Famous Albanian Women

An Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and a missionary, Mother Teresa was the founder of Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation. She was both an admired and controversial figure and was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. While she was admired by many for her charitable work, she also earned criticism for her stance against abortion and contraception.

Swiss-born Albanian singer Ilira Gashi, better known as Ilira, was placed third, along with her band, on the show Die grosse Entscheidungs Show. She later moved to Berlin to explore her music career and created hits such as Fading. The Europe Music Award-nominated singer has now signed with Virgin and Universal.

Arta Dobroshi is a Kosovo-Albanian actress who became the first Kosovar actress to receive a nomination for the prestigious European Film Award. She achieved this feat  in 2008 for her portrayal of Lorna in the 2008 drama film Le Silence de Lorna. A critically acclaimed actress, Arta Dobroshi has also won the Shooting Stars Award at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Albanian politician Belinda Balluku is the country’s deputy prime minister and the minister of infrastructure and energy. She has also served as an MP from the Region of Tirana. She has also headed the company Albcontrol, which manages Albania’s airspace, as its general director.

Albanian politician Monika Kryemadhi is the incumbent Member of the Albanian Parliament for Fier. Her husband Ilir Meta served as 8th President of Albania, and during such-time Monika refused the honorific position of First Lady of Albania and instead delegated it to her oldest daughter Bora. Monika is a founding-member of Socialist Movement for Integration and served as its Chairwoman.