Sali Nivica

Who was Sali Nivica?

Sali Nivica or Sali Nivitza was a politician, a patriot, an Albanian journalist and a teacher. For his patriotic activity he received the highest Albanian award, 'Honour of the Nation' as well as that of 'Teacher of the People'.

Nivica was born in Rexhin village in the southern Ottoman Albania, today's Tepelenë District.

Nivica went to school in Monastir where he was inspired by the rebel Bajo Topulli. After that he went in Yannina where he joined the Greek-language Zosimea school. He went in Durrës to teach there for a short time. During this time he was increasingly caught up by the Albanian nationalist movement. During 1911-1912 he was involved with anti-Ottoman activities and uprisings in southern Albania. For that he would be arrested and imprisoned in Istambul. However, he was soon released with the intervention of Ismail Bey Vlora and managed to arranged himself to teach Albanian at the Robert College.

Nivica returned to Albania after independence and together with Mustafa Hilmi Leskoviku, also known as Muço Qulli, he funded the newspaper Populli in Vlorë and shortly moved to Shkodër. The end of WWI would find him there.