Page 56 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 11(2) (2023)

not allowed to cross the border of a neigh-
bour, a big European country like Greece?
But he was also questioned about the ar-
rest in Greece of two drivers from the Albanian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs who had been com-
missioned to distribute Albanian school books
to Albanian children living in Greece, giving
rise to suspicions of irredentist activities on the
part of the Albanian government itself:
I don’t think it is irredentist to tell children
that there was an area called Chameria
where Albanians lived […] I challenge you by
56 Figure 7: Liopsi: ruins of ancient Muslim village stating that there is no map of Greater Alba-
in northern Thesprotia (source: Sintès (2010)) nia in any Albanian schoolbooks. ti
studia universitatis hereditati, letnik 11 (2023), številka 2 / volume 11 (2023), number 2
movements have regularly influenced relations The increasing visibility of this issue in rela-
between the two states. In 2005, the President tions between the two states therefore seems to
of the Hellenic Republic, Karolos Papoulias, had be linked to the gradual rise of the PDIU in Al-
to cancel a meeting with his counterpart Alfred banian political life (5 seats in parliament since ta
Moisiu in the Albanian town of Sarandë because 2013, 3 since 2017, a member of Edi Rama’s gov-
of hostile demonstrations by people demand- erning coalition since 2015). However, other
ing that the Cham issue be re-examined. Dur- factors must also be taken into account to un-
ing his term in power, Albanian Prime Minister derstand the resurgence of the Cham issue in di
Sali Berisha even went so far as to declare, dur- Albania in the first decades of the 21st centu-
ing festivities to commemorate the centenary of ry: These include migration, which has brought
the birth of Albania in November 2012, that the Greeks and Albanians into contact once again;
area of Albanian settlement extended “as far as the economic crisis in Greece since 2009, which
Preveza”, provoking strong reactions from the has led to the return of many migrants to Alba-
Greek authorities, although his cabinet imme- nia and the dissemination of an image of Greece
diately corrected itself: “The Prime Minister’s that is not always very positive; and, finally, the here
words should be seen in the historical context role of movements that are notorious for accom-
of the declaration of independence. Today, Al- panying globalization, such as the primordial-
bania has no territorial claims on its neighbours ism evoked by Arjun Appadurai (2005), which
to the south, east or north.” A few years later, in seems to encourage references in social and po-
November 2016, it was the turn of his successor, litical discourse to more radical identities that
Edi Rama, to give a lengthy interview on Greek may stem from a history that is sometimes
public television, in which he devoted a long and conflictual.
controversial section to the issue of these Mus- Ghosts of the Past … and Their Heirs
lim groups from Thesprotia. Edi Rama spoke In the field, being aware of such a context makes
about the human situation in which the Chams it possible to understand some of the elements
find it impossible to cross the border:
observed in relation to the memory of these
How is it possible that 80-year-old wom- cross-border disputes. For example, if we look studiauniversitatis
en and men who were forced to leave their again at the war memorials, those in the villag-
homes don’t have the right to go there again? es and cemeteries all seem to have been built
How is it possible that these Albanians are in the immediate post-war period, whereas