Heronjte Shqipetare te Frances

Edlira Xhemo

Kur marr metrone e linjes 7bis apo autobusin 26 ne Paris, do te me duhet te ngerdheshem pasi spikerja ne diktofon thote emrin e stacionit « Bocaris »...
Nuk e duroj dot kete lloj emertimi, sa here qe me duhet te marr autobuzin apo metrone me duket se ne nje pike te udhetimit zemra do te me kaloje nje vdekje shume te shkurter klinike, aty ku historia e vendit tim thyhet, aty ku ajo perbaltet aty ku e shkuara ime fundoset nen peshen e politikave te koherave dhe lufterave te te pareve te mi.
Aty me duhet te pertypem dhe sa here qe te bjere fjala mes miqsh, profesoresh franceze apo ku do te jem ne ambjente me kontakte t'u them : ja edhe Boçari shqipetar ishte dhe keta (grekerit) keshtu na e kane bere. A ishte marko Boçari Shqipetar Vrases ? Cila eshte kjo enigme qe mbeshtjell figuren e tij enigmatike dhe edhe sot e kesaj dite rrotullohemi dhe themi : Perse valle fjalori shqip-greqisht ? Perse rrevolucion grek? A vrau shqipetare ai apo jo dhe cilet ? Markoja u thote grekerve : «....e vleresoj kurajon e ushtareve tuaj por duhet t'i kishim ndaluar qe te kryenin krimet monstruoze qe ata kryen. Ne vend qe te therrnim femije dhe gra muslimane a nuk do te ishte me mire qe te fshihnim ceshtjen tone kombetare pas detyres ndaj humanitetit,ti dergonim ne Patras, Modon dhe Koron 20.000 te uriturit e Tripolices ,
Navarinit dhe Monambasise ne vend qe ti therrnim ata? Te detyruar te ushqenin 20.000 vete me shume keto vende nuk do te rezistonin gjate dhe do binin ne duart tona » Ndonje kete fraze te Markos e interpreton se Markoja vrau dhe preu e bashkepunoi ne asgjesim grash e femijesh myslymane. Por ne fakt kjo fraze nuk e thote nje gje te tille e nga ana tjeter ajo qe thote Markoja eshte se ai nuk vlereson vepren e trupave te grekerve persa kohe ishin ne bashkepunim. Ai nga sa me lart i thote : «duhet t'i kishim ndaluar qe te kryenin krimet monstruoze qe ata kryen» ai e thote kete si veper kete me diplomaci duke ia vene ne dukje se akti ishte i pameshirshem.
Pra Markoja nuk kishte marre vete pjese ne ate masaker dhe perkundrazi nuk e vleresonte. Lufterat e Marko Boçarit ishin te drejtuara kunder ushtrive te sulltanit te cilat organizoheshin nga pashallare dhe ushtarake te Portes se Larte qe natyrisht ishin myslymane, por keto luftera nuk duhen konsideruar asnjehere te karakterit fetar siç mundohen te na i sjellin psudo historiane si Abedin Rakipi apo manupulues te historise ne favor te pushtimit otoman Olsi Jazexhi. Shrimtari i madh Hygoi, duke folur për ndikimin e revolucionit francez, e vendos Markon në radhët e Uashingtonit, Kostçukos, Boliverit, Pilegonit, Maninit, Lopezit, Xhon Braun dhe Garibaldinit. Ai është kudo- thotë Hygoi- ku ndizet e merr flakë e ardhmja. Ishin bëmat e Marko Boçarit ato që i dhanë frymëzim studiuesit gjerman Mendelson Bartholdit që thotë: "Marko Boçari ishte i pajisur me të gjitha virtytet që duhet të ketë një njeri.
Këto virtyte zbukuroheshin nga një karakter i thjeshtë, shembulli i të cilit mund të gjendet vetëm te burrat e mëdhenj të Plutarkut. "Për mua- thotë skrimtari i njohur anglez Stjefens Miltjalli- në Marathonë dhe Leonidha në Termopile nuk ishin më heroikë se Marko Boçari në Karpenish". Greqia do të vajtojë për shumë kohë një nga miqtë (Shenim : pra nuk ishte grek por nje mik, E.Xh.) dhe mbrojtësit më të zellshëm të saj",-shkruan oficeri francez Rafenel që luftoi si vullnetar nën komandën e Marko Boçarit. Dëgjoj betejën që mbush qytetin me zemrat që thërrasin :O hije e Boçarit, mbro grekët e pafat!- shkroi Hygoi kur i dhanë lajmin e vdekjes të kryetrimit. Akti i fundit i birit të madh të Shqipërisë u pasqyrua me forcë të madhe emocionale edhe nga arbëreshi i Italisë Eduardo Volio:"Marko Boçari nuk nguroi kur mori vesh se mundësia e fundit ishte që me sakrificën e ekzistencës së vet të siguronte dafinën e flijimit, e cila ishte një me lavdinë. Virtyti i tij është virtyti i yllit të mirë të shqiptarëve, gjenia ushtarake e Shqipërisë... Ai është heroi shqiptar i kohërave të reja, i cili me mendimet e tij, me veprat dhe shkencën e tij strategjike, dhe në ndërmarrjet e mëdha, rikrijon në mos riprodhon pikë për pikë, brumin e lavdishëm të paraardhësit të tij, të disa shekujve më parë "Gjergj Kastriotit".
Qe Marko Boçari ka dashur bashkim kombetar pra qe te kthente nga sherbesa ndaj osmaneve edhe Kara Mahmudin duke dashur te realizoje bashkimin e forcave luftarake kunder pushtuesit otoman pavaresisht perkatesisht fetare, kete na e thone edhe vargjet e kenges : "Medet për Vezir Alinë/, që kur s'dëgjoi Boçarinë/ të mblidhej me Bushatllinë,/ për të bërë Shqipërinë/. Marko Boçari i tha:/ Dëgjomë Ali Pasha, po s'u bëmë me ata,/ Shqipëria për ne nuk ka,/ do grihemi lakra,/do këndojë qyqeja. " te cilat vertetojne edhe nje here frazen e mesiperme qe Boçari i thote Kollokotronit. Injorante te tille te historise dhe manipulues te saj se gjoja ne emer te besimit si:
Abedin Rakipi dhe ata qe i vene mbrapa duan ende te nxisin luften nder fetare mes çameve por kjo nuk ka ekzistuar dhe nuk do te ekzistoje pasi vete Agai Ismail Prronjo ishte vellam me Marko Boçarin ashtu sikurse edhe çamet myslymane te Sulit mbrojten eshtrat e tij nga zhvarrosja qe donin t'u benin jeniçeret e KaraMahmudit. Ne librin «Aux origines du nationalisme albanais: la naissance d'une nation majoritairement musulmane en Europe» (ne origjinen e nacionalizmit shqipetar: lindja e nje shteti me shumice myslymane) Nathalie Clayer, botim i 2007, ne faqen 167 shkruan «Njerezit e terrenit udhetaret , ushtaraket ose administratoret luajten nje rol primordialper dy arsye. Se pari apsi ata u dhane shkencetareve nje korpus njohurish gjeografike, historike, etnografike dhe mbi te gjitha linguistikeçdo dite dhe me te pasura. Ky ishte p.sh. rasti i Leake, Pouqueville, Hahn dhe Hecquard te cilet publikuan libra gramatike dhe leksiku. Dhe fale ketij korpusi dhe gjithashtu nga perkthimi i bibles prej misionareve protestante, analiza e gjuhes u be gjithnje dhe me shume precize. Roli i njrezve te terrenit ishte gjithashtu shume i rendesishem nga fakti se ata kishin kontakte direkte me aktoret lokale, duke iu ngjallur interes per gjuhen dhe historine e tyre.

Marko Boçari shkruajti me 1809 fjalorin e tij shqip- greqisht ne Korfuz perpara Pouqueville-it. Johann George von Hahn e mesoi shqipen ne Janine nga dy nxenes te rinj te gjimnazit Zosimea. I pari, Apostoles Panagiotides, me origjine nga Labova (afer Gjirokastres) fliste greqisht, frengjisht, italisht por nuk kishte menduar asnjehere te shkruante gjuhen e tij prinderore-shqipen- dhe as ta analizonte. Nga kontakti me Hahn iu zgjua interesi. Me pas ai u be mjek. Nxenesi tjeter ishte Konstandin Kristoforidhi, me origjine nga Elbasani, te cilit iu zgjuan interesat dhe njohuriteteorike per gjuhen nga konsulli austriak. Dhe me pas ne gjysmen e dyte te shekullit XIX Kristoforidhi ne bashkepunim me misionaret protestante u be nje nga figurat kryesore te shqiptarizmes. ... » Fisi i madh i Boçarenjve në Sul, ishin në armiqësi e gjakmarrje të vjetër me fisin e Bakallenjve, sepse Gogo Bakalli i kishte vrarë të atin Marko Boçarit.
Armiqësia mes dy fiseve të mëdha suliote kishte vazhduar për vite me radhë, në të gjitha veçoritë e hakmarrjes të zakoneve çame. Këta dy fise ishin në armiqësi, por secili prej tyre nuk kursente asgjë për të mbrojtur Sulin nga rreziku, madje edhe duke u flijuar për të. Në një rast, kur komanda turke në Janinë përgatitej të sulmonte Sulin me forca të shumta e ta pushtonte atë, Marko Boçari, njeri nga kapedanët kryesorë suliotë, kur pa se Suli dhe jeta e nderi i suliotëve ishte në rrezik, gjykoi e kërkoi që hasmëritë e vjetra duhej t'ia linin vendin bashkimit dhe të harroheshin të shkuarat. Në këto rrethana Marko Boçari, përballë interesave të bashkësisë suliote, ndërmori një vendim sa të mençur, aq edhe burrëror: vendosi t'ia falte gjakun e babait të tij vrasësit, Gogo Bakallit. Boçari, ndërkohë, me anën e dy kapedanëve suliotë, Kutuli dhe Janaq Rangon, e ftoi në një takim Gogo Bakallin, armikun e tij, dhe në prani të dy kapedanëve të tjerë, shtriu dorën për t'u pajtuar.
Dhe ashtu të katër, siç ishin, në atë çast solemn të pajtimit, hartuan planet për të sulmuar taboret turke në kampet e Janinës (Arkivat, S.Mela "To lintari…", Vepra, Vol.1, faqe 390). Vinçens Dorsa në veprën e tij shkruan "Në kohën e Filipit, Aleksandrit, Pirros, Skënderbeut, shqiptarët janë shquar për trimëri, po kështu vepruan ata edhe në Kalabri. Në luftën e Greqisë për pavarësi, shqiptarë si: Noti, Konstantini, Kristo e Marko Boçari, Foto Xhavella dhe i jati i tij, Odise Andruci, Miauli, Kundurioti, Tombasi, Karaiskaj, Gurra, Niketa, Stromari, etj., heroina të tilla si Elena-bashkëshortja e Konstantin Boçarit, Moskoja-e shoqja e Xhavellës, Kaidoja-vajza e tij, Despoja-e veja e kapiten Gjergj Bocit, dhe e pashembullta në histori Bubulina nga Hidra, -treguan heroizëm për lirinë dhe pavarësinë e Greqisë". Në vitin 1899, revista greke "Helenizmi" boton një shpallje të nënshkruar nga zotërinjtë: Shehu, Boçari e Xhavella, ku ndër të tjera shkruhej "Në luftën e 1821 që bëri Greqia kundër Turqisë luftoi dhe raca jonë, raca shqiptare, dhe me ndihmën tonë u çlirua edhe Greqia.
Midis kaq heronjve kujtojmë edhe ata të Hidrës, Species dhe Kranidhit. Heronjtë më të shumtë të steresë ishin shqiptarët e Sulit të Himarës, të Athinës, Tebës, Livadhjasë, Korintit, dhe nga shumë vende të Moresë që flasin edhe sot shqip. Përveç shqiptarëve të krishterë, ishin edhe 3500 shqiptarë muslimanë që luftonin bashkë me grekët kundër turqve... S'kemi për të thënë ndonjë gënjeshtër, vëllezër, po të pohojmë se shqiptarët e çliruan Greqinë". Ndersa diplomati shqipetar ne France, Luan Rama ne studimin e tij : «Gjuhe te vjetra te frankofonise shqipetare» shkruan «Bota shqiptare terhoqi mjaft njerez te penes. Alexandre Dumas, i cili do te vishte fustanelle shqiptare, ashtu sic do te vishej dhe Pierre Loti, Hugo qe do ti kendonte Bocarit, Lamartine apo Prosper Merimée.
Ky i fundit, ne leterkembimet e tij me konsullin francez te Janines, i kerkonte atij njoftime mbi gjuhen e shqiptareve, per kulturen dhe historine e tyre, mbi Durresin dhe luftrat e dikurshme atje te Cezarit, meqe kishte degjuar per " poezite e mrekullueshme te shqiptareve".... ... Francois Pouqueville Nje nga ata ishte Fransua Pukvil, me profesion mjek por me pas i angazhuar me ekspeditat e Napoleon Bonapartit ne Egjipt. Pas luftes se Aboukir-it, ai zbarkoi ne Epir dhe Shqiperi. Bredhjet e tij si rob lufte e bene te njohe mire Ballkanin, per te cilin do te shkruante ne fillim vellimin Voyage en Morée, à Constantinople et en Albanie dhe me pas Nga udhetimet ne Epir, Shqiperi, Maqedoni dhe Thesali dhe Notice sur la fin tragique d'Ali Pacha de Tépélen. Kur Pouqueville mbriti ne Shqiperi si konsulli francez prane pashait te Janines, ai gjeti atje shume franceze.
Nje tregeti e madhe zhvillohej me Francen. Artiliere e ushtarake te shumte ndihmonin e drejtonin mekembjen e ushtrise se Pashait. Napoloni dhe gjeneralet e tij kishin korespondence me shqiptarin e "tmerrshem" te Janines qe i kishte ngritur krye sulltanit. Ne Shqiperi Pukevil takohet me Marko Bocarin dhe sjell ne Biblioteken Kombetare te Parisit fjalorin e Markos shqip- greqisht, si dhe nje fjalorth te tij shqip-frengjisht. Pukevili u pasionua thellesisht me Shqiperine dhe shqiptaret, me kulturen dhe gjuhen e tyre. Fjalorthi i tij permbante 479 fjalesh, me shkronja latine, te botuar ne librin e tij Udhetim ne Greqi, me 1820 ne Paris. Ngado ne Shqiperi takon njerez qe i kane syte nga Franca. Madje shqiptare qe kishin jetuar ne Paris, qe kishin frekuentuar "Café Procop" apo "discours"-et e Diderot.»
Diplomati Luan Rama ne shkrimin e tij :«Shqipetare ne France»shkruan : «Shpesh, në takimet me ish-ministrin Jacques Augarde, ish-deputet dhe mik i vjetër i Shqipërisë (ai kishte qenë në Korçë që në vitet `30), kur flisnim për të kaluarën, ai do të më përmendte me pasion historitë e Ali Pashë Tepelenës, "Pacha-Lion", siç e quante ai apo për Marko Boçarin, po kështu dhe për regjimentin e shqiptarëve që luftuan nën flamurin e Napoleonit. Një ditë më dha dhe një artikull që kishte botuar për këtë histori të fundit dhe në revistën e ish- deputetëve "Les quatre colones". ........ Sigurisht Marko Boçari, Xavella, prijësit e Armatolëve, emrat e të cilëve ishin bërë të famshëm, luajtën një rol modest nën flamurin e Francës". Në vitet 1800 - 1807, mijëra shqiptarë ishin mbledhur në Korfuz, të lodhur nga luftërat e gjata e të përgjakshme me pashain e Janinës dhe osmanllinjtë. ... Pas traktatit të Tislit-it, me ardhjen e francezëve në ishujt e Qefalonisë dhe brigjet shqiptare të jugut, i pari ishte gjeneral Cesar Berthier, që kërkoi t'i organizonte shqiptarët.
Në fillim Berthier krijoi një detashment që ja bashkoi Gardës së tij. Pastaj një kompani tjetër me trimat shqiptarë "të veshur bukur dhe me armë të praruara", të cilët ja dërgoi për ndihmë mbretit të Napolit. Në regjimentin që donte të krijonte Berthier, caktoi si komandant të shqiptarëve një grek i quajtur Kristaki, të cilin shqiptarët e refuzuan menjëherë. Edhe pse Berthier i kërcënoi se do t'i burgoste të pabindurit, ata nuk pranuan të luftonin nën komandën e një greku. Atëherë Napoleoni zgjodhi kolonel Jean-Louis Toussaint Minot, i cili ishte plagosur në rrethimin e Valencias, në Aleksandri dhe Heliopolis, por që e kish ndjekur Napoleonin deri në Itali e Egjipt. Pikërisht në Korfuz, Minot u njoh me Boçarin, suliotin 45-vjeçar që kishte në burgjet e Ali Pashë Tepelenës 25 të afërm të tij.
Ai njihet po kështu me trimin tjetër suljot, Foto Xavella, 40-vjeçar, që më parë u kishte shërbyer rusëve. Gjithë familja e tij ishte shpërndarë nëpër ishujt e Qefalonisë dhe suljotët kishin një nderim të madh për të. Koloneli Minot njohu trima të tjerë nga zona e Çamërisë, nga Paramithia, Vunoi, Parga, Moreja etj. Kristo Kallojero ishte komandant i një detashmenti shqiptarësh, ..... Ministri i Luftës së Napoleonit i shkruante atë kohë kolonel Minot nga Versaja se "Drejtimi i atij regjimenti do të ishte i vështirë për të dhe për këtë do të duhet ashpërsi e njëkohësisht butësi me ta.
Qëllimi është që shqiptarët, të cilët nuk i njohin zakonet tona, të kenë një frymë të përshtatshme me tonën dhe një përkushtim ndaj perandorit. Për këtë duhet të tregoni se i vlerësoni ata, t'i bëni që të duan detyrën e tyre dhe frymën e ushtrisë sonë".» Pra lufterat qe zhvilloi Boçari nuk ishin kunder myslymaneve por kunder ushtriveotomane te cilat ne gjirin e tyre kishin jeniçere te rekrutuar shqipetare siç eshte edhe rasti i mirditorit lleshi i Zi i cili i sherbente ushtrise otomane ne shkembim te mos pagimit te taksave (nje nder favoret ky qe u bente Porta e Larte si kusht popullsive te saja nen sundim). Dhe ne mbyllje vjen ky pershkrim i Luan Rames nga shkrimi permendur me lart: «Në Orlean të Francës, në këtë qytet hijerëndë e disi të zymtë nga ndërtesat mesjetare, ndodhet një rrugë me emrin "Rruga e shqiptarëve" ("Rue des Albanais") dhe "Rrugica e shqiptarëve" ("Passage des Albanais").
Disa banorë tregojnë se dikur këtu, që në kohëra të vjetra, banonin shqiptarë. Ndoshta ishin pasardhësit e atyre kalorësve shqiptarë të Napoleonit, apo aleatët e Louis XII, XII, XIV, e më pas, të cilët si në legjenda, lanë pas tyre trashëgim emrin e mirë të shqiptareve, të këtyre kalorësve që vrapuan gjithnjë në emër të lirisë»

Paris
14 Mars, 2008

Per detashmenin Otoman!

Per detashmenin Otoman!

"Per detashmenin Otoman"

nga Arber Thesproti"

Asnjehere se kisha menduar se mes shqiptarve mund te dilte ndonje koker agurridhe e te guxonte e vinte ne dyshim figuren e te madhit Gjergj Kastriot Skenderbeu. Isha i gabuar. Keta nuk jane nje e dy, por nje detashmen i tere, nje horrdhi e tere seraskenesh. Sic duket, 500 vjetet e sundimit ottoman na kane lene ne dere keto pjella te shemtuara. Hej ju taborri i seraskenjve qe lehni kunder Heroit Kombetar te Shqiptarve; ne qofte se doni te dini per SHQIPTARIZMIN e Gjergjin tone, ja ku eshte, pergjigjen e keni nga goja e tij: Ketu keni leterkembimin e Skenderbeut me Princin e Torantos. Antonio kishte sulmuar Ferdinandin e Napolit dhe gati po i mirte mbreterine, por me ndihmen e Skenderbeut , Ferdinandi e shpartalloi plotesisht ate. Me kete raste ju seraskenet do te mesoni se sa shqiptar ishte Gjergji yne.(fn1) This entire Part 5 was originally written in French by Pagnel, a writer in the XV century in his publication entitled ÒTHE TURKS AND THE HISTORY OF SKANDERBEGÓ. [NOTE: It was translated into Italian (perhaps by Conforti?) and then I translated this draft from Italian to English. - **** Vara, 1997]


The letter to Skanderbeg: Ò Giovanni Antonio, Prince of Taranto, to Georgio albanese, greeting. (Conveniva a te?), that the luck you had shown in the war with the enemies of the Christian religion, which sometimes had forced combat, then leaving that field, you came to Italy to drive your armies against Christians? What cause do you hold against me? What have I done against you? What controversies do they make between us? You have spoiled my territories and are crudely giving vent against my subjects, and first you have (mosso?) the war that (proposta?). You boast that you are a great warrior for the Christian religion and (pur?) yet you persecute this (geate?) which for every reason is called Christianity. You have turned your iron against the French of the Kingdom of Sicily. Perhaps you have thought to take the army against the effeminate Turks that you are accustomed to wounding in the back. You will find other men who all support your proud appearance (?) and no one will avoid your face. Our Italian soldiers will challenge you very well and have no fear of the Albanese. We already know your generation and respect the Albanese like sheep, and it is an embarrassment to have such cowardly people for enemies; (neÕ?) would you have embarked on such a business if you had stayed to dwell in your house. You have avoided the onslaught of the Turks, and not having the power to defend your own house, have thought to invade other peopleÕs. You are deceitful. Instead of a new house you are looking for your grave. Goodbye..... .Ó Letter from Skanderbeg to the Prince of Taranto: Ò Giorgio, gentleman of Albania, to Giovanni Antonio, Prince of Taranto, greeting. Having made a truce with the enemy of my religion I have not wanted that my friend remain (fraudato) of my aid. (Spesse?) times, Alfonso, his father, invited my help while I waged war against the Turks. Therefore I would be very ungrateful if I had not resisted (lÕistesso?) service to his son. I remember what your king did because now (non deve vedere succedergli? ) this who is his son? You adored his father, and why now do you try to throw out his son? Where did this power come from? Who has the power to set up the King of Sicily, you or the Roman Pontiff? I came to aid Ferrante, son of the king and seat of the Apostolica. I came opposing your unfaithfulness and innumerable great betrayals in this kingdom. (NeÕ?) will you ever be unpunished for your perjury. This is the reason for my war against you. I merit this no less than I merited making war against the Turks, nor are you less Turk than them. (ImperoccheÕ vi sono alcuni?) that guide you in a straight line not to be of some sect. You my opponents the French and the names of those people, and those for the religion wage grand war. I do not want to dispute ancient matters with you, matters that perhaps were much less than what was told about them. Certainly in our times the Aragonese armadas have often coursed the Aegean Sea, have plundered the Turkish coasts, have (riportata?) the prey of the enemies; and even today the Aragonese armies defend Troja from the jaws of the enemy. Why do I remember the old things and leave the new parts? If they change the family costumes and the plowmen of the kingdom, and the kings of the plowmen return? (NeÕ troverai nobilitaÕ piuÕ antica della virtuÕ.) Nor can I deny that you are not with the obnoxious French nation, (imperoccheÕ) you being mainly in aid of King Alfonso, you hunted the French of this kingdom. I do not know now what new virtue shines in this. Perhaps it is some new star that you have now seen among the French? Moreover, you scorned our people, and compared the Albanese to sheep, and according to your custom think of us with insults. Nor have you shown yourself to have any knowledge of my race.
My elders were from Epirus, where this Pirro came from, whose force could scarcely support the Romans. This Pirro, who Taranto and many other places of Italy held back with armies. I do not have to speak for the Epiroti. They are very much stronger men than your Tarantini, a species of wet men who are born only to fish. If you want to say that Albania is part of Macedonia I would concede that a lot more of our ancestors were nobles who went as far as India under Alexander the Great and defeated all those peoples with incredible difficulty. From those men come these who you called sheep. But the nature of things is not changed. Why do your men run away in the faces of sheep? In the past the Albanese have (fatto?) experience if the Pugilese were armed; (neÕ) I would again find some who would have been able to aspired to my nature. I have well noted from the back how many of your soldiers are well armed but have never been able to see their helmets or (tanpoco?) the face except those that have become prisoners. (NeÕ?) I seek your house (Bastandomi? ) my own. Besides, it is well known that you often would have shot your neighbors for their possessions, as now you would force out the king of your house and your kingdom. (Che se?) If I fall in the difficult task I have embarked on I will be buried as (mi vai?) wishing in your letter, will bring back my soul as a reward from the Chancellor of the universe, of God. Not only will I have perfected my intention, but also I will have planned and attempted some distinguished deed. Good bye... "

Ç A M Ë R I A / C H A M E R I A

Ç A M Ë R I A / CHAMERIA
Çameria geographically is situated on the to-day north-west Greece. This beautiful region, has a rich Albanian heritage and it was only in the 1912 that it was annexed unfairly and unjustifiably from Greece. This was the aftermath of the decision of the great powers to give Çameria to Greece, just as the great powers had made similar decisions to give Kosova and other Albanian territories to Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro.The word Çam is an evolution of the word "t'chiam" which is the name of an ancient river passing right through Çameria (The word T'chamis appears on many ancient Roman and even Hellenic maps, indicating that the word Chameria is older than the word Epirus, and it's used only by Albanians). Another branch of this river remains to be known to this day as the "lumi i kalamait" (Kalamait River - Childrens Rivier). What's most important is that everything about Çameria is Albanian in every sense of the word. The word Çameria has more of a topological meaning, but Çams have a very strong Albanian ethnicity, tradition and customs. Çameria has a very well-defined ethno-geographical meaning, which is strongly Albanian.
A large number of Çam population is situated on the seaside and goes up to the Gulf of Preveza. Another considerable number of towns and villages are situated on both sides of the river of "kalamait". The rest of of the Çam villages and towns are situated in more remote places and often on hills and mountains.
The Greek government has been very hostile toward Çams and the main reason is the fact that Çams have a very strong Albanian identity. Another reason of the Greek hostilities is the fact that Greeks inherited a very hostile policy towards us. During the period of time, from 1854 till 1877 the Albanians of Çameria resisted successfully the attacks from Greek "Andartes". During the WWI and WWII the greek troops attacked Çameria again. The (provisional) government of Vlora (Albania) responded by sending Albanian military troops to assist the Albanian population of Çameria , but the decision of the Ambassadors Conference assigned Çameria to Greece. As a result of this decision by the great powers, Greeks forces led by the hateful figure of N. Zervas launched attackers that ended up with many innocent Albanian locals killed.
To this day, we Çams in greece are described as bad people from an increasing "suffocating" Greek propaganda based on the fact that we refuse to be assimilated as it is the case with some of "Arvanites" in south and central Greece.

The today exact number of Albanians of Çameria in Greece is approx. one million people, taking into the account some relativly newly formed Çam villages and towns elsewhere in Greece..if all the number of Albanians in Çameria is added to the number of Arvanites in other areas of Greece, then the total number of Albanians in Greece is around 3.000.000 people. However only Albanians in Çameria call themselves real Shqiptars (Albanians). Arvanites elsewhere in Greece are under greater assimilating pressure from the Greek government and Anti-Albanian Greek circles.
This section is dedicated to hundreds of thousands of Albanians from the region of Chameria expelled by force, from the Greek forces in 1944 and residing now in the Republic of Albania and in the memory of 850,000 Cham Albanians sent to Turkey during the period between 1913-44.
During the summer of 1944, the neo-nazi forces led by Zervas attacked many villages and towns of Chameria and as a result 9,000 Albanians (including children, women and old folks) were killed indiscriminately. A considerable number of Albanians were expelled and live now in the Republic of Albania. The official number of those Albanian refugees from Chameria is between 150,000 and 300,000.
Today they have formed their own Albanian patriotic and cultural association based in Tirana and which is active right across Albania. Among other they are asking from the Greek government in Athens-Greece, to be repatriated and their lands and other assets be returned to them as well as compensations for the usage of the lands for the past 50 years. Also they are rallying for the opening of Albanian schools to the Albanians living in Chameria.
The policy of expulsion of Cham Albanians from Chameria had started earlier than 1944. Greeks as well as Serbs followed the same pattern in politics with respect to Albanians. Often they had signed documents with the Turkish government for the exchange of Muslims with Christians. During all this not a single Cham Albanian was asked! As a result of such policy around 850,000 Cham Albanians from Chameria were sent to Turkey, where they are settled in the region of Asia minor in Turkey.
Prior to WWI and WWII, the population in Çameria was around 93% Albanian, the rest were other ethnic groups such as Greeks, Vlachs, gypsies, etc.. The process of conversion to Islam started in the 18th century) and a 20% Christian Orthodox, however the first world war, found the the Albanian community as made up of 50% muslim and 50% orthodox believers (this shift happened in a matter of 70 years). After the world wars a fraction of the Muslim Populations was expelled by the Greek special forces, leaving intact the mainly orthodox Albanian population (50%) and a small fraction of molsims(13%) who by now mostly converted to orthodoxy to survive. The conversion back and forth from one religion to the other, before the World War I, was common among families!However both Albanian religious communities were extremely close to each-other before the war and to this day, the Greek government has not managed to assimilate the Albanians of Çameria. The Albanian language is spoken indoors and outdoors as much as on everyday working places, but the Greek government with very little pressure from outside refuses to recognize Albanian minority in Greece and refuses to open schools on Albanian language.
The region is officially known as Epirus by the Greek government, but on the further north western corner of Greece, every single people knows the place as Çameria. Anyone from this region stating that he or she is a Çam, makes a political statement saying that he or she is an Albanian. That's why the Greek government doesn't know officially the region as Çameria. The heartland of Çameria is also called Thesprotia. My own opinion is that this region has still an Albanian majority (since many people of other ethnic groups have emigrated away, which has compensated somehow for the displacement of some Albanians during WWI and WWII!) and all the Çams expelled unjustifiably from Greece are very welcomed by all the Albanian people here, there is a UN resolution which asks the Greek government to repatriate our brothers and sisters back to their homes, where they belong among the rest of us.
________________________________________________________________________________________ÇAMERIA:

ÇAMERIA: An Albanian Region Divided Between Greece and Albania

The Epirus, or Çameria, area in southern Albania and northern Greece has constituted the main focus of potential dispute between Athens and Tirana. The Greeks consider the southern extremity of Albania to be northern Epirus, while the Albanians consider the northwest corner of Greece to be southern Çameria. Although neither government has pressed for territorial revisions in recent memory, both regions are inhabited by minorities whose conditions and treatment have given rise to some concern and interstate discord. Claims over Çam numbers have ranged from 90,000 to over one million but are believed to be understated because Athens has not considered the local Albanians to be a separate ethnic group and has completely hellenized the majority of Orthodox Christian Albanians. They have not been entitled to any special minority rights and have been prevented from establishing any educational, cultural, or political associations inside Greece.Since the democratic breakthrough in Albania in early

Foto : Mihal Andriotti

the Albanian Çams organized as a pressure group within Albania on behalf of their co-ethnics in Greece. In March 1991, the first national conference of the Çameria Political Association (CPA) was held in Tirana with many of its activists drawn from the Albanian community who had been expelled from Greece after the war. The CPA intended to bring to international attention the neglected linguistic, cultural, and educational rights of Orthodox Albanian Çams who have been subjected to a Greek policy of assimilation. The group has also launched campaigns on behalf of Çam exiles in Albania. It has encouraged the expansion of contacts with compatriots in Greece, the return of exiles to their family areas, and the payment of compensation for property and land that was illegally taken from them during their expulsion.Since 1991, Albanian activists across the political spectrum have become more outspoken on the Çameria issue vis-a-vis Greece. Historic grievances over Greek repression of Orthodox and Muslim Albanians earlier this century have been aired, and Athens has been criticized for its ongoing assimilationist pressures against Orthodox Albanians who still reside in the Çameria/Epirus region. Although the Greek authorities have denied that any Çam problem exists, Çam representatives have continued to urge the Albanian government to take up the issue with Athens at the highest bilateral levels. Excerpted from pages 185 and 186, Nations in Turmoil by Janusz Bugajski, Westview Press, 5500 Central Ave., Boulder, CO 80301-2877* * * * * * * *A small section of Çameria consisting of 7 villages and the town of Konispoli belongs to Albania while the rest of Çameria was awarded to Greece by the Conference of Ambassadors in London in 1913. The main Çam towns in Greece are Filati, Gumenica,Paramethia, Margellici, and Parga. In the 16th to 17th centuries, Çameria turned into an area of fierce revolts against Ottoman rule. In the 18th century, the process of forced islamization began -- part of the Suli and Parga populations fled to Greek islands to escape conversion. During 1820-1850, the region again took part in uprisings against the Ottomans. In 1854 and 1877, the population successfully resisted attacks by Greek Andartes. During the Balkan Wars, Greek troops intervened in Çameria. Military troops were sent by the (provisional) government of Vlora (Albania) to assist the local population, but the decision of the Ambassadors Conference assigned Çameria to Greece.After WWII, the Greek government expelled by force thousands of Muslim Albanians to Turkey on the pretext that they were Turks because of their religion. At the end of WWII, the terror exercised against the local population forced 25, 000 Çams of Muslim faith to leave their homeland and seek temporary asylum in Albania. Çam dances, especially men's dances, are renowned. Some Çam dances, called Çamiko, are also used by the Greeks. Excerpted from pages 149-50, Fjalori Enciklopedik Shqiptar, Akademia Shkencave e RPS te Shqiperise, Tirana, Albania, 1985(Translated from Albanian into English by Agron Alibali)

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ANGLO - AMERICAN COMMENTSTHAT LIGHT ON THE PERSECUTIONOF THE CHAMS IN THE YEARS1944-1945
1. In 1944 the Chams were evicted from Northern Greece by guerilla forces under the command of Gen. Zervas acting under the instructions of Allied officers... It was unfortunately true however that the eviction was carried out in an extremely bloody manner, and in the form of a reprisal...In March 1945 units of Zervas’ dissolved forces, under a certain officer called Zotos, carried out a ruthless massacre of the Chams in the Philiates area, and practically cleared the area of Albanian(Cham) minority.1)
2. Colonel Chriss Monague Woodhouse, head of the British Military Mission in Greece reported as follows in October 1945:"Encouraged by the Allied Mission I headed, Zervas drove the Chams out of their homes in 1944. The majority fled to find shelter in Albania... Their eviction from Greece was carried out with large scale bloodshed. Zervas work was followed with a big scale massacre that cannot be excused among the Philiates Chams in march 1945... The result was eviction of the undesirable Albanian population from their own native land"2)
3. In June 1946, Joseph Jacobs, Head of the U.S. Mission in Albania (1945—1946), writes in his report: "According to all information 1 have been able together on the Chams issue, in autumn 1944 and during the first months of 1945, the authorities in north—western Greece perpetrated savage brutality by evicting 25.000 Chatns, residents of Chameria, from their homes, where they had been living for centuries on end, chasing them across the border after having robbed them of their land and property. Most of the young people were killed because the majority of the refugees were old folk, and children"3)1)Documents of the. British Foreign Office No.371/58479/ R 104582)Documents of the British Foreign Office ice, No.371/48094/544/R8 5643)Documents of the U.S Department of State, No.84/3,Tirana Mission, 1945—1946, 6—646.
REFUTATION OF MR. MITSOTAXIS STATEMENTSBY THE GREEK GENERAL, ZERVAS STATEMENTS
The statements made by Mr. Mitsotakis and the Greek chauvinistic clan that the Chams were collaborators of the invaders and ordinary criminals, that they were not evicted but left on their own to follow the fate of the invaders in order to escape Greek justice and so on are unfounded. The real aim of these statements is to justify the monstrous crimes and genocide against the Cham population. The violent eviction of the Cham population from its own native land, was a strategy long since worked out and applied by Greek chauvinism. This conclusion is also clearly proved by two statements of Napoleon
Zervas:
1. In his letter to one of his collaborators, Jani Dani Popovit, he instructs the latter as follows: "Take upon yourself the task of enlightening our compatriots on who cleared Chameria of the Albanians who had been riding roughshod on Hellenism for five hundred years on end" (See: Spiro Muselimi "Historiqi pripatiana tis Thesprotias", p.8, Salonika, 1976). The letter is dated August 4, 1993.
2. In 1950 when Napoleon Zervas was under medical care in France, he declared: "Even if I die right now, i feel at ease. The task entrusted to me to clear Epirus of the Muslim Chams, has been accomplished". (See: The newspaper "Kombi", No. 13, January 3, 1991).

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ps. :

AWARENESS :

The following existing blogs are not official blogs of this organization :

http://www.lidhja-came.blogspot.com/

http://www.edliraxhemo.blogspot.com/

http://www.arvanitet.blogspot.com/

We have allready denounced for froudes the creator of these false blogs and informations : Abedin Rakipi. This procedures are running on.

Lajmerim :

Bloget qe vijojne nuk jane pjese apo organ i asnje forme i organizates sone :

http://www.lidhja-came.blogspot.com/

http://www.edliraxhemo.blogspot.com/

http://www.arvanitet.blogspot.com/

Ne e kemi denoncuar aturoin e tyre per informacion te fallcifikuar dhe mashtrime : Abedin Rakipi. Procedurat ligjore e juridike jane ne proces.