Kosta Shahov was a Macedonian activist, publicist; Member of the “Lozarsko” movement and the Macedonian Committee. He was born on July 6, 1862 in Ohrid, Macedonia. Shahov graduated in Sofia and initially worked in the region of Ruse, Bulgaria.
On October 21, 1888, Shahov began to publish the Makedonija newspaper in Ruse. After the first 25 issues that were published in Ruse, the publication was stopped until July 1889. Later, starting from 1893, the newspaper was published in Sofia.
In the first issue of the newspaper, Shahov wrote:
“We Macedonians … must not forget our homeland and we owe a debt to working to improve the situation. We as a people are responsible to our descendants.”
Shahov’s goal was also an independent Macedonia, as we learned from the report by Kuzman Damjanovikj of March 4, 1899. Damjanovikj stayed in the hotel “Battenberg” in Sofia, there were also Macedonian activists – among them Shahov. In the discussion after the meeting, it was noted, among other things:
“Do not believe that the Macedonian insurgents are fighting for an independent Macedonia and then unite with Bulgaria. God forbid! That will never happen … We Macedonians, no matter where we are, no matter what we went to school or we learned We will not allow Macedonia to unite with anyone, but we are working to have other provinces join us. We, the intelligentsia of Macedonia, we do not teach … we are still taught by Russians, Romanians, Serbs and Bulgarians … only , neither of us will be a servant to them, we will join our own flock … We have a glorious element and our people are tough and when they gain independence, Bulgaria will be more Macedonian than Macedonia will become Bulgarian … “
In the newspaper “Makedonija” (No. 4 of November 11, 1888) Kosta Shahov connected himself and the Macedonians to Alexander the Great. We read in the introduction, which was not signed but almost certainly came from the pen of the then 26 year old editor-in-chief Shahov:
“Our homeland Macedonia has a history in its past that shows its power and size – but also the political oppression in the powerful Ottoman Empire … Today, every Macedonian who mentions Alexander the Macedonian: We once had Alexander the Great With these words he remembers the splendor and size of the Macedonian Empire. Alexander the Macedonian stands before the face of every Macedonian as national pride! “
Later he repeated his views, that the Macedonians were descendants of the ancient Macedonians. He wrote on July 1st, 1889, issue number 28:
“Our ancestors under Alexander and others had the strength, now we are weak.”
Kosta Shahov, Makedonija, July 1st, 1889
