Today I lost a friend, Dritan Prroj. He was shot at midday in one of the busiest areas in Shkoder. I was going to say he was shot doing nothing...but that would not be true. He was shot whilst preaching a belief from the bible of peace, love, tolerance and forgiveness and actively involved in helping the poor - he had been extremely busy helping families that suffered during the flooding in Shkoder earlier this year.
The reason he was shot was due to a “blood feud”.
His uncle had killed someone some years ago.
He had taken no part in the killing, nor had he been in agreement with it.
I wonder how Albania can seek to have visas to travel freely through Europe when they do little or nothing to stop these blood killings. Why would other countries want such people to come and visit or live in their land? ( I know not all Albanians have this mentality( thankfully) , but at the same time, the government do little to stop these killings) Surely NOW is the time for the government, in fact all political parties, to join together and to take action and make a new law taking sever action on any blood killings.
Far too many families are living indoors in fear of their lives.
This is the first time, as far as I am aware that a religious leader has been shot in a blood feud.
Dritan was the Pastor of an evangelical church in Shkoder.
Tonight my prayers are for his wife and children and his family. They will be much like me, still in shock and unable to comprehend WHY this happened.
The only good that come out of this ( as far as I can think) is that if Dritan’s death was remembered as the last killing in all blood feuds.
Unfortunately I think it will not be so.
I just hope the media and the social groups now put pressure on the government to ACT and get much tougher against the blood feuds.
e shtunë, tetor 09, 2010
Just another blood feud killing?
e diel, mars 21, 2010
Old Photos - Shkoder 1930's
I picked up a couple of postcards when i visited the National Marubi Fototek in Shkoder.
I love the old photos.
One of is of the centre of Shkoder in 1932.
It is interesting to see that the shops stretch across the road over to the mosque.
I can make out a couple of the shops....
One is called "Rruestore" - no idea what that means.
One is called "Udhtimit te perditshem" - I would have liked to know where they went, but I can't make that out.
Kafe Drini - no surprise there then - a cafe in Shkoder!
The other photo is of a family in Dukagjin in 1937.
I really like this photo.
It reminds me so much , and gave me a lot of help in visualizing life in the mountains, when reading the excellent book "Peaks of Shala" by Rose Wilder Lane.
Notice there is no "chimney" in the house for the smoke to leave. I take it the roofs were thatched and the smoke eventually rises up and through the roof.
I have a couple of questions though...
1) What does the woman on the right have in her hand?
2) What is hanging from the roof, and also what is hanging on the wall under the oil can?
I previously heard that the old bank on the new pedestrian walkway in the Piaca, would be turned into a museum to show off much more of the old Marubi photos than are currently displayed. The outside of the bank has been finished for ages, but still no sign of any work on the inside, nor of the Marubi exhibition moving. I am disappointed. Tourist season is starting and even leaving entrance fee as free, I am sure the the sale of postcards, booklets and magazines on Marubi and his photographs would allow the museum to function.
( I have not posted for a while, but hopefully I will keep the blog up. I have some posts I have not done, so over the next few weeks I should have a few posts)
