People
31 articles · All topics
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Dua Lipa: Kosovo-Albanian Pop Star (London to the Grammys)
Dua Lipa, born in London to Kosovo-Albanian parents from Pristina, won three Grammys, took Albanian citizenship in 2022, and runs Kosovo's Sunny Hill Festival.
August 16, 2026
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Dua Lipa on Albania's Protests: What She and Lea Ypi Said
In a 2026 Service95 Book Club interview, Dua Lipa and author Lea Ypi discussed Albania's Sazan Island protests. Here is what each said, reported and attributed.
August 16, 2026
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Isa Boletini (1864-1916): The Rifleman Who Guarded Albania
Isa Boletini led Kosovo Albanian revolts against the Ottomans, guarded the 1912 independence assembly in Vlorë, and died fighting in Podgorica in 1916.
August 3, 2026
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Essad Pasha Toptani (1863–1920): Albania's Most Divisive Statesman
Essad Pasha Toptani commanded at Shkodër, ran a rival government from Durrës, became Albania's third prime minister, and was assassinated in Paris in 1920.
August 1, 2026
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Pyrrhus of Epirus (319–272 BC): The King Behind the Pyrrhic Victory
Pyrrhus of Epirus fought Rome, coined the term Pyrrhic victory, and was raised by an Illyrian king. His life, wars, and place in Albanian ancestral memory.
August 1, 2026
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Voisava Kastrioti: Skanderbeg's Mother and the House She Built
Voisava Kastrioti married Gjon Kastrioti and bore nine children, including Skanderbeg. Her daughters' marriages tied the house to the Balkans' leading noble houses.
August 1, 2026
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Abdyl Frashëri (1839-1892): Architect of Albanian Autonomy
Abdyl Frashëri (1839-1892) organized the League of Prizren, led Albanian delegations across Europe, and spent his last years in Ottoman custody for it.
July 31, 2026
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King Zog I: Albania's Interwar Monarch (1895–1961)
Ahmet Zogu rose from Mati clan chief to president to King Zog I — modernizing Albania, borrowing from Mussolini, and fleeing two days after his son was born.
July 31, 2026
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Ali Pasha of Ioannina: The Albanian Who Ruled a State in an Empire
Ali Pasha of Tepelena built a semi-independent state across southern Albania and northwestern Greece for three decades. His court, his wars, and his death.
July 31, 2026
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Enver Hoxha: The Dictator Who Sealed Albania for 41 Years
Enver Hoxha ruled Albania from 1944 to 1985 — banning religion, building 173,000 bunkers, and sealing the country from the world. The regime diaspora families fled.
July 31, 2026
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Ismail Qemali (1844–1919): The Man Who Declared Albania
Ismail Qemali spent 40 years inside the Ottoman system before declaring Albanian independence in 1912. His life, career, and what Babai i Kombit means today.
July 30, 2026
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Iliriana Sela: Healthcare Leader and NAR Outreach Director
Profile of Iliriana Sela: Senior Director at Advanced Reconstruction Surgery Alliance and Director of Community Outreach at the National Albanian Registry.
May 11, 2026
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Besa Imami: Albanian Actress of Stage and Screen (1928–2014)
Besa Imami (1928–2014) was a leading Albanian stage and film actress at Tirana's National Theater, known for playing Donika Kastrioti in the 1953 film Skanderbeg.
May 5, 2026
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Petro Zheji: The Albanian Polymath Who Translated Don Quixote
Petro Zheji (1929-2015) was an Albanian polymath, translator, and philosopher whose work argued the Albanian language is a key to ancient meaning.
May 5, 2026
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Ded Gjo Luli: The Highlander Who Raised Albania's Flag in 1911
Ded Gjo Luli led the 1911 Albanian Highland Uprising and raised the double-headed eagle at Bratile, the first national flag on Albanian soil since 1468.
May 4, 2026
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Ekrem Bardha: Detroit's Albanian-American Civic Patriarch
Ekrem Bardha (born 1933) is the Detroit Albanian-American businessman who built 18 McDonald's franchises and led Kosovo independence advocacy in the US.
May 4, 2026
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Harry Bajraktari: New York Real Estate, Illyria, and the Kosovo Cause
Harry Bajraktari built a Bronx real estate company, founded the Illyria newspaper in 1991, and lobbied Washington for Kosovo's recognition and freedom.
May 4, 2026
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Kristo Kondakci: Albanian-American Conductor in Boston
Kristo Kondakci, co-founder and music director of the Kendall Square Orchestra near Boston, is a rare Albanian-American conductor in US classical music.
May 4, 2026
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Ambassador Frank G. Wisner Jr.: US Envoy on Kosovo
Frank G. Wisner Jr. served as US Special Envoy on Kosovo from 2005 to 2008, working with Martti Ahtisaari on the plan that led to Kosovo's independence.
May 3, 2026
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Famous People from Kosovo: 18 Names the World Knows
Famous people from Kosovo and the Kosovar diaspora — Rugova, Rita Ora, Dua Lipa, Majlinda Kelmendi, Granit Xhaka, Action Bronson, William Walker, and more.
May 3, 2026
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Eliza Dushku: Albanian-American Actress (Boston, Buffy, Bull)
Boston-born Eliza Dushku played Faith on Buffy, disclosed CBS's $9.5M Bull harassment settlement, and now works as a trauma therapist focused on PTSD.
May 2, 2026
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Naim Frashëri (1846-1900): Albania National Poet, Diaspora Reader
Naim Frashëri (1846-1900) was Albania national poet, a Bektashi spiritual writer, and the literary heart of the Rilindja Kombëtare read by early diaspora.
May 2, 2026
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Suzanna Shkreli: Albanian-American Prosecutor Who Ran for Congress
Suzanna Shkreli, an Albanian-American Macomb County prosecutor, became the 2016 Democratic nominee for Michigan's 8th District and faced incumbent Mike Bishop.
May 2, 2026
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Fan S. Noli (1882-1965): Founder of Albanian-American Life
Fan S. Noli (1882-1965) founded the Albanian Orthodox Church in America in 1908, briefly served as Albania's prime minister in 1924, and translated Shakespeare.
May 1, 2026
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Bebe Rexha: Albanian-American Pop Star (Brooklyn to Billboard)
Bebe Rexha — Brooklyn-born Bleta Rexha — co-wrote Eminem's Grammy-winning 'The Monster' and topped Billboard's country chart for 50 weeks with 'Meant to Be.'
April 28, 2026
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Famous Albanians: 30 Notable Figures from Albania and the Diaspora
30 famous Albanians across history, science, arts, music, and sports — Skanderbeg, Mother Teresa, Ismail Kadare, John Belushi, Dua Lipa, Mira Murati, and more.
April 28, 2026
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Ferid Murad: Albanian-American Nobel Laureate in Medicine
Ferid Murad (1936-2023) was the Albanian-American pharmacologist who won the 1998 Nobel Prize for discovering nitric oxide as a cardiovascular signal.
April 28, 2026
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Ibrahim Rugova: Kosovo's Founding President (1944-2006)
Ibrahim Rugova (1944-2006) led Kosovo's nonviolent resistance for a decade, founded the LDK, and served as the first president of post-war Kosovo until his death.
April 28, 2026
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Ismail Kadare: Albania's Most Translated Author (1936-2024)
Ismail Kadare (1936-2024) is the most translated Albanian author in history, won the inaugural Man Booker International in 2005, and was a perennial Nobel candidate.
April 28, 2026
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Mother Teresa: The Albanian-Catholic Nun Who Became a Global Icon
Mother Teresa, born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu to an Albanian Catholic family in Skopje, won the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize and was canonized in 2016.
April 28, 2026
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Skanderbeg: Albania's National Hero (1405-1468)
Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg held off the Ottoman Empire for 25 years (1443-1468). His life, the League of Lezhë, and why his banner became Albania's flag.
April 28, 2026