TIRANA, Nov 23 /ATA/ The rescue of around 25,000 Italian soldiers by Albanian families in 1943—following Italy’s surrender and the arrival of Nazi forces in Albania—has remained largely untold for more than 80 years. It is now coming back into the spotlight thanks to a documentary produced by journalist Rudina Xhunga.
In an interview with journalist Rudina Xhunga, Prime Minister Edi Rama acknowledged that he, too, only came to fully appreciate the scale of this historical event thanks to her work.
“This story has come to our attention, including mine, because of you, as it is not one that has been widely told,” Rama said.
He pointed out that, although these Italian soldiers were part of a fascist occupying army, collective memory had tended to portray them more as “somewhat comical characters,” reminiscent of the film The Man with the Cannon, rather than as 25,000 individuals in urgent need who were rescued by Albanian families.
Rama recalled his conversation with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni about this historical event, noting that “she was genuinely moved because even Italians are largely unaware of this story.”
“She was struck by the fact that Italians do not know this history, as it has likely only been recorded sporadically in documents and has not been widely discussed or presented to the public,” Rama said.
Rama noted that even for Albanians, this story has not been presented as something to take pride in.
“It hasn’t been consistently recounted in detail. This is a story that has taken full shape after the fall of communism. Those who wrote books during the communist era should be asked why they overlooked this part,” Rama said.
Meanwhile, journalist Xhunga drew a parallel between this historical fact and the rescue of Jewish lives by Albanians.
“Sometimes it takes individuals, under certain circumstances, to make a film, write a book, or stage a play that captures attention. That then sets off a chain reaction and helps create collective memory,” Rama said.
Prime Minister Rama highlighted this act of humanity as one of the two proudest moments in Albanian history, alongside the rescue of Jewish lives.
Rama praised journalist Rudina Xhunga for bringing this long-forgotten story to light and made a public appeal to Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani to assist in screening the film in the Italian Parliament. He emphasised that this powerful testament to friendship and humanism should be known to all, both Albanians and Italians, who share a history of supporting one another even before 1990.
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