By Adela Kolea
Memorie.al / The magazine “DRINI” – Monthly Bulletin of Albanian Tourism – was directed until issue 3 of March 15, 1943, by the Italian Francesco Tagliarini, who had founded it in 1940. On March 30, 1943, Dott. Tagliarini, an official of the Ministry of Popular Culture and consultant for Albanian Tourism since July 1, 1939, ceased his management of the magazine to take on another responsibility within the Ministry. The leadership of “DRINI” was entrusted to Demir Alizoti, while Skënder Shkupi remained the editor-in-chief, a role he had covered since the first issue of the magazine.
“DRINI” continued to be published monthly in the Albanian language until issue 8-9 of the August-September 1944 period, and provided space for publications by Albanian and Italian researchers who had been collaborating with the periodical for years. In the first issue that appeared on January 1, 1944, the fifth year of publication, Demir Alizoti published a long editorial titled: “On the Eve of the Fifth Year of Publication”, in which he marks the traces of publications since the first issue of 1940, describing the publishing policy and offering us a series of data and news which, at a distance of almost 80 years, are of particular importance to us.
In this way, we present a summarized version of Demir Alizoti’s article and wish to particularly underline its concluding part, which constitutes almost a prophetic announcement regarding the fact of how important resource tourism would represent for today’s Albania. “In conclusion,” writes Alizoti, “we are certain that the articles of this periodical, which at this moment perhaps may seem unnecessary to some, will serve for the preparation of any further publication that will present national tourism and its values, especially abroad. The most opportune time is today: for this reason, we ourselves must prepare as well as possible in this field, just as we are, post-war.”
‘DRINI’ YEAR V – NR. 1 TIRANA, JANUARY 1944
January 1, 1944.
“On the Eve of the Fifth Year of Publication” (Demir Alizoti)
Time and reality itself have shown us in many cases that few newspapers or magazines in our country have had a long life and continuous, uninterrupted editions, for one reason or another. The magazine “DRINI”, as an organ of ALBANIAN TOURISM, began to be published in the first months of 1940, in the form of a News Agency, which provided news about the opportunities offered by tourism in Albania to the Italian and subsequently international press authorities.
From its beginnings and for four consecutive years, it has been printed and distributed without any interruption and without the slightest change in the important program entrusted to it: supplying and distributing news about the tourism opportunities offered by Albania, which truly constitutes one of the country’s main industries, yet is not sufficiently known by foreigners, or even by Albanians themselves. Tourism, in fact, constitutes a genuine industry and not a sentimental interpretation, as understood by many people. It is an industry like all the others, because it develops and spreads under a free competition regime.
Thanks to these foundations, every country prepares and promotes with every possible means, inside and outside its respective state, the tourist assets and values it holds. Therefore, faced with this undeniable fact, the Directorate of Tourism, since its foundation, began to publish this official press organ, with the purpose and duty to distribute and publicize the tourist treasure that nature has endowed Albania with. ‘DRINI’ was first published in February 1940, with a defined program and a selected content written by numerous and valuable collaborators.
In this official organ of the Ministry of Popular Culture, numerous articles have appeared on archaeology, art, history, panoramic beauties, folklore, legends, customs of Albanian life, crafts, hunting, mountaineering, thermal springs, fishing, etc. In the Magazine, 298 articles with different tourism topics have been published over four years, always within the framework foreseen by the program. For three years, ‘DRINI’ has been published not only in the Albanian language edition, but also in foreign languages such as Italian, French, and German.
When the situation allowed, this official and unique organ for tourism propaganda in Albania was distributed not only in many European countries but also as far as Calcutta, India, America, etc. The notes show that 27,110 copies in Albanian, 29,290 copies in Italian, and over three years, 4,095 copies in French and 3,965 copies in German were distributed by this magazine over the years. In 1943, this periodical, through its many collaborators, began an extensive campaign for the recognition of Kosovo.
This campaign was always implemented within a precise program, so that the picturesque, historical, and tourist-significant localities of Albanian Kosovo would be known both abroad and within Albania, with the desire that, after many years of occupation, for the Albanians who do not know the beautiful Kosovar localities and their wonderful panorama, those might join the Albanian Homeland as a region. ‘DRINI’, in its program, primarily has the national duty to describe in every way and publish many articles on tourism topics about Kosovo, Dibra, Plava, Gucia, Ulqin, etc.
To best achieve this goal and fulfill this national desire and duty, the continuous support and cooperation of Albanian intellectuals and writers is needed. Being convinced of this cause, with continuous enthusiasm, we will continue our journey, with the aim that many tourist treasures, previously unknown, will be known first by the Albanians themselves and tomorrow, by foreigners. “In conclusion, we are certain that the articles of this periodical, which at this moment perhaps may seem unnecessary to some, will serve for the preparation of any further publication that will present national tourism and its values, especially abroad. The most opportune time is today: for this reason, we ourselves must prepare as well as possible in this field, just as we are, post-war.”/Memorie.al
Demir Alizoti
Responsible Director
