Albanian peace centre tackles blood feuds

by ANTONIA YOUNG

<*> Albania's first peace studies and conflict resolution centre opened earlier this year at Shkoder University in the north of the country, about 80km from the Kosova border.

The centre is an initiative of an Albanian couple, Pjeter and Maralba Jani. Maralba's uncle, a Catholic priest, worked for reconciliation among parties involved in blood-feuding in northern Albania, before the last World War. Both religion and blood-feuding were suppressed during the 45 years of Stalinism. Both have now returned.

In 1993 Maralba and Pjeter were awarded places on the three-month "Responding to Conflict" course at Woodbrooke College, Birmingham; in 1994 Pjeter was awarded a place at King's College on a course on conflict resolution. On return to Albania early this year their proposal was approved; the Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution Centre was opened; and already two full-day seminars have been attended by representatives from groups all over the country.

The aims of the centre are twofold:

• to introduce Peace Studies into the curriculum of local schools, and
• to organise lectures, seminars, workshops and research to promote a better understanding of such crucial notions as peace, conflict resolution, reconciliation, and so forth.

Through this work it is hoped that the sensitivity of public opinion and the creation of favourable conditions for reconciliation of blood feuds in northern Albania will combine to overcome the present traumatic situation.

The Centre has also begun training faculty members and promising students in those aspects of Peace Studies related to their specific disciplines; organisation of training seminars by foreign specialists; and a publishing programme, including newsletters and other resources.

Even before "the changes" of 1990 and beyond, Maralba Naraci (as she then was) was a dedicated teacher of English giving her pupils rare inspiration in the face of the extreme handicaps that they all suffered (lack of equipment, resources, and so on). In 1993, aged only 25, Maralba was selected as head of foreign language teaching in the Shkoder area, her talents, especially in the English language added to the special skills that both bring to the (new to Albania) field of peacemaking and peacekeeping. They have already brought an English Language Resource Centre to Shkoder's public library. Since opening the centre within the university, funds have been made available through both the Soros and IREX foundations.