Annual Albanian dinner

The annual dinner of NAAC (National Albanian American Council) took place on Friday evening at the Cipriani restaurant, again this year, in midtown Manhattan, and it was well attended as usual. One in the past, I remember it well, was held in the lovely restaurant that was on top of the World Towers.

It is an annual affair that attracts between 400/500 people; it includes foreign dignitaries, and it honors, via a couple of awards, special people who have helped the Albanian cause around the world in one way or another. In the past, in addition to some Albanian American personalities, the honorees included Pres. Clinton, Secretaries of State Baker and Albright, and Sen. Dole.

This year's theme being "Kosova Independence Now" , the "Lifetime Achievement Awards" were bestowed posthumously to the former President of Kosova. Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, and the Albanian Patriot and martyr, Adem Jashari, while the "Hand of Hope Award" went to Gen. Wesley Clark, ex NATO Supreme Allied Commander who was, among other things, responsible for the peacekeeping operations and major combat action in Bosnia, during the ethnic cleansing time of the late 90's. His emotional speech recounting those times was interrupted by many standing ovations, as it did the video that followed about the atrocities of the Bosnian war.

NAAC's Exec.Dir. Mustafaj, Gen Clark, Min. Basha


Among some foreign dignitaries and ambassadors was the new, and young, Albanian Foreign Minister, L. Basha, who spoke and graciously made the rounds in the crowded, enormous hall of the restaurant that used to be the headquarters of an old American bank a few years ago.

For me it was a unique opportunity to revisit many friends and acquaintances and I was all talked out by the end of the evening, when the younger crowd lingered to enjoy some (very loud!) music and line dancing.

Gen. Clark with a couple of my friends, the Lekas

Albanians everywhere

A few years ago when I visited the then newly restructured Museum of Immigration on Ellis Island in New York harbor, I made an interesting discovery.

In the lobby of this huge and marvelously equipped museum I pushed the "Albania" button that was provided at the foot of a large map of the United States, among the many others related to all of the nations in this world. The map presented then digital displayed statistics of Albanian immigrants for each state of the union.

To my great amazement I discovered that Albanians emigrated to all of the 50 US states in various degrees of concentration!

For years everyone knew that the largest groups of Albanians could be found in 3 major areas of the US: Massachusetts, New York, and Michigan, but not that some Albanian communities, such as the one in far away Anchorage, Alaska, are also very active.

Today's article in "The American Spectator", entitled "Tirana on the Mississippi", confirms the above. It describes a typical scene at an Albanian cafe/restaurant in the middle of St. Louis, Missouri.

Albania-Israel link

The reference is in the middle of an article from the israel.jpost.com

More Albanian discoveries

Notwithstanding the hot and difficult summer more foreigners flocked to discover the 'mysterious' land of Albania this year, and, within it, they did find interesting things and sights.

From lovely little beaches along its long coastline, to nooks and crannies in its majestic mountains, and archaeological sites on land and under water, Albania is beginning to appeal to the adventurous tourist, and consequently to enlarge the horizon for enterprising travel agents.