
Aromanian National Day gallery of 120 prominent Aromanians by Zoran Cardula, used with permission.
Every May 23, the Aromanians, an indigenous ethnic community of the Balkans, celebrate the Aromanian National Day marking the 1905 Ottoman recognition of their millet status. This year in North Macedonia, artist Zoran Cardula honored the occasion of the 120th anniversary by publishing 120 digital portraits of prominent historical figures of Aromanian descent, highlighting their contributions in the region and beyond.
Also known as Vlachs, Amãnj, Aromani, Vlasi, Vlahi, or Cincari, Aromanians speak Aromanian, an eastern Romance language related to Latin and contemporary Romanian. Around 250,000 people in the Balkans and diaspora actively speak it, preserving it as a key part of their ethnic identity, while many others have assimilated into larger national cultures over time, including via intermarriage.
In a statement for Global Voices, Zoran Cardula explained:
Денес се навршуваа 120 години како турскиот Султан Абдул Хамид Втори со посебен документ, Декрет, ги признал Власите како посебен народ, со посебен етнички, јазичен и култрен идентитет, на територијата на целата Отоманска Империја. Од тој ден на Власите им биле гарантирани сите основни човекови права како и останатите немуслимански народи кои живееле на тие простори.
This May 23 marks 120 years since the Turkish sultan Abdul Hamid II recognized the Aromanians as a separate people, with particular ethnic, linguistic and cultural identity on the territory of the whole Ottoman Empire. Since that day, the state guaranteed the Aromanians all basic human rights as to the other non-Muslim peoples who lived in these areas.
May 23 is an official state holiday in North Macedonia, celebrated as the National Day of the Vlachs. It is also celebrated in Romania as the Balkan Romanianness Day on May 10, due to calendar differences dating back to early 20th century.
Cardula explained why he made the series digital portraits of famous persons with Aromanian heritage, which he published as Facebook gallery that went viral.
Овој ден е се слави како Национален ден на Власите и по повод тоа илустраирав 120 портрети на познати личности со влашко потекло. Сите тие имаат оставено своја трага во влашката историја и култура. Тие во исто време се и Македонци, Албанци, Срби, Грци, Југословени, Црногорци, Романци, Унгарци, Италијани, Германци, Австријци, Американци, Бугари и секако се дел од историјата на државите каде живееле. Секогаш посветени на развојот на државата во која живеат и лојални ма истата. Власите се нераскинлив дел од Европа.
This day is celebrated as the Aromanian National Day and for the occasion, I illustrated 120 portraits of famous persons of Aromanian origin. They all have left their mark in the Aromanian history and culture. At the same time, they were also Macedonians, Albanians, Serbs, Greeks, Yugoslavs, Montenegrins, Romanians, Hungarians, Italians, Germans, Austrians, Americans, Bulgarians, and integral part of the history of the countries they inhabited. All of them were devoted to the development of their home state and exhibited high national loyalty. The Aromanians are an indispensable part of Europe.
Zoran Cardula is a prolific graphic artist and painter. Though he graduated in electrical engineering, he has worked as a designer since his student years. He often uses design as a form of activism, promoting human rights and progressive values.
With his permission, Global Voices is presenting a small selection of the portraits of remarkable Aromanians from the gallery, accompanied by abridged excerpts of their stories, representing their diversity and historical impact.
Konstantin (Koča) Popović (1908–1992), born in Belgrade, Serbia.
Communist, surrealist, veteran of Spanish Civil War and commander of the first of the First Proletarian Division of the Yugoslav Partisans. General of the Yugoslav People’s Army and Chief of General Staff, diplomat who came up with the idea for Non-Aligned Movement. Recipient of Order of People’s Hero of Yugoslavia.
Nicola Dumba (1830–1900), born in Vienna, Austria.
Industrialist, liberal politician and philanthropist. Patron of the arts and friend of Gustav Klimt, Richard Vanger and Johann Strauss II. He commissioned the famous The Blue Danube waltz, and financed the building of the Musikverein concert hall, the site of the annual Vienna New Year’s Concert.
Draga Ljočić (1855–1926), born in Šabac, Serbia.
She was the first Serbian woman doctor. She studied medicine in Zürich and served as a medical assistant and lieutenant in multiple wars, including conflicts with the Ottoman Empire (1876–1878), Bulgaria (1855–1886), the Balkan Wars (1912–1913), and World War I. She was a great fighter against the gender discrimination she faced at work.
Nikola Martin (1903–1973), born in Kruševo, North Macedonia.
One of the most famous painters in Yugoslavia. Educated in Skopje, Bucharest and Paris. A co-founder of National Gallery of Macedonia. He bequeathed his birthplace with a collection of 62 masterpieces which are now housed in an art gallery bearing his name, and is one of the places you should not miss when visiting Kruševo.
Yiannis Boutaris (1942–2024), born in Thessaloniki, Greece.
Greek winemaker and progressive politician who served as mayor of Thessaloniki from 2011 to 2019. Both his parents were of Aromanian origin, from Kruševo and Moscopole in Albania. He was active in leftist movements and co-founder of environmental organization Arcturos. The UK City Mayors Foundation named him “the best mayor of the world” for the month of October 2012.
George Averoff (1815–1899), born in Metsovo, Greece.
He was a wealthy philanthropist who made his fortune in Alexandria. He funded numerous schools in both Egypt and Greece. He financed for the refurbishment of the Panathenaic Stadium, enabling Athens to host the first modern Olympics in 1896 on schedule. He also contributed to founding the National Technical University of Athens and donated to the Greek Navy. He was posthumously honored as a Major National Benefactor.
Florica Bagdasar (née Ciumetti) (1901–1978), born in Bitola, North Macedonia.
Romanian neuropsychiatrist and the country's first woman minister, serving as health minister from 1946 to 1948. Educated in Romania, Moldova and the US. After studying at Harvard, she and her husband introduced modern neurosurgery to Romania. She founded and led the Center for Mental Hygiene in Bucharest, focusing on children’s mental health. She later served as a university professor and vice-president of the Romanian Red Cross. Politically active from 1944, her career oscillated from high office to victim of Stalinist purges.
Costa Paciu, Patriarch Cyril of Bulgaria (1901–1971), born in Sofia, Bulgaria.
He was the first Patriarch of the restored Bulgarian Patriarchate, elected in 1953. Paciu's ancestors came to Bulgaria via Veles, originating in from Aromanian towns of Grabuva and Moscopole in Albania. He took the religious name Cyril in 1924 and become metropolitan of Plovdiv in 1938. He help preventing deportation of Bulgarian Jews during the Holocaust, and was recognized by Yad Vashem as a Righteous Among the Nations.
Macedonian singer and songwriter, considered one of the biggest stars of the Balkan pop music scene. His parents are from the Aromanian families of Proia and Nalbanti. He earned gold record status across the region and became a UNICEF goodwill ambassador for his humanitarian efforts. His final concert in Skopje, a fundraiser with USAID for schools reconstruction, drew over 25,000 people. He died tragically in a traffic accident in Croatia before a planned grand regional tour. Posthumously, he was named an Honorable Citizen of Macedonia and remains remembered as one of the greatest musical talents of the region.
Simona Halep, born 1981 in Constanța, Romania.
Professional tennis player, now retired. In 2017 and 2018 she was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). Halep won 25 WTA Tour-level titles, including Rolland Garros in 2018 and Wimbledon Championships in 2019.
As a surprise response to his gallery, Cardula received a portrait of himself made in his style. His friend and colleague, Macedonian designer Nebojša (Bane) Gelevski produced it as “an illustration that has been missing in his fantastic album of 120 portraits of famous Vlach men and women. I had to make it!”