Milo Duçi

Milo Duçi (1870–1933) was an Albanian publisher, playwright, and entrepreneur. Born in Korçë (then part of the Ottoman Empire), he lived for most of his life in Egypt.[1] Together with his uncle Loni Logori he succeeded as an entrepreneur and distinguished activist of the Albanian community in Egypt.

Duçi, son of a powerful cotton merchant from Korçë,[2] settled in Egypt at the age of 23[3] and became a merchant himself.[4] He was one of the founders of "Vëllazëria" (Brotherhood) society, established in 1910 in Cairo, and the Beni Suef branch of it with the support of the Khedive office.[2][4]

Duçi also started and directed several press organs of the Albanian diaspora in Egypt, mostly short-lived. These included the magazines Toska (The Tosk) during 1901–02, Besa-Besë (Pledge for a pledge) during 1904–05 together with Thoma Avrami, Besa (Besa) of 1905 which lasted for 6 issues and was printed by Al-Tawfik in Cairo,[5] and newspapers Shqipëria (Albania) from October 1906 to February 1907, a daily of Cairo with the last two issues coming out in Maghagha,[5] and the weekly Bisedimet (The discussions) of 1925–26 with 60 issues in total, which would be the last Albanian-language newspaper in Egypt.[3][4] He wrote several articles regarding the necessity for a unified literary Albanian language and the cultural-literary development of the Albanian society. In 1922 he established the publishing company Shtëpia botonjëse shqiptare/Société Albanaise d'édition (Albanian Publishing House).[6] He also left his footprint as a playwright; some of his comedies were E Thëna (The saying), Gjaku (The blood), I biri i Begut (Bey's son). He also wrote short stories and poetry in the local press in Egypt.[7]

In addition to the Albanian patriotic activity, Duçi was a successful entrepreneur. His family emerged as an important player in the economic development of Egypt's Delta region directed by Lord Cromer's office. By 1901, he started working with his well-connected uncle Loni Logori on projects that explicitly tied the commercial interest of the British administration and the local landowners.[2] Beside British, he openly solicited Austro-Hungarian support, despite of the distrust that many Eastern Orthodox south-Albanians had for the Austrian Geo-politics. Toska's initial failure did not dissuade the Austrian authorities to support him; in 1902 they sent him 120 krone for the subscription, ordering the newspaper to be shipped to Vienna from where it would get distributed to Ottoman Albania.[5]
Through his uncle, Duçi would also get in touch with the Albanian émigré in Bucharest, Italy, Istanbul, and Brussels.[2] The French consul in Shkodër reported that Duçi collaborated with a defrocked Catholic priest named Gaspar Jakova Merturi who secured funds from a claimant for the Albanian throne, Prince Albert Ghica of Romania. He also collaborated closely with the Arberesh journalist Anselmo Lorecchio, editor of La Nazione Albanese.[5]