Rizo Šurla

Rizo Šurla (Albanian: Rizo Shurdha, Serbian Cyrillic: Ризо Шурла, 12 January 1922 – 11 February 2003), also known as Rizo Harapi, was a Yugoslav photographer, actor and anti-fascist fighter who fought in the ranks of the Yugoslav Partisans during World War II.

Biography[]

Rizo Shurdha was born on 12 January 1922 in Ulcinj, then part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. His family belonged to the Afro-Albanian community of Ulcinj.^[1] African slaves had been brought by the captains of the fleet of Ulcinj in the 18th century.^[2] In the 19th century, they gained their freedom and began to integrate themselves in the local community. His father, Saidi, was a direct descendant of the first Africans who settled in Ulcinj and his mother, Fatima was a local from Ulcinj.^[3] In his youth he was involved in boxing and worked as a waiter in Dubrovnik.^[4] He then went to Belgrade, where he learned the craft of photography.^[2] During World War II, he joined the Yugoslav Partisans.^[5] After the war, he returned to Ulcinj, where he opened the first photographic studio in the city, which for a long time was the only one. In 1976 he played in the movie "Jagoš and Uglješa".^[3] He married a Montenegrin from Ulcinj named Nada Račić, with whom he had two children.^[2]

He died on 11 February 2003 in his hometown. He was one of the last black representatives in the city.^[2]

References[]

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