Albanian League of Writers and Artists

Historic
Albanian League of Writers and Artists (ALWA) is an organization of creators, located in Tirana which includes writers, composers, and artists, creators of figurative arts and critics of the literary and artistic values. Writers League was created on October 1945 while the Artists League in 1949. The First Congress held on 1957, joined these two organizations in a single institution: in Albanian League of Writers and Artists.
In the establishment and direction of the first organization of Albanian creators took part some of the most distinguished intellectuals. Sejfulla Maleshova was appointed its leader and Fan S. Noli its honorary president. Among the most known creators were Poradeci, Bulka, Luarasi, Shuteriqi, Asllani, Pasko, Prenushi, Spasse, Haxhiademi etc. This voluntary union of creators from all the country, at the beginning was compound by 70 members.
The goals and objectives of this organization: Albanian League of Writers and Artists is a non-government organization created by a group of Albanian Writers and Artists to propagate literary and artistic creativity of Albanian authors, to evaluate and re-evaluate the best works of the Albanian literature, music, painting and sculpture, traditional and contemporary values, and to encourage the creativity of young talents. ALWA protects and stimulates the best tendencies of the developments of literature and art to serve to the society and Albanian nation, under the best models of literary and artistic values of the civilized nations.
For more than 50 years, Albanian League of Writers and Artists has had its literary and artistic organs: the magazine “Literatura jone” (our Literature), after that the monthly magazine “Nentori” (November), later on the weekly “Drita” (The light) (1961), the magazine in French language “Les letters Albanaises” (1978), “Bota Letrare” (Literary World) and “Revista Letrare” (Literary Magazine) as alternative publications after 1990 while currently the organization of Albanian writers and artists doesn’t publishes any organ due to lack of funds.
With all the difficult conditions of a backward society and a totalitarian regime which mostly limited the freedom of expression, which exert a vigilant orientation and censorship of the state-party over creativity, even by persecuting and condemning some writers and artists, many talents, members of the ALWA who had the rights like creativity permissions, reduced working hours, studios and different facilitating tools for their creativity, they created works which came out of the frames of so called methodology of socialist realism, especially in those fields of art and literature where was a little national tradition.
After 1990, Albanian creators, writers and artists, members of our organization, believed too much in their liberation and in the liberation of the artistic creativity in general. In the hurry to catch the lost time, some works were distinguished and especially were re-evaluated persecuted figures of the past like Konica e Fishta, where our organization gave its contributes with many re-evaluations.
During these two decades with a too problematic democracy and highly politicized, the Albanian League of Writers and Artists has been for many years the flunky of the party in power which, together with the power has appointed the leader of Albanian creators. Finally, after she could depart from the politic, these recent years our organization rolls like a baby between two girls, sometimes despised from one party and sometimes persecuted by the other political party. Anyway, it is well known that the independence of a creators union has a high price for the writers themselves and are needed ongoing efforts to handle it.
In the existing status, article 1, is clearly determined the essential nature of our association as common home of art and literature: “Albanian League of Writers and Artists is free and independent institution, a set of professional creators, opened for every other literature and artistic association, unconditioned by political views, trends and artistic platforms”.
Today, the ALWA has approximately 1300 members. Leading authorities are: National Congress, Chairmanship and Administrative Council. In the organizational structure operate: the section of literature, music, painting, sculpture, and the section of young talents.
For more than 60 years of its history, Albanian League of Writers and Artists has been leaded by distinguished personalities of our culture. Its leaders have been the gentlemen: Sejfulla Maleshova (dead), Dhimitër Shuteriqi (dead), Dritëro Agolli, Bardhyl Londo, Xhevahir Spahiu, Limos Dizdari, Zyhdi Morava (dead) dhe Hysen Sinani the actual leader.

Hysen Sinani
Writer