In Bitola (North Macedonia), the Congress of Manastir finished its work, one of the largest and most representative gatherings in terms of its composition, assessed as the most important national assembly in the political and cultural history of Albanians at the beginning of the 20th century. Although the issue of the unification of the alphabet occupied the main place in the proceedings of the Congress of Manastir, the congress itself was not a purely linguistic meeting, but also a political manifestation. In addition to open gatherings, secret meetings dedicated to the political issues of the day were also organized. The main object of the discussions in these meetings were the relations of the Albanians with the Turks, the struggle for the national rights of the Albanian people, for the cultural and economic development of the country, as well as the relations with the European countries. The conclusions of these discussions and the decisions that were taken in these meetings were included in the national program of 18 points , which was given to the deputy of Korça, Shahin Kolonja, to present to the parliament on behalf of the Albanians. This program is one of the most important documents of the Congress of Manastir, in which the aspirations of the Albanians for the territorial-administrative autonomy of Albania were reflected. Political demands for “official recognition of Albanian nationality and the Albanian language” occupied the main place in the program. One of the most important demands in the field of education was the establishment of an Albanian university, which had been an early aspiration of the renaissance. For the preparation of professors for this university, young people would be sent every year, with state scholarships, to study in the higher schools of Europe and the USA. The Congress of Manastir marked an important step in raising the level of organization of the Albanian National Movement. Its very calling as a nation-wide forum, the decisions it took on such matters as belonged to the whole nation and, in particular, the de facto recognition of the Monastery Club as the central club to which all other clubs would be connected, testify to the establishment of a coordination of the organizational and political-cultural activity of Albanian clubs and societies, under the direction of the club “Bashkimi” (“Unity”) of Manastir. It is no coincidence that the foreign consuls treated this measure as an effort that would equally create federations of Albanian clubs. The Congress of Manastir and its decisions constitute one of the most important events in the recent history of the Albanian people. For the first time, after the assemblies that were held during the period of the League of Prizren (1878–1881) and the League of Peja (1899–1900), representatives from all the provinces of Albania gathered in this congress and important decisions were made for the issue of the alphabet and for political ones, which helped to raise the Albanian culture and education to a higher level, as well as for its further unification in the struggle for national liberation. (In the photo: The building where the Monastery Congress met, 1908.)
Text: The history of the Albanian people – Vol. II , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Toena”, Tirana, 2002, page 394-396.
Photo: © https://sq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kongresi_i_Monasterit
Graphic processing: AHCF
