Parashqevi Qiriazi
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Parashqevi Qiriazi, also known as Paraskevi D. Kyrias (2 June 1880 – 17 December 1970) was an
Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
teacher of the
Kyrias family Kyrias family ( sq, Familja Qiriazi) were a prominent Albanian family from Manastir (today's North Macedonia). They were educators, translators, publishers, and public figures of the Albanian National Awakening period. They are remembered for th ...
who dedicated her life to the
Albanian alphabet The Albanian alphabet ( sq, alfabeti shqip) is a variant of the Latin alphabet used to write the Albanian language. It consists of 36 letters: ''Note:'' The vowels are shown in bold. The letters are named simply by their sounds, followed by ë ...
and to the instruction of written
Albanian language Albanian ( endonym: or ) is an Indo-European language and an independent branch of that family of languages. It is spoken by the Albanians in the Balkans and by the Albanian diaspora, which is generally concentrated in the Americas, Europ ...
. She was a woman participant at the
Congress of Manastir The Congress of Manastir ( sq, Kongresi i Manastirit) was an academic conference held in the city of Manastir (now Bitola) from November 14 to 22, 1908, with the goal of standardizing the Albanian alphabet. November 22 is now a commemorative da ...
, which decided the form of the Albanian alphabet, and the founder of the ''Yll' i Mengjesit'', a women's association. Parashqevi was also a participant in the
Paris Peace Conference, 1919 Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
as a member of the Albanian-American community. She was the sister of
Sevasti Qiriazi Sevasti Qiriazi-Dako (Sevasti D. Kyrias) (ca. 1871–1949) was an Albanian patriot, educator, Protestant missionary, author, pioneer of Albanian female education, and activist of the Albanian National Awakening. Early Life Sevasti was born ca. 18 ...
, who was the director of the Mësonjëtorja, the first Albanian School for girls to open in 1891.


Biography

Parashqevi was born in Monastir (now
Bitola Bitola (; mk, Битола ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki ...
, in the Manastir Vilayet,
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
(present-day
North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
). When she was only 11 she started to help her brother
Gjerasim Qiriazi Gjerasim Qiriazi (18 October 1858 – 2 January 1894) was an Albanian Protestant preacher and educator. He is the founder of thEvangelical Church of Albania, (VUSH) Vëllazëria Ungjillore e Shqipërisëand the Kosovo Protestant Evangelical Chur ...
and sister
Sevasti Qiriazi Sevasti Qiriazi-Dako (Sevasti D. Kyrias) (ca. 1871–1949) was an Albanian patriot, educator, Protestant missionary, author, pioneer of Albanian female education, and activist of the Albanian National Awakening. Early Life Sevasti was born ca. 18 ...
to teach written Albanian to girls in the first school for girls in Albania, the ''Girls' School'' ( sq, Shkolla e Vashave), which opened on 15 October 1891. She later studied at
Robert College The American Robert College of Istanbul ( tr, İstanbul Özel Amerikan Robert Lisesi or ), often shortened to Robert, or RC, is a Selective school, highly selective, Independent school, independent, mixed-sex education, co-educational Secondary ...
in
Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
. Upon graduation she went to
Korçë Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the eighth most populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population is 75,994 (2011 census), in a total area of . It stands on a plateau some ...
to work as an elementary teacher along with her sister, Sevasti at the Mësonjëtorja, the first Albanian school which had opened in 1887. In 1908, she was a participant in the
Congress of Monastir The Congress of Manastir ( sq, Kongresi i Manastirit) was an academic conference held in the city of Manastir (now Bitola) from November 14 to 22, 1908, with the goal of standardizing the Albanian alphabet. November 22 is now a commemorative da ...
and the only woman to be there. In 1909, she published an
abecedarium An abecedarium (also known as an abecedary or ABCs or simply an ABC) is an inscription consisting of the letters of an alphabet, almost always listed in order. Typically, abecedaria (or abecedaries) are practice exercises. Non-Latin alphabe ...
for elementary schools. Although the Congress of Monastir had decided about the new alphabet, two versions of the alphabet were still present in her abecedary, which shows how fragile the consensus of the Congress still was. However, along with the abecedarium, she published some very well known verses on the defense of the new Albanian alphabet: She is also known for having organized teaching for children and night schools in other southern Albania villages and for helping to organize local libraries. She contributed to the foundation of the ''Yll' i Mëngjesit'' association ( sq, Morning Star) in 1909 and later, when she had migrated to the US, she continued to publish the periodical with the same name from 1917 to 1920. The magazine was published every fortnight and included articles on Albanian politics, society, history, philology, literature, and folklore. In 1914 she left Albania for
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
along with her sister as a consequence of the Greek occupation of the city. She later went to the United States and became a member of the Albanian-American community, on behalf of which she participated in the Conference of Peace of Paris in 1919 to represent the rights of the Albanians. Parashqevi returned to Albania in 1921, after which she followed political developments there with interest, without losing sight of national aspirations. She became one of the founders and directors of the Female Institution named "Kyrias," after her family, in
Tiranë Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...
and
Kamëz Kamëz ( sq-definite, Kamza) is a municipality in Tirana County, Albania. It was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Kamëz and Paskuqan, that became municipal units. The seat of the municipality ...
, in cooperation with her sister Sevasti and brother-in-law
Kristo Dako Kristo Dako (1876–1941), son of Anastas Dako, was an Albanian patriot and publisher of the early 20th century. Biography Born in Korçë, in the Manastir Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire in 1876. Dako later migrated to Bucharest, Romania, wher ...
. In October 1928, at the initiative of the Ministry of Interior, the organization "
Gruaja Shqiptare Gruaja Shqiptare was a women's organization in Albania, active between 1928 and 1939. It was a state supported women's rights organization with the task of promoting government policy in women's rights. History Prior to the national organization G ...
" ("The Albanian woman") was founded in Tirana, with plans to create branches nationwide and in the diaspora. It was created under the patronage of the Queen Mother and
King Zog King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
's sister Princess Sanije. The organization aimed at promoting education, hygiene, and charitable activities, and raising Albanian women to a higher cultural level. As a well-educated woman, Parashqevi succeeded in gaining a leadership position in it. Between 1929 and 1931, the organization published its periodical ''Shqiptarja'' ("The Albanian ), which featured many articles contributed by Parashqevi and her sister Sevasti. The journal took issue with conservative thinking, championing the women's movement and its demands. Parashqevi stood as a firm anti-fascist throughout World War II, starting from the Italian invasion of 1939. Because of her anti-fascist views, she and her sister were sent to the Anhalteleger Dedinje camp near
Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
by pro-Nazi units led by Xhaferr Deva. She survived and returned to Tirana after the war, but she and her sister's family then faced further persecution. Because of his past affiliation with Zog,
Kristo Dako Kristo Dako (1876–1941), son of Anastas Dako, was an Albanian patriot and publisher of the early 20th century. Biography Born in Korçë, in the Manastir Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire in 1876. Dako later migrated to Bucharest, Romania, wher ...
was posthumously vilified by the
communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Cominte ...
, and the Kyrias families were forced out of Tirana. Parashqevi's two nephews (Sevasti's sons) would be imprisoned, and eventually one died in prison. The efforts of Albanian scholar
Skënder Luarasi Skënder Luarasi (19 January 190027 April 1982) was an Albanian scholar, writer and anti-fascist activist. Life Luarasi was born in Luaras of Kolonjë region (back then Ottoman Empire, today's Albania) on 19 January 1900. He was the son of Alba ...
and woman politician
Vito Kapo Vito Kapo ( Kondi, 11 September 1922 – 29 February 2020) was an Albanian politician who served as Minister of the Light Industry. She was the wife of Hysni Kapo, a member of the Politburo of the Party of Labour of Albania, and a sister of the A ...
led eventually to the partial rehabilitation of the Kyrias sisters. Parashqevi died in Tirana on December 17, 1970.


Legacy

Parashqevi Qiriazi and her sister Sevasti are considered the mothers of Albanian education. The Albanian-American Women Organization (AAWO) in New York City is named "Qiriazi Sisters" as well.AAOMQ Official Site
/ref> 7 March is the official
Teachers' Day Teachers' Day is a special day for the appreciation of teachers, and may include celebrations to honor them for their special contributions in a particular field area, or the community tone in education. This is the primary reason why countries ce ...
in Albania, in remembrance of the Qiriazi family school opening of 1891.
The Albanian movie ''Mësonjtorja'' ("The school") of 1979 produced by
Kinostudio Shqipëria e Re The National Center of Cinematography ( sq, Qendra Kombëtare e Kinematografisë) is the largest film distributor and film production company in the cinema of Albania connected with over 700 films (feature films and documentaries) between 1947 and ...
is dedicated to her and her brother Gjerasim, even though their names appear different (Dafina and Stefan).
Several schools in Albania and
Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
bear the names of Qiriazi family.


Read also

*
Albanian alphabet The Albanian alphabet ( sq, alfabeti shqip) is a variant of the Latin alphabet used to write the Albanian language. It consists of 36 letters: ''Note:'' The vowels are shown in bold. The letters are named simply by their sounds, followed by ë ...
*
Congress of Monastir The Congress of Manastir ( sq, Kongresi i Manastirit) was an academic conference held in the city of Manastir (now Bitola) from November 14 to 22, 1908, with the goal of standardizing the Albanian alphabet. November 22 is now a commemorative da ...
*
Kyrias Family Kyrias family ( sq, Familja Qiriazi) were a prominent Albanian family from Manastir (today's North Macedonia). They were educators, translators, publishers, and public figures of the Albanian National Awakening period. They are remembered for th ...
*
Fatbardha Gega Fatbardha Gega (1919-1999) was an Albanian pedagogist, and one of the best-known academics of Albanian pedagogical and psychological thought in the second half of the twentieth century in Albania.Hajrullah Koliqi:Gruaja ndër shekuj (Arsimimi dhe ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qiriazi, Parshqevi 1880 births 1970 deaths People from Bitola People from Manastir vilayet Albanians from the Ottoman Empire Albanian Protestants Linguists from Albania Activists of the Albanian National Awakening Albanian educators Albanian schoolteachers Albanian women's rights activists Albanian suffragists 19th-century Albanian people Banjica concentration camp survivors Robert College alumni Parashqevi Albanian educational theorists 20th-century linguists