Kujtesa Sociale dhe Cikli i Këngëve popullore për Magjar Pashën
Social Memory and the Albanian Folk Songs about Magyar Pascha

Summary/Abstract: We build concept of social memory by exploring the relationship of social identity and historical memory. In this context, we will address to the Albanian folk songs about Mag-yar Pascha, these Albanian historical folk songs with the historical theme from nine-teenth century, which treat the arrival in Kosovo of the delegate from Ottoman Empire, the Christian converted to Islam, Mehmet Ali Pascha, who is known as Magyar Pascha. This Ottoman Pascha had come in order to pacify the Albanian League of Prizren that opposed the Berlin Congress decisions, which have left out of the state border of Alba-nia some territories inhabited by ethnic Albanians. His arrival Albanian soldiers waited so revolted and fought for three days against Magyar Pascha and his troops. This armed resistance ended with the victory of Albanians who managed to kill the Ottoman missionary with his troops, but also with lots of dead from their side. This moment is marked by collective memory while creating some songs about Magyar Pascha’s arrival, the Albanian resistance, but also the history after his death. These songs continue to be sung even today with folk song melodies as well as folk instru-ments, by single singers or a group of them, in many collective ceremonial meetings. Also narratives about that event continue to be found in memories of elders. Magyar Pascha tomb continues to stand in the center of Gjakova, a city in Kosovo and mark a place of memory. In our paper, we will try to explain why is need that such a historical fact happened more than one hundred e thirty years ago, to continue to produce social memory? What marks that memory in context of meeting the spiritual and cultural needs? Why Pascha was known as Magyar (Hungarian)? What is the role of social memory in context of knowing the reality, respectively knowing ourselves?

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