ARTA SHALA: THE SUCCESS OF WOMEN IN THE AFTERMATH OF WAR
Arta Shala loves reading, travel and listening to audiobooks while on the road, it gives her peace, a feeling she doesn’t take for granted here in Canada. More than 25 years-ago her life was anything but peaceful. Turmoil is more fitting as her life was caught up in the middle of war in Europe’s now smallest country by population, Kosovo. But Kosovo has gained the reputation of small but mighty. Like Shala’s personality, Kosovo has turned into a vibrant country, cultivating arts, culture, fashion, sports stars and home to some of the world’s biggest popstars including Dua Lipa and Rita Ora.
Shala is one of those women who has taken leadership as a woman to a new level. She arrived in Canada in 2000 part of the family reunification program offered to people of Kosovo living in Canada to reunite with their family. Over three-thousand refugees arrived in Canada part of the family reunification program. Canada also deployed the Canadian military and created the emergency program in April of 1999 in airlifting thousands of Kosovo refugees to Canada initially housing them in military bases across the country to give relief to Albania and Macedonia with the refugee crisis overwhelming their borders as Serbia’s brutal war in Kosovo would drive more than half of the country’s population out of their homes.
Serbia was also found to committing severe human rights violations, ethnic cleaning and severe crimes against humanity which included pregnant women and children as assessed by International Organizations, one of those people would be Canada’s Louise Arbour who was one of the prosecutors on the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Serbia continues to deny accountability for war crimes and ethnic cleansing in Kosovo and for many family’s who’ve been severely affected by war it’s been a long road to justice such as Canada’s Fatmire Feka “ at this point, we just want to know where their bodies are so we can have closure” says Feka where her sister and brother went missing during the Kosovo war.
Source: ICTY Oral History
Despite the hurtful past, Kosovo would prevail and overcome oppression with the assistance of Western countries including Canada who continues to contribute to peacekeeping efforts in Kosovo “It's important to acknowledge that we were living under oppression long before March 1999. Whether it was being expelled from schools, enduring police curfews, watching our parents lose their jobs, or facing the suppression of free speech, we experienced it all” says Shala in relation to growing up in Kosovo.
Albanian women faced a double- whammy. Oppression from Serbia on an ethnic level and many also faced oppression from their families and spouses. Many women lacked independence, education and legal rights and were in isolation. Kosovo’s freedom would bring many women out of their shells and out of those shadows and breaking barriers. Today the workforce of women and the number of educated women in Bachelor's and Master's degrees has surpassed men according to a recent 2024 study conducted by UN Women, the number are historic and so is their success. From entrepreneurs to leaders in science making their way into NASA’s internship, IT, fashion and much more, the post-war generation of women in Kosovo have proven that with freedom comes growth and success who've changed the narrative to their own story.
In Canada; today, Shala serves as Vice President of a retirement company that owns 11 retirement homes, serves 1,500 residents, and employs over 1,100 staff members “In the spirit of giving back and in honor of those who mentored me, I now serve on the advisory board of Algonquin College’s Retirement Management Program and as a Mentor in the Leadership Program with the Ontario Retirement Communities Association” says Shala.
While many newcomers struggle with a dual-identity, Shala says it all depends on your perspective “living between two cultures can be both unique and enriching—it’s all about how you choose to experience it. I truly believe that you can adapt to and embrace a new culture (which is necessary to succeed) while still holding on to your roots. It’s something anyone can achieve. It’s also crucial to make sure our children understand where they come from and connect with that part of their identity”. Her daughter Era is a prime example of blending the two “She is now fluent in three languages and proudly shares her roots and Kosovo whenever she can. Two of the pictures attached show Era hosting a Kosovo Dinner Night at the retirement home where she works as a student, where she showcased traditional Albanian food” says Shala.
But starting a new life in Canada was challenging for most refugees while they worked on learning a new language, obtaining new education and raising children; they also were tasked in helping families back home to recover from the effects of the war “It wasn’t easy, and it came with many tears and struggles, but you find a way to keep going. The biggest challenge at the time was building a life here while also financially supporting my husband's family and helping to rebuild their home.” says Shala.
From the early days in Canada, Shala gave back to her community from Kosovo and beyond “While studying, I also worked as an interpreter for our community. It was a great way to meet people, but it was also heartbreaking to hear their stories about the horrors of war and the struggles they faced in starting a new life in Canada.” she recalls her experience in translating for Kosovo refugees. It’s been a long road, but the Shala family has made it. Her husband now works in Tech, her daughter studying Interior Design at Toronto Metropolitan University who’ve all found their calling in Canada, a place they too now call home.