Page 65 - Shkodra - L’Albania di inizio Novecento

Paloke Kurti (1860 – 1920)
Primo compositore albanese e leader della prima ban-
da musicale del Paese, nel 1881 fu incaricato di servire
la sezione di Scutari della Lega di Prizren, per la quale
compose il brano Unione d’Albania (Bashkimi i Shqyp-
nisë). Il suo impegno patriottico gli costò l’esilio imposto
dalle autorità ottomane e successivamente dalle potenze
austriache, francesi e italiane. Rientrò in Albania nel 1920,
anno in cui si spense.

The first Albanian composer and leader of the coun- try’s
first music band, he was appointed to serve the Shkodra
branch of the League of Prizren in 1881, for which he
composed the piece Union of Albania
(Bashkimi i Shqypnisë). His activism led to his exile by
Ottoman authorities and, later, by Austrian, French, and
Italian powers. He returned to Albania in 1920,
the year of his death.

During the reign of King Zog (1928–1939), Albania un-
derwent a series of reforms aimed at modernizing society,
including a ban on the fez. King Zog implemented laws
prohibiting traditional Ottoman attire like the fez to foster
a distinct national identity and reduce Ottoman cultural
influence in Albania.

The red and black fezzes, each emblematic of Ottoman
religious attire, held significant symbolic and social mean-
ings tied to status, ethnicity, and religion.

The red fez, more commonly worn across urban centers
in the Ottoman Empire, including Albania, symbolized a
connection to Ottoman administration and played a major
role in urban identity, particularly among those affiliated
with Ottoman governance.

By contrast, the black fez, though less common, was worn
mainly in select Albanian provinces. It reflected the sen-
timents of Albanians who sought to distance themselves
from Ottoman cultural norms, asserting a sense of ethnic
solidarity and distinct cultural identity within the empire.

Given that religion was also a marker of social and cultur-
al status, the choice of fez frequently represented layered
identities within Albanian society.

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