Albania romanì, Albania egiziana: tracce di due minoranze nello spazio albanofono (XVII-XX sec.)

Abstract

The Roma and Egyptian minorities in the Albanian-speaking area are sometimes mentioned, in short distorting passages, in notes by missionaries, travellers, scientists, diplomats between the 17th and early 20th centuries. The lexicography in 17th century presents the ethnic etym magjyp connected to ancient Egyptians and romanì minority; some photos with Roma and Egyptians from the documentary collection of Larissa Quaroni (1928-1931), from the travelogue of the ornithologist Hugo Adolf Bernatzik (1930), from the documentary collection of the soldier Sirio Galli (1940-1943) visualise their folkloristic aspect as it was understood and narrated at the time; the poetic work in romanì by Agim Saiti (Kosovar-Italian Rom) questions the Egyptian and Roma identity in contemporary Albanophony.