresh, Romanian, German, Austrian, Italian, etc. scholars, we recall that Nikolae Iorga had discovered the earliest trace of the Albanian language, in a baptismal formula of 1462.
Inspired by the first trials of the prominent Albanian scholar Kostandin Kristoforidhi, who as early as 1868 had begun to publish in Istanbul parts of the Bible, translated into Albanian, many young Albanians in Romania, with Sotir Pandeli at the forefront, began to worked on an alphabet with Latin letters, which suited the sounds of Albanian. With this alphabet they aimed to bring to light the first books in their mother tongue.
Their activity was continued by Nikola Naço, a man with less school, but with big energy, initiative and fighting spirit. Born in Albania and Albanian generation after generation, originally from Pogradec, N. Naço, after trying his luck in trade, just like Veqilharxhi before him, initially in Egypt, where he became very rich by buying and selling cotton, in the eve of 1884 he settled in Romania, where one of the two brothers, Gjergji Naço, was already known as the great rich man.
Like Veqilharxhi, Naço thought about how to use his hard-earned wealth to see his educated compatriots free as soon as possible.
In 1884, he founded the first Albanian Cultural Society "Drita", based in Bucharest.
Because at that time the most prominent Albanians in Romania, who had ties to their relatives in Ottoman-occupied Albania, could not pursue a nationalist policy by enrolling in a society that was looked down upon by the ruling circles of Istanbul, The first committee of the Drita Society was composed almost entirely of Romanians. Thus, the president of this society was V. A. Ureke, vice president D. Butkulescu, while secretaries dr. Leonte and M. Deshliu. Most of the committee members were also Romanian.
Only in 1889, on the proposal of Nikola Naço, Sultan Abdyl Hamiti was initially proclaimed the "High Protector" of the Society, while its former chairman and former vice-chairman were elected as honorary members. Now that the Society was under the care of the "High Defender", the Albanians could be elected chairman and vice-chairman. Thus, the Albanian V. Batan was elected chairman, while the other Albanian, Nikolla Naço - vice-chairman. Now most of the committee members were Albanians.
In 1887, "Drita" was able to establish branches in the cities of Braila, Fokshan, Kalarash and Marashesht, developing a powerful activity for the publication of textbooks and weekly sheets in the Albanian language. The alphabet that would be used in these publications, according to point 4 of the statute of "Drita", would be Latin and exactly the one that used the periodicals "Dituria" in Istanbul.
Many works in the Albanian language began to appear in Bucharest, among which we mention the national epic "Skanderbeg's History", in 1898 (Regarding Skanderbeg, we specify that two and a half centuries ago, an Italian work about him was translated into Romanian in the prison of Milano by the Romanian personality Vlad Boculescu. Skanderbeg's story, as it is known, represents the coronation of the poetic work of Naim Frashëri, the literary testament that he would leave to the Albanians everywhere.
Poet, historian, moralist, pedagogue, textbook author and, above all, patriot, Naim Frashëri has been viewed by progressive Romanian intellectual circles as one of the brightest figures of the Albanian National Renaissance.
Naim Frashëri, during his all-round activity, has found strong support in Romania, where he published his first books. In 1886, the "Drita" Society of Bucharest published the famous lyrical poem "Bagëti e Bujqësi", which resembles a poetic hymn dedicated to the Albanian people and nature. In 1886, in the Romanian capital, was published his work General History", which was followed in 1888, by another book Dituritë (Eng: Knowledge).
With these works, Naim came to the aid of the first Albanian schools, becoming one of the first spreaders of scientific knowledge among his compatriots. Among the other works of our national poet, which also saw the light sooner or later, in Romania, we mention "Summer Flowers" (1890), "Paradise or the Word" (1894), "Proverbs" (1894 ), "Karbala" (1898) and, finally: "Skanderbeg's History", that we mentioned above.
Other Albanian writers who have worked in the Romanian territories during that period include Jani Vreto, I. R. Terova, Papa K. Negovani, Mihal Grameno and others.
In 1887 the newspaper "Drita" started to be published in the Romanian city of Braila, while a year later in Bucharest was published the bilingual weekly (Albanian and Romanian) "Shqiptari" ("Albanezul").
In Bucharest, in 1891 was published the famous "Apel à nos frères albanais".
In 1897 a new newspaper was published - Shqipëtari (Eng: Albanian), directed by Visar Dodani, while a year later the other organ - Star of Albania, this time in three languages: Albanian, Greek and French.
It is worth noting that Albanian, with some interruptions, continued to be published until 1903.
Romania, which provided political shelter to the Albanian revolutionaries, school, church, material and financial means for the continuation of the liberation war in Albania, was for the Albanians of that period a second homeland.
Here is what Nikola Naço wrote, who would later become an advisor to the President of the Republic of Albania, Ahmet Zogu, in the newspaper "Shqiptari", number 16, year 1888: "At a time when the sons of Albania suffer a lot, noblemen and great men of Romania, with a true brotherly love, embrace us warmly, give us refuge for salvation, give us heart in our enterprise, giving us, at the same time, money, so we can carry on the work we have begun "(In the original: Kur të bijt e Skiparisë langojnëna kata zjar burat, ta ndreçim neras ta mbadhen ta Rumanisë me na ta vertet dasuri vallazariste na perqiafojna, na apan spirt na panan qa kemi zana, na falin holta ta mundim ta mbarojma tamina qa kemi nisur”).
In almost all of Nikola Naço's articles, the statement is repeated that "Albanian-Romanians are like two brothers in one stalk", while regarding the rights that belong to them in the Balkan Peninsula, the same author emphasized: "We Albanian-Romanians have the right to we say our word regarding Macedonia, Albania, and Epirus… because the life of the Albanian-Romanian element is the life of the Ottoman Empire”.
The Romanian government, which viewed with special sympathy and with much tolerance the activity of Albanian societies, despite the complaints and protests of the High Porte, granted officially some rights to the Albanian patriots operating in Romania. Thus, through the Royal Diploma number 1815, of February 9, 1901, to Nikola Naço was recognized "...the civil and political rights of the Romanian citizen". The Austrian diplomat Markgraf Pallavicini, on July 4, 1903, reported to his Foreign Minister on a conversation he had had at the Legation Council in Bucharest with Baron Flotov and King Carol I of Romania, regarding the publication of several new issues of the newspaper Albanian: His Majesty, King Charles I, has stated that he has known Nikola Naço for 27 years as an honest and cold-blooded man. The Ottoman government has often demanded his deportation from Romania, but this does not follow the whims of the sultan. In the continuation of the report, it is emphasized that Qazim Beu, the representative of the High Port, has made many efforts to the Romanian Foreign Minister to prevent the publication of the newspaper Albanian. Charles I's conviction of the virtues, pride, loyalty, and sincerity of the Albanians of Bucharest and his desire to keep them protected is repeated, "since these people have never known to err, or to exceed the permissible limits".
The Albanian patriots of that time considered the Aromanians with equal rights in the Balkan Peninsula: "We do not make any distinction between the Albanian and Macedonian Romanian brotherly nations and we fight equally, both for the interest of one and the other".
In September 1902, the Ottoman government asked the Romanian Legation in Istanbul to submit this communiqué to the Romanian government: “Albanian committees operating in Romania and attacking the sultan's policy should be banned, while those who are not Romanian citizens should be expelled as soon as possible" The Sultan, the communiqué noted, demanded such a thing given the good relations that existed between Romania and Turkey. After two months of silence, the Ottoman authorities repeated the demand more forcefully, insisting that the Albanian committees be disbanded, but that the Romanian government takes no steps or measures against them.
The gratitude of the Albanians to the Romanian government was especially expressed at the Congress of Albanians, held in Bucharest in 1905. Organized on the initiative of Prince Albert Gjika and the Albanian Colony of Romania, with the participation of many prominent personalities and representatives of other Albanians colonies in exile, as well as from Albania, the congress decided to create a Central Committee called "Kombi" (Eng: The Nation), which would lead the Albanian liberation movement. The Romanian and Albanian press echoed strongly the decisions of the congress, emphasizing the fact that his work was conducted in peace and with complete success, thanks to the attitude, as always benevolent, of the Romanian state. Albert Gjika would declare in Sofia that everything was ready for an uprising in Albania, with 50 thousand fighters. The money would not be lacking either. On June 28, 1905, he stated the same for the Bucharest newspaper Adevarul (Eng: The Truth).
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