An Albanian story: Astrit Cela’s integration into Italy

Astrit Cela works for the Milan Chamber of Commerce, and is an example of how an Albanian immigrant has successfully integrated into Italian society.
MILAN, May 10 – Astrit Cela, 41, started life in neighboring Italy like any other Albanian; working in second-hand or menial labor positions. Today, however, he works for the Milan Chamber of Commerce handling marketing and computer science responsibilities. Also, he is involved in after-work programs such as inter-cultural projects at schools and at a nongovernmental foundation.
Cela, who is a 1987 graduate in French from the Albanian Faculty of History-Philology of the Tirana University, is now a long-time employee of the Milan Chamber of Commerce. His first job with the Milan Chamber was answering the telephone, but soon he was promoted to office manager. After so many years of ‘loyalty’ at the job he does not hide his ambition to pass on to another job level, probably in international relations. Born an Albanian, he knows he could make good use of his contacts in Albania and Kosova, the two areas which he knows best.
Cela studied to become a French elementary and high school teacher. However, he left his country with hundreds of thousands of other Albanians in 1991 aboard ships in Durres heading toward the western window, Italy. He chose to go to northern Italy, a more developed area in that country and moved to Milan.
“I knew Italy from television,” he says, “But nevertheless I left Albania without any real information about Italy, and left illegally without any documents at all. At that time it was impossible to obtain them. I challenged fate and it has gone well for me”.
For six months he worked in menial labor. Then his career path moved quickly at the Milan Chamber of Commerce, very much by luck, one should acknowledge.
“I have attended many marketing and communication courses and I had a promotion to the second level in 2000. It had been a great satisfaction,” he recalls.
But not everything went so smoothly. “I have also suffered due to the prejudice against Albanians, especially from the daily media coverage of crime events, many blaming my co-patriots,” he says.
“But in Milan people know how to differentiate. They highly value everyone who works and lives a normal, committed life despite the nationality of the person.”
Cela’s life also changed after his marriage to an Italian in 1999. They now have a son, who loves to come to his dad’s homeland and talk in Albanian with his relatives.
But besides family life, Cela developed other interests. Cela became involved in a project on inter-cultural exchanges at high schools in Lombardy, organized by a missionary center. (“I speak with students of the necessity of integration, beginning from my history, to get rid of prejudices”).
Two years ago he also published a calendar with pictures from Albania, printing 2,000 copies at his own expense.
“Albania is not only crime and crime,” he says. “There is also an ancient culture that is rich in castles, monasteries, and landscapes. I wanted to transmit to the Italians a positive image of Albania”.
Cela has also been involved as a founder of the “Albania and Future” association.
“Our logo is a bridge,” he explains, “because we want to promote mutual acquaintances, valuing the Albanian contribution of the many students, entrepreneurs, workers and intellectuals who live in Italy and contribute to its development”.