There are a lot of good things happening in the former ultra-communist country of Albania these days – as you will see in this rather amazing report. Among other things, there's the translation and publication of Ayn Rand's novel Anthem – and the emergence of a new free-market university. But first let us introduce you to Kozeta Cuadari-Cika, ISIL's new rep for Albania.

     Kozeta graduated with an MA in Modern Languages and Linguistics from Tirana University and has taught English at various colleges in the city. Since 1995 she has been on the Economics and Foreign Languages faculty at Tirana University. She also runs a private translation business and teaches English.

     From 1997 to 2003 she worked for ACER (the Albanian Center for Economic Research) as a translator. At ACER she acted as an interpreter at many national and international conferences on free-market issues, and also acted as translator for two monthly and weekly publications: "Economy and Transition" and "On Corruption".

     It was through ACER's president Zef Preci that Kozeta discovered ISIL. Zef had attended the ISIL Rome conference in 1997, and when he returned home he introduced Kozeta to ISIL and libertarian ideas.

     Zef had at the time been working with ISIL Director Ken Schoolland on the publishing of The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible in Albanian, so Kozeta was the obvious person to do the translation. Through this project she came to know Ken Schoolland and maintained an on-going dialogue with him via e-mail. She learned more about Libertarian ideas through the ISIL website, and later Ken suggested she apply for an ISIL scholarship so that she might take part in the ISIL world conventions. It was winter 2001 when she first wrote to Scholarship Chairman Richard Venable and applied for a scholarship to participate in our summer 2001 conference in Dax, France. She received a scholarship that year, and has also attended ISIL conferences in Vilnius, Lithuania (2003); Cologne, Germany (2005); and Prague this year.

     Kozeta also organized the "Walk for Capitalism" in Tirana in 2001 and 2002, and has performed translations on other books, including Walter Block's Defending the Undefendable and ISIL Director Mary Ruwart's Short Answers To Tough Questions (these two not yet published).

     Kozeta is now again working part-time on various projects with The Albanian Center for Economic Research.

     A warm welcome to Kozeta as ISIL's latest rep.

AYN RAND'S ANTHEM PUBLISHED
IN ALBANIAN

     Kozeta's latest achievement is the translation of Ayn Rand's little gem Anthem. The famous novel is now on sale in bookstores in Tirana, and has been mentioned in a weekly magazine and on TV! Other copies are being distributed free to schools and organizations.

     Kozeta's foreword to the novel follows:

     "I became acquainted with Ayn Rand for the first time after the year 2000; unfortunately she had passed away by this time. Being a member of ISIL, I got to know more about her many works, which were seen here and there in the conferences that this International Society holds every year.

      "And it was last year in Cologne, Germany, where we gathered to celebrate Rand's 100th birthday anniversary, where I found one of her masterpieces, Anthem.

     "I read it in one night and decided that I would translate it, as soon as I got back home to Tirana.

      "I'm not certain what made me come to that decision. Perhaps the fact that this book glorifies the free and independent spirit of man; perhaps it was with me being Albanian and her Russian by origin, we had something in common. We had both experienced totalitarian regimes, extreme collectivism, violation of rights and human dignity, and seen the negation of individual liberty.

     "Emotions ran high – as a reader, as a translator, as a person who greatly estimates individual freedom and the sacred word 'I'.

     "I hope that everyone finds what he is looking for, for him or her self, in this book.

     "I would like to thank ISIL, especially Vince and Jim, and also my friends: Walter, Ken, Richard, Michael, David, George and Siegie (USA); Odette and Jacques (France); Jan (Canada); Nazim (Turkey); Paul (Netherlands), Adri (Albania), who willingly provided the funds for the publication of this book into Albanian.

(Editor's Note: Volunteers provided 40% of the cost, with ISIL covering the 60% balance).

     

European University of Tirana

     Kozeta also reports that "The European University of Tirana was opened in mid-September (2006). Its founders were young people from the Albanian Liberal Institute. Adri Nurellari (who attended Prague) is one of them.

     The University offers the following degrees: Law, Political Science, Journalism, Public and International Relations. It is based on an interdisciplinary program according to Bologna Card, having a 3+2 system.

     The European University of Tirana is the first university in Albania where students will be able to share freely their (classical) Liberal ideas on individual liberty, individual rights, free markets; where students will be provided with Liberal literature; where teaching will be interactive in small groups of students with an active social and research environment and encouragement of practical skills. The EUT will also share partnerships with Western Universities.

     Kozeta remarked, "We hope that in the coming years, more and more young people will join our University and investigate our ideas. This is just a good start."