Orhan bey Pojani (1846–1913) was a prominent figure involved in the
Albanian National Awakening
The Albanian National Awakening ( sq, Rilindja or ), commonly known as the Albanian Renaissance or Albanian Revival, is a period throughout the 19th and 20th century of a cultural, political and social movement in the Albanian history where the ...
.
Founded in early 1880s, the magazine ''
Drita'' by 1884 was led by Pojani along with
Jovan Kosturi and
Thimi Marko while it was distributed throughout
Toskëria
Southern Albania ( sq, Shqipëria jugore) is one of the three NUTS-2 Regions of Albania. This ethnographical territory is sometimes referred to as ''Toskeria'' ( sq, Toskëria).
It consists of five counties: Berat, Fier, Gjirokastër, Korçë ...
(southern Albania) and it advocated for Albanian language education in the
Tosk dialect.
He supported the Albanian educational movement and was also an executor of wealthy benefactor
Anastas Avramidhi-Lakçe
Anastas Avramidhi-Lakçe or Anastas Avram-Lakçe (1821–1890) was an Albanian businessman and benefactor. Avramidhi was born in Korçë, in modern southeastern Albania, then part of the Ottoman Empire. When he was young he migrated to Buchares ...
's will.
Pojani was one of four trustees of the
boys school in Korçë and in 1903 Ottoman authorities concerned with Albanian education and national sentiments arrested and exiled him to
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
.
In 1906, Greek bishop
Photios was assassinated by an Albanian guerilla band and as Ottoman authorities could not arrest the assassins, Pojani and other Albanian notables involved in the national movement from Korçë were imprisoned but released soon.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pojani, Orhan
Activists of the Albanian National Awakening
People from Korçë
1846 births
1913 deaths
People from Manastir vilayet