The spiritual and political architecture of the Albanian nation is linked to the name of Gjergj Kastrioti, more than to any other name or event, therefore, we need to update the story about him, to illuminate the great darkness in our history, but also to understand the causes of our misery, which still scream out today.
Written by: Ndue Ukaj
In truth, our history does not know a second event, after the Kastrioti period, when we, as a nation, created great history and became active participants in the events of Europe and the world.
This is precisely the reason why George's exploits were immortalized by writers, musicians, philosophers, and painters of Europe, long before he became a major national figure, during the National Renaissance, a period when Albanians, crushed by slavery, were searching for their lost freedom, the path back to Europe, and found their image and inspiration in George's name and glory.
After his death (1468), his figure was fought over; his memory was also fought over, and even his grave was violated, but he lived alive in the memories of the Arbërs who fled the waves of fear, across the Adriatic, he lived among the nations of Europe and in popular memories, although the long Ottoman rule wanted to erase his name and shadow.
Because, the Ottoman rulers "...hoped that one day the oppressed would love the rulers. They would even long for them, so much so that, if the day came for them to leave, they would say to them: no! Don't leave us. Or: come back," says a Turkish character in Ismail Kadare's fantastic novella, "The Secret Report," where Kadare gives our national hero the features of a Christ who founded the Albanian nation.
So, amidst this infernal desire of the Ottoman conqueror, the figure of George shone, who did not allow such a thing, who fought darkness and oblivion and appeared before the Albanians as a renewing, light-giving figure. And whenever the Albanians were discouraged, he gave them hope, whenever they were in darkness, he gave them light.
And Tuz Efendi, in this novella, reading “Merhum Defteri”, understands about another grave, that of General Ballaban, the traitor, Albanian Janissary, who had planted the Turkish flag on the wall of Constantinople. So, we are before a gruesome grave, and the Turk understands that in Albanian life there was talk of “two graves”, and it was precisely on this enigma that everything depended, since, “from then on Albanian history would be determined, as far as it seemed, by the match between two graves, the empty and the full.”
Albanians who loved freedom are forever linked to the grave of George, not Ballaban.
This lesson is still valid today, when, everywhere in our spaces, you see fools and evil-minded people who worship the tomb of Ballaban and an empire that represents the greatest evil in our history, an empire that devastated our lands for five centuries and when it left, left us in great misery: without schools, without art, without libraries, without theaters, without beautiful squares and with tons of misery.
Therefore, the figure of George is not a myth nor a product of communist ideological mockery, as some foolish Albanians sometimes claim, but is a real, extraordinary figure, with a pretense in all of Western cultural history. Thus, he is not a luxury, as Kadare says, but a cornerstone.
Among Albanians, there is once again a need to clarify their relationship with the past, and in this regard, first of all with the Ottoman Empire, which, in Albanian history, represents a great evil, and this evil, without the need for historical elaboration, is best demonstrated by the situation of Albanians after the departure of this empire.
What do we see in Albanian life in 1912?
We see wasteland, as the great Renaissance men said, a ruined, illiterate population, we see an ugly architectural landscape, we find so few traces of culture that it makes us sad, we find no schools, no theaters, no sports fields, no operas, no libraries... but we find endless misery and ignorance.
This truth, a person with a bit of brain, can understand as soon as he leaves the Albanian spaces and comes into contact with another, European culture, where art radiates, he sees large squares, fascinating architecture and breathtaking beauty. So, during the long Ottoman rule, Albanians were deprived of all the benefits of civilization, they lived without schools, without art, simply, without the basic tool that humanity has invented to fight evil and ignorance.
Precisely for this reason, this heritage has been mercilessly attacked by the most prominent figures of our political and cultural history, those who created the Albanian state and that of Kosovo, among whom Faik Konica, Mithat Frashri, Ismail Kadare and Ibrahim Rugova, and many, many others, stand out.
Today, I would love Gjergj Kastrioti above all else, that is, I would love the idea he fought for, his philosophy, and the blood he worked for for a quarter of a century.
t7 live
