Enver Hoxha

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CONTENTS
Editorial
1
O f f i c i a l Announcement
4
Medical B u l l e t i n
9
The F u n e r a l
10
The F u n e r a l O r a t i o n , b y Ramiz A l i a
12
The Plenum of t h e C e n t r a l Committee
26
O f f i c i a l Messages o f Condolence
27
N a t i o n a l Mourning
29
An I n t e r v i e w w i t h Enver Hoxha
30
Memorial M e e t i n g
34
B r i t i s h P r e s s - L i e s and S p e c u l a t i o n , by S t e v e Day
.
35
A l b a n i a n News
37
Current L i t e r a t u r e
41
Albanian Society Meetings
44
More U n p u b l i s h e d Correspondence
45
Future Meetings
46
F i l m Show
47
EDITORIAL
We are devoting t h i s i s s u e of ALBANIAN LIFE to Enver Hoxha,
who d i e d on A p r i l 11th.
A telegram of condolences was sent to Albania by
Secretary, and t h i s and the r e p l y are p r i n t e d below.
the
E x t r a copies of t h i s Memorial Issue are a v a i l a b l e from
the Secretary at 50p, i n c l u d i n g postage.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Enver Hoxha was b o m on October 16th,
1908 in the southern
Albanian town of G j i r o k a s t r a .
A f t e r r e c e i v i n g primary
education in h i s n a t i v e town, he attended the French high
school in Korça, where he became involved in the r e v o l u t ionary movement.
A f t e r graduating from the high school in 1930, he was
awarded a s c h o l a r s h i p to u n i v e r s i t y by the Albanian government and in the f o l l o w i n g year at the age of 23 he e n r o l l e d
in the School of Engineering at the U n i v e r s i t y of M o n t p e l l i e r i n France.
While at u n i v e r s i t y ,
Hoxha j o i n e d the Communist Party
o f France and,
as a r e s u l t of h i s p o l i t i c a l a c t i v i t i e s , i n
February the Albanian government suspended h i s s c h o l a r s h i p ,
so that he was forced to move to P a r i s to f i n d work. While
working there f o r the Communist newspaper L'Humanité", he
made contact w i t h l e f t - w i n g Albanian émigrés and then became
secretary to the Albanian Consul in B r u s s e l s .
Now a convinced Communist, in 1936 he was dismissed from the Consulate
and returned to A l b a n i a .
In 1937 he became a teacher in the
French high school in Korça, where he became an a c t i v e
member of the l o c a l Communist group.
2
With the I t a l i a n occupation of Albania in 1939,
he was
dismissed as a teacher by the puppet government and in the
f o l l o w i n g year was sent by the Korça Ccmmunist group to
Tirana to b u i l d up the Communist group in the c a p i t a l .
In
October 1941 he l e d a great a n t i - f a s c i s t demonstration there
and was condemned to death in a b s e n t i a . He played an
important r o l e i n b r i n g i n g about the u n i f i c a t i o n i n November
1941
of the l o c a l Communist groups i n t o the Communist Party
of A l b a n i a ,
the P r o v i s i o n a l C e n t r a l Committee of which he
headed, to become i t s General Secretary in March 1943.
The Communist Party proceeded to organise a n a t i o n a l
l i b e r a t i o n s t r u g g l e against the I t a l i a n occupation forces
and the Germans who succeeded them in 1943. An important
r o l e in t h i s s t r u g g l e was played by the p a r t y ' s newspaper
Zeri i p o p u l l i t (The People's Voice) of which Hoxha was
e d i t o r and a p r i n c i p a l c o n t r i b u t o r . When in J u l y 1943, the
guerilla detachments
were transformed i n t o a regular
Nati o n a l L i b e r a t i o n Army, Hoxha was e l e c t e d P o l i t i c a l Commissar
of
the General S t a f f and l a t e r i t s Commander-in-Chief w i t h
the rank of Colonel-General.
At the Congress of Permet in May 1944 Hoxha was e l e c t e d
Chairman of the A n t i - F a s c i s t Committee of N a t i o n a l L i b e r a t i o n , which became the Democratic Government of A l b a n i a in
October.
With the L i b e r a t i o n of A l b a n i a , Hoxha - as leader of
the P a r t y and,
f o r the i n i t i a l years,
a l s o Prime M i n i s t e r
and Foreign M i n i s t e r - played an important r o l e in drawing
up and applying the programme f o r the transformation of
backward Albania i n t o an i n d u s t r i a l i s e d s o c i a l i s t s t a t e and
in maintaining the independence of Albania against the
pressure of Yugoslavia, of B r i t a i n and America, of the
Soviet Union a f t e r i t s transformation i n t o a c a p i t a l i s t
state f o l l o w i n g the death o f S t a l i n , and l a t e r o f China.
The tremendous economic and s o c i a l progress made by
Albania s i n c e L i b e r a t i o n bear the stamp of Hoxha's p e r s o n a l i t y , o f h i s unswerving l o y a l t y t o M a r x i s t - L e n i n i s t s o c i a l i s t
3
principles.
His outspoken exposure o f revisionism o f a l l
hues
i s o f inestimable importance f o r s o c i a l i s t s
in a l l
countries.
As the Albanian Society stated in i t s message of
condolences to the Albanian people:
"He
death is
lands".
was a f i g u r e of world stature and
a l o s s f o r the working people of
his
all
The f o l l o w i n g cable was received from Tirana in r e p l y :
"Dearest f r i e n d s ,
We express our sincere g r a t i t u d e f o r the
whole-hearted condolences which you sent us on the
occasion of the death of the g l o r i o u s and much
respected
leader
of the Party and the Albanian
people, Comrade Enver Hoxha.
For the Albanian people, your support, s o l i d a r i t y and e v a l u a t i o n of the f i g u r e of Comrade Enver
c o n s t i t u t e a great assistance in t h e i r work f o r the
construction
of s o c i a l i s m and they w i l l a l s o
undoubtedly serve the f u r t h e r strengthening of the
f r i e n d s h i p between our two peoples.
The
Albanian Committee f o r C u l t u r a l and
F r i e n d l y R e l a t i o n s w i t h Foreign Countries".
Hoxha d u r i n g t h e War o f N a t i o n a l L i b e r a t i o n
4
OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
T i r a n a , A p r i l 11th,1985
Comrade communists, workers, c o o p e r a t i v i s t s , i n t e l l e c t u a l s ,
women and youth of A l b a n i a , war veterans and compatriots:
With deep sorrow we inform you that today, A p r i l 11th,
1985, at 2.15 a.m.,
the heart of our beloved and g l o r i o u s
leader of the Party and people,
Comrade Enver Hoxha - F i r s t
Secretary of the Central Committee of the P a r t y of Labour of
Albania,
Chairman of the General Council of the Democratic
Front,
Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces - ceased to
beat.
The founder of our g l o r i o u s P a r t y ,
the organiser and
leader of the National L i b e r a t i o n War and of our people's
revolution,
the a r c h i t e c t of the c o n s t r u c t i o n of the new
s o c i a l i s t Albania,
has departed from u s .
The h e r o i c
commander of our N a t i o n a l L i b e r a t i o n Army,
the founder of
the Democratic Front and of the People's Power,
has closed
h i s eyes.
The l i f e and deeds of Enver Hoxha are the l i v i n g
h i s t o r y of present-day A l b a n i a .
His name is inseparably
l i n k e d w i t h a l l the c l a s s b a t t l e s and v i c t o r i e s o f the Party
and the Albanian people.
In a l l the phases through which our people have passed
from the day the Communist Party was founded u n t i l t h i s day,
on every occasion when the d e s t i n i e s of the people and the
homeland had to be determined,
h i s t h i n k i n g and h i s
p e r s o n a l i t y have always been present. In a l l the key moments
when the choice had to be made as to. the road to be
f o l l o w e d , h i s leadership and d i r e c t i o n have been d e c i s i v e .
Consistent revolutionary and devoted p a t r i o t ,
Enver
Hoxha was the f i r s t among the Albanian communists to r e a l i s e
the great h i s t o r i c necessity of c r e a t i n g the Communist
Party,
the s o l e s t a f f capable of u n i t i n g the people and
leading them in the s t r u g g l e f o r the l i b e r a t i o n of Albania
and the establishment of People's Power.
In the most
d i f f i c u l t moments of occupation,
of f a s c i s t oppression and
n a t i o n a l treachery by the o l d p o l i t i c a l f o r c e s ,
he created
5
t h i s s t a f f , strengthened i t o r g a n i s a t i o n a l l y and educated i t
ideologically.
It was he who, at the head of the P a r t y , l e d
i t i n f i e r c e clashes w i t h i n t e r n a l and external enemies,
w i t h opportunists and f a c t i o n a l elements, elaborated the
general p o l i t i c a l l i n e of the National L i b e r a t i o n War which
l e d to the v i c t o r y of November 29, 1944.
Comrade Enver Hoxha was the d i r e c t organiser of the
N a t i o n a l L i b e r a t i o n Army. Under h i s command our g l o r i o u s
p a r t i s a n s fought w i t h unprecedented heroism w i t h i n and outs i d e the borders of Albania and, with the support of a l l
p a t r i o t i c people, l i b e r a t e d our dear Homeland.
The P e o p l e ' s Power and the new Albanian state that were
b o m in the heat of the National L i b e r a t i o n War were founded
upon the r e v o l u t i o n a r y thought and leadership of Comrade
Enver Hoxha. Under h i s care and applying h i s teachings, the
people's c o u n c i l s became the powerful weapon of the d i c t a t o r s h i p of the p r o l e t a r i a t ,
of the democracy of the masses
and of s o c i a l i s t c o n s t r u c t i o n .
Comrade Enver Hoxha worked out the programme f o r the
c o n s t r u c t i o n of the new s o c i a l i s t s o c i e t y . Under the leadership of the communists, w i t h Comrade Enver Hoxha at the
head,
the triumphant struggles began f o r i n d u s t r i a l i s a t i o n ,
f o r the c o n s t r u c t i o n of a l l those monumental works which
gave the country and the working c l a s s a powerful base f o r
a l l - s i d e d economic and s o c i a l development.
Basing himself on Marxism-Leninism and f a m i l i a r with
the
c e n t u r i e s - l o n g s u f f e r i n g s and a s p i r a t i o n s of
our
p a t r i o t i c peasantry, Comrade Enver Hoxha elaborated the
fundamental programme f o r the c o l l e c t i v i s a t i o n and modernisa t i o n of a g r i c u l t u r e . The present r e a l i t y of the cooperativi s t countryside i s c l e a r testimony t o the correctness o f the
path l a i d down by the P a r t y .
Comrade Enver Hoxha l e d the Party and the people in the
r e a l i s a t i o n o f the profound i d e o l o g i c a l and c u l t u r a l r e v o l u t i o n c a r r i e d out i n our country.
I f Albania i s today a n
advanced s o c i a l i s t country which develops r e l y i n g on i t s own
f o r c e s , a land f r e e from every s o c i a l and s p i r i t u a l oppress-
6
i o n , a country of democracy and w e l l - b e i n g f o r a l l , of
education and c u l t u r e f o r the broad masses of the people,
t h i s is a t t r i b u t a b l e to the s t r u g g l e waged by the Albanian
people with the Party and Comrade Enver Hoxha at the head.
There i s n o f i e l d o f the p o l i t i c a l ,
i d e o l o g i c a l and
s o c i a l a c t i v i t y of our Party and s t a t e in which the
p h i l o s o p h i c a l thought,
the o r g a n i s a t i o n a l power and leading
a c t i v i t y of Comrade Enver Hoxha have not been expressed. He
worked out the general l i n e of f o r e i g n p o l i c y , and the
stands of our Party and s t a t e on i n t e r n a t i o n a l questions.
This p o l i c y - the r e s o l u t e o p p o s i t i o n to US imperialism,
Soviet s o c i a l - i m p e r i a l i s m and world r e a c t i o n ;
the sincere
support f o r the revolutionary and l i b e r a t i o n struggles of
the peoples;
the s o l i d a r i t y w i t h the democratic and a n t i i m p e r i a l i s t forces - have consolidated the i n t e r n a t i o n a l
p o s i t i o n of our country, have increased the sympathy and
respect f o r s o c i a l i s t A l b a n i a i n the w o r l d ,
have enlarged
the number of i t s f r i e n d s and w e l l - w i s h e r s .
Under the leadership of Comrade Enver Hoxha,
the Party
of Labour of Albania has waged a h e r o i c s t r u g g l e against
modem r e v i s i o n i s m . As no one e l s e , he has always and in
every s i t u a t i o n defended the teachings of Marx, Engels,
Lenin and S t a l i n from opportunist d i s t o r t i o n s ; he has exposed the s o c i a l - c h a u v i n i s t p o l i c i e s and a c t i v i t i e s of the
T i t o i t e s , the Khrushchovites and other renegades.
As no one e l s e , he has fought w i t h strength and d e t e r mination against the i n t e r n a l enemies of the P a r t y ,
against
the f a c t i o n a l elements and f o r e i g n agents from Koci Xoxe to
the gang of Mehmet Shehu. T h i s struggle has been the s a l v a t i o n of our P a r t y , our people and our homeland.
Comrade
Enver Hoxha must be ranked among
those
outstanding r e v o l u t i o n a r i e s who have made a great and
s p e c i a l c o n t r i b u t i o n to the development of M a r x i s t - L e n i n i s t
t h e o r e t i c a l t h i n k i n g , which embraces a l l the problems of
r e v o l u t i o n and the c o n s t r u c t i o n of s o c i a l i s m . H i s g e n e r a l i s a t i o n of the experience of our War of L i b e r a t i o n and of the
p r a c t i c a l c o n s t r u c t i o n of our new s o c i e t y ,
h i s a n a l y s i s of
the process of present-day world development, are of u n i v e r -
7
s a l i d e o l o g i c a l value.
As a t r u e i n t e r n a t i o n a l i s t , he has u n t i r i n g l y supported
the new M a r x i s t - L e n i n i s t P a r t i e s and t h e i r revolutionary
s t r u g g l e . He has always been c l o s e to them and has followed
a t t e n t i v e l y the s t r u g g l e f o r t h e i r c o n s o l i d a t i o n and progress.
Comrade Enver Hoxha is the greatest h i s t o r i c a l f i g u r e
of our people and n a t i o n - a f i g u r e who w i l l i l l u m i n e w i t h
inextinguishable
l i g h t the path of the present generations
and of those to come. He w i l l l i v e f o r ever - beloved,
respected,
honoured - in the hearts of a l l the communists
among our people. Through h i s work and teachings, he w i l l
always be present to i n s p i r e them in the s t r u g g l e f o r the
w e l f a r e of the homeland and f o r communism.
L e t h i s ardent address to the Albanian people on
occasion of the 40th anniversary of the l i b e r a t i o n of
homeland remain a banner of s t r u g g l e :
the
the
"Let us guard what we have achieved l i k e the
apple of our eye. L e t us go on c o n s i s t e n t l y to
develop i t f u r t h e r , t o leave the coming generations
an Albania ever stronger, ever r e d ,
l i k e the undying flame of the hearts and i d e a l s of communists
and p a r t i s a n s , an Albania which w i l l l i v e and p r o gress through the c e n t u r i e s . I am convinced that
the people and the Party w i l l r a i s e our triumphant
f l a g higher and higher, w i l l r a i s e the honour,
p r e s t i g e and name of s o c i a l i s t Albania higher and
higher i n the w o r l d " .
T h i s is a l s o the unanimous oath taken today
P a r t y of Labour and the e n t i r e Albanian people.
by
our
At these moments of profound g r i e f f o r the l o s s of our
leader, our respected comrade and teacher, Enver Hoxha, l e t
us strengthen our s t e e l - l i k e u n i t y ! L e t us c l o s e ranks
around the Party and i t s C e n t r a l Committee! L e t us mobilise
our forces even more in order to make Albania as Comrade
Enver Hoxha wanted i t : powerful, prosperous and advanced.
8
L e t us work u n t i r i n g l y as he worked and fought f o r h a l f
century in order to r a i s e i t s name higher and higher!
Glory to
Enver Hoxha!
the b r i l l i a n t and immortal deeds of
a
Comrade
The C e n t r a l Committee of the
P a r t y of Labour of A l b a n i a
The
Presidium
of
the
People's Assembly of
the
People's S o c i a l i s t
Republic
of A l b a n i a
The Council of M i n i s t e r s of
the People's S o c i a l i s t Rep u b l i c o f Albania
The General C o u n c i l of the
Democratic Front of Albania
B u s t o f Hoxha b y O d h i s e P a s k a l i
A MEDAL AND A FLAG
On the morning of A p r i l 14th, Ramiz A l i a , F i r s t Secretary of
the CC of the P a r t y and President of A l b a n i a ,
together w i t h
Nexhmije Hoxha, Enver's widow, and members of the P o l i t i c a l
Bureau, v i s i t e d again the h a l l o f the Presidium o f the
People's Assembly. Ramiz A l i a l a i d on the body of
Hoxha
the commemorative medal of the 40th anniversary of the Party
and Nexhmije Hoxha covered the body w i t h a n a t i o n a l f l a g ,
the g i f t of the people of Kosova.
9
MEDICAL BULLETIN
Comrade Enver Hoxha s u f f e r e d s i n c e 1948 from the disease of
diabetes which, as the years passed, caused extensive damage
to blood v e s s e l s , h e a r t , kidneys and c e r t a i n other organs.
In 1973, as a r e s u l t of t h i s damage, he suffered a
myocardial i n f a r c t w i t h arhythmia.
In l a t e r years the
serious heart i n s u f f i c i e n c y developed.
A year ago he
s u f f e r e d an ischaemic i n s u l t to the b r a i n , w i t h temporary
hemiparesis.
In the morning of A p r i l 9th,
1985, h i s heart ceased to
beat because o f v e n t r i c u l a r f i b r i l l a t i o n .
Despite i n t e n s i v e
treatment,
recurrence
of v e n t r i c u l a r f i b r i l l a t i o n and
i r r e v e r s i b l e consequences in b r a i n and kidneys brought about
h i s death at 02.15 on A p r i l 11th, 1985.
P r o f . P e t r i t Gace
P r o f . F e j z i Hoxha
Candidate of Medical Sciences Isuf Kalo
P r o f . Bajram Preza
Decent Y l l i Popa
Dr. Ahmet Kamberi
Candidate of Medical Sciences Sabit Brokaj
Dr. Arben F i n o
THE FUNERAL COMMISSION
The CC of the PLA,
the Presidium of the People's Assembly,
the C o u n c i l of M i n i s t e r s , and the GC of the Democratic Front
j o i n t l y appointed a commission to organise the f u n e r a l of
Enver Hoxha, c o n s i s t i n g o f :
Ramiz A l i a (Chairman),
A d i l Ç a r ç a n i , Hajredin Ç e l i k u , Hekuran I s a i , Lenka
Çuko, Manush M y f t i u , Muho A s l l a n i , P a l i Miska, R i t a Marko,
Simon S t e f a n i , Besnik Bekteshi, Foto Çami, Llambi G e g p r i f t i ,
Prokop Murra, Q i r j a k o M i h a l i , Haki Toska, Shefqet P e ç i ,
Spiro Koleka, Xhafer Spahiu, and P i l o P e r i s t e r i .
10
THE FUNERAL
At 10.00 a.m. on A p r i l 15th, Party and s t a t e leaders emerged
from the h a l l of the Presidium of the People's Assembly
bearing on t h e i r shoulders the c o f f i n containing the body of
Enver Hoxha, covered w i t h the n a t i o n a l f l a g . Outside the
b u i l d i n g , the coffin was placed on a gun c a r r i a g e .
To the sound of f u n e r a l marches, the f u n e r a l procession
moved slowly up the Martyrs of the Nation Boulevard towards
Skanderbeg Square. F o l l o w i n g the guards of honour were
s o l d i e r s c a r r y i n g red cushions on which were placed the
decorations awarded to the dead leader. A f t e r them came
students from the Enver Hoxha U n i v e r s i t y of T i r a n a ,
bearing
wreaths sent from various parts of A l b a n i a .
Both sides of the boulevard were l i n e d w i t h
of people, many overwhelmed w i t h g r i e f .
thousands
In f r o n t of the headquarters of the Central Committee
of the P a r t y , the f u n e r a l procession paused f o r some moments,
and the eyes of those t a k i n g part were r a i s e d to the
window of Enver Hoxha's o f f i c e , which had been l e f t open.
J u s t before 11.00 a.m., the procession entered Skanderbeg Square, which was packed w i t h thousands upon thousands
of workers, peasants, war veterans,
s c h o o l c h i l d r e n and
Pioneers.
Representatives from the various d i s t r i c t s of the
country c a r r i e d banners bearing such slogans as:
"LET US
MAKE ALBANIA AS COMRADE ENVER HOXHA WANTED I T ! " , "PARTY,
ENVER, WE ARE ALWAYS READY!" and "GLORY TO THE IMMORTAL
WORK OF COMRADE ENVER HOXHA!".
The v e h i c l e drawing the gun c a r r i a g e bearing the body
of Enver Hoxha stopped in f r o n t of the rostrum which had
been erected by the Skanderbeg Monument, and Party and s t a t e
leaders and members of Enver Hoxha's family mounted the
rostrum. The f u n e r a l o r a t i o n was then d e l i v e r e d by Ramiz
Alia,
F i r s t Secretary o f the C e n t r a l Committee o f the P a r t y
and President of A l b a n i a .
The f u n e r a l procession then moved o f f along Workers of
the Renaissance Road i n t o Labinot Street to the Cemetery of
11
Martyrs of the N a t i o n .
Here the c o f f i n was again c a r r i e d on
the shoulders of Party and s t a t e leaders to the grave,
into
which it was lowered at p r e c i s e l y 12.30 p.m.
At t h i s moment
work throughout the country was suspended f o r 5 minutes, the
s i r e n s of a l l f a c t o r i e s ,
t r a i n s and ships were sounded, a
21-gun s a l u t e was f i r e d in the c a p i t a l , and 5-gun salutes in
the towns of G j i r o k a s t r a , V l o r a , Kruja, Korça, Peshkopi,
Shkodra, Kukës, Berat, Durrës and Elbasan.
On the grave a simple red s l a b bearing
HOXHA 1908-1985" was placed, as Ramiz A l i a
in peace, Comrade Enver,
f o r the people
always w i t h you in heart and mind, w i l l not
road you have l a i d down. And Albania w i l l
wished! F a r e w e l l , Comrade Enver!"
the words "ENVER
declared: "Rest
and the Party,
deviate from the
prosper as you
Innumerable wreaths were then l a i d upon the grave.
12
THE FUNERAL ORATION BY RAMIZ ALIA
In the f u n e r a l o r a t i o n d e l i v e r e d over the body of Enver
Hoxha in Skanderbeg Square, T i r a n a , Ramiz A l i a , F i r s t
Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party of Labour of
Albania and President of A l b a n i a , s a i d :
Comrade brothers and s i s t e r s :
Today we are p a r t i n g from the greatest man to which
Albanian s o i l has yet given b i r t h ,
from the founder of New
Albania,
from our dear comrade, brother and teacher Enver
Hoxha.
In t h i s square where we are gathered to b i d him a l a s t
f a r e w e l l , 44 years ago he l e d the great a n t i - f a s c i s t demons t r a t i o n and c a l l e d on the people to r i s e against the
occupiers and t r a i t o r s . From that day u n t i l he drew h i s l a s t
breath, he stood at the head of the Party and the people as
legendary leader of the National L i b e r a t i o n War and as
heroic leader of the c o n s t r u c t i o n of s o c i a l i s m .
The l i f e and a c t i v i t y of Comrade Enver Hoxha is the
l i v i n g h i s t o r y o f the Albanian people over these l a s t f i f t y
13
years.
It is the h i s t o r y of the foundation of the Party and
i t s growth; i t i s the h i s t o r y o f the people's r e v o l u t i o n and
i t s v i c t o r y ; i t i s the h i s t o r y o f the renaissance o f Albania
and the b u i l d i n g of the new l i f e ,
of the struggle against
e x t e r n a l and i n t e r n a l enemies and of the triumph over them.
The name of Enver Hoxha is inseparably l i n k e d with the
opening of the wide roads triumphantly traversed by our
people through the years of the epoch of the P a r t y .
His
a c t i v i t y is immortalised in the sound foundations upon which
present-day Albania r e s t s ;
h i s mind has i l l u m i n a t e d a l l the
heights to which our s o c i e t y has climbed; h i s wise,
ardent
words have warmed the hearts of a l l our people.
Enver Hoxha has not only been a d i r e c t p a r t i c i p a n t in
the great turns in the recent h i s t o r y of our people:
he has
a l s o d i r e c t l y influenced t h e i r course.
The Albanian people
have been very fortunate to have as a leader at those
moments a c o n s i s t e n t revolutionary communist, an ardent
p a t r i o t and an outstanding statesman. In h i s person he
embodied the most precious v i r t u e s of our ancient people,
t h e i r f i g h t i n g and noble character,
t h e i r b r i l l i a n t and
heroic
traditions,
their s p i r i t of insurrection
and
generosity which have been forged and tempered through so
many struggles and s u f f e r i n g s , through the centuries-long
e f f o r t s f o r freedom and independence,
f o r c u l t u r e and knowledge, f o r land and bread.
When the boot of the f o r e i g n occupier trampled on our
land and f a s c i s t darkness f e l l upon i t , only such a man
could be f u l l y aware of the h i s t o r i c importance of that
moment, could understand what the people r e a l l y demanded and
what c o u l d be done to r e a l i s e t h e i r a s p i r a t i o n s . Only a man
l i k e Enver Hoxha, who understood - not only s p i r i t u a l l y but
also
politically
and
ideologically
as
well
- the
r e s p o n s i b i l i t y of the Albanian r e v o l u t i o n a r i e s and p a t r i o t s ,
could r e a l i s e which was the c o r r e c t road f o r the s a l v a t i o n
of the homeland.
The great a c t performed by Enver Hoxha on that dark,
turbulent November night in 1941 in the founding of the
Communist Party provided the Albanian people w i t h the l i g h t
they were l a c k i n g , provided them w i t h the mind to see i n t o
14
the f u t u r e , provided them w i t h the compass which would lead
them in the t i t a n i c l i f e - a n d - d e a t h s t r u g g l e .
The burden the
Albanian communists bore was heavy f o r t h e i r young shoulde r s , but they c a r r i e d it w i t h honour to the end because they
were l e d by one who knew w e l l what was needed and which road
should be taken. What Enver Hoxha r e a l i s e d and presented
with such c l a r i t y and c o n v i c t i o n even i n h i s f i r s t speech t o
the foundation meeting of the P a r t y was that the s u f f e r i n g s
of the Albanian people came not only from f o r e i g n e r s but
a l s o from the p o l i t i c a l c l a s s e s which had r u l e d Albania up
to then, classes which had always c o l l a b o r a t e d w i t h and
served the occupiers. He understood that without waging
simultaneously a r e s o l u t e s t r u g g l e against both these h o s t i l e f o r c e s , genuine freedom could not be won, n a t i o n a l
independence could not be achieved,
the s o c i a l a s p i r a t i o n s
of the masses could not be r e a l i s e d .
It
was not a c c i d e n t a l that the probably
unique
phenomenon of the i n t e r t w i n i n g of the s t r u g g l e f o r n a t i o n a l
l i b e r a t i o n w i t h a broad popular r e v o l u t i o n should have
occurred in A l b a n i a . It could not have been achieved without
profound i d e o l o g i c a l c o n v i c t i o n and without great p o l i t i c a l
c l a r i t y . It was Comrade Enver Hoxha who made t h i s r e v o l u t ionary c r e a t i v e idea the b a s i s of the l i n e of the P a r t y and
of the platform of the N a t i o n a l L i b e r a t i o n War.
It was
Comrade Enver Hoxha who - at the helm of the P a r t y ,
at the
head of the National L i b e r a t i o n Front, and in command of the
p a r t i s a n army - made p o s s i b l e the r e a l i s a t i o n of t h i s i d e a .
The people followed the lead of the communists not only
because of t h e i r courage and s e l f - s a c r i f i c e .
N a t u r a l l y , the
example set by the communists was of great importance, but
it was not d e c i s i v e . What was d e c i s i v e was the f a c t that the
c a l l o f the Party t o s t r u g g l e f o r the expulsion o f the
foreign
occupiers and the establishment
of
people's
p o l i t i c a l power expressed the p e o p l e ' s c e n t u r i e s - l o n g dreams.
Although our people have waged many s t r u g g l e s , in which
they have shed t o r r e n t s of blood,
the N a t i o n a l L i b e r a t i o n
War,
l e d by the Party w i t h Comrade Enver Hoxha at the head,
was the greatest such s t r u g g l e because of i t s ideas and
above a l l because o f i t s r e s u l t s . I t l e d not only t o genuine
15
Hoxha a t a n a n t i - f a s c i s t c o n g r e s s
d u r i n g t h e War o f N a t i o n a l L i b e r a t i o n
16
national freedom and the complete independence of the homeland,
but a l s o t o the establishment o f p e o p l e ' s p o l i t i c a l
power.
The e n t i r e conscious l i f e of Comrade Enver Hoxha has
been a struggle f o r the freedom of the homeland,
a struggle
f o r the construction of s o c i a l i s m ,
a s t r u g g l e f o r the emanc i p a t i o n of the people,
a s t r u g g l e against the e x t e r n a l and
i n t e r n a l enemies who strove to d r i v e us back to the former
enslavement. J u s t as he stood at the f o r e f r o n t of the
b a t t l e s of the N a t i o n a l L i b e r a t i o n War,
so d i d he lead the
people w i t h rare p o l i t i c a l courage and profound i d e o l o g i c a l
maturity against the numerous p l o t s ,
pressures and i n t e r ventions by our enemies over the f o r t y years of our
s o c i a l i s t l i f e . The Albanian communists and people, w i t h
Comrade Enver Hoxha at the head,
brought about the f a i l u r e
of the i n t r i g u e s and t h r e a t s of the
imperialists,
withstood
the anti-Albanian attacks o f the T i t o i t e r e v i s i o n i s t s ,
s u c c e s s f u l l y coped w i t h the pressures of the Khrushchovites
and were not deceived by the p e r f i d y of the Chinese r e v i s ionists.
When the former Anglo-American a l l i e s s t i r r e d up the
storms of the " c o l d war" and the "hot war", Enver Hoxha knew
how to propel the small but s t e e l Albanian boat towards sure
coasts. He was not shaken when they d i d not want to recognise the Democratic Republic that descended from
the
Albanian mountains;
nor d i d he waver in the face of t h e i r
p o l i t i c a l pressures and economic blockades.
The Albanian people, w i t h t h e i r Party at the head,
withstood
w i t h rare p r i d e that protracted
diplomatic
struggle and smashed w i t h an i r o n f i s t the e f f o r t s of
r e a c t i o n and f o r e i g n agents to undermine and overthrow t h e i r
People's Power. Through Comrade Enver Hoxha's mouth our
people s a i d to those who threatened Albania that the brave
men who can v i o l a t e the f r o n t i e r s of Albania have not yet
been born, j u s t as they s a i d to the Khrushchovites that we
Albanians w i l l eat grass rather than y i e l d i n the face o f
f o r e i g n pressures.
This
courage
and
t h i s firmness are
built
into
the
17
foundations o f the Albanian f o r t r e s s .
That i s why i t i s
impossible f o r any storm,
no matter from where it may come,
t o smash i t .
The rare f i g u r e and p e r s o n a l i t y of Enver Hoxha shone
with
s p e c i a l b r i l l i a n c e a l s o at the time when opportunist
r e v i s i o n i s t treachery swept over the i n t e r n a t i o n a l communist
movement. Our P a r t y of Labour, w i t h Comrade Enver Hoxha at
the head, d i d not a l l o w modem revisionism to penetrate i n t o
A l b a n i a . And it d i d not penetrate because Enver Hoxha had
tempered the Party i n f i e r c e p o l i t i c a l b a t t l e s t o defend
independence and s o c i a l i s m ,
had educated it to be always
l o y a l to Marxism-Leninism and never to compromise with
i d e o l o g i e s h o s t i l e t o the p r o l e t a r i a t .
The i d e o l o g i c a l struggle against modem revisionism,
which Comrade Enver Hoxha waged with such great consistency
and determination, has been and always w i l l be a permanent
duty of our Party and people.
Comrade Enver Hoxha is the a r c h i t e c t of the new
A l b a n i a , the d i r e c t leader and organiser o f a l l those r e v o l utionary transformations which have taken place since L i b e r a t i o n ; he is the i n s p i r e r of a l l those monumental works that
have changed the face of our country.
The Party of Labour of Albania mobilised and l e d the
people to t u r n Albania from a poor country i n t o a developed
country.
The p o l i c i e s of the i n d u s t r i a l i s a t i o n of the
country,
of the c o l l e c t i v i s a t i o n and modernisation of a g r i culture,
bear the s e a l of h i s c r e a t i v e and o r i g i n a l t h i n k i n g . He was the i n s p i r e r of our F i v e Year Plans, which
represent the stages of the growth and development of our
economy, the foundations of the construction of socialism in
our country.
From the reconstruction of the f i r s t bridges
destroyed by war to the c o n s t r u c t i o n of the Koman hydroe l e c t r i c power s t a t i o n ,
from the r e p a i r i n g of the houses
burnt by the occupiers to the b u i l d i n g of the m e t a l l u r g i c a l
combine,
from the grouping of yoked oxen to the reclamation
of the p l a i n s of Myzeqe and the t e r r a c i n g of the coast,
his
ideas and i n s p i r a t i o n were constantly present.
18
The b r i l l i a n t r e s u l t s achieved i n a l l sectors have
f u l l y proved the correctness and e f f e c t i v e n e s s of the
economic l i n e that was pursued. Our duty is to march
r e s o l u t e l y forward on the wide road opened by the P a r t y and
Comrade Enver, to abide f i r m l y by h i s teachings, to m o b i l i s e
our forces to a s t i l l greater extent,
to make our country
ever more prosperous and the l i f e of our people ever happier.
No one who has emerged from the ranks of the people has
f e l t more s t r o n g l y the d e s i r e f o r education and c u l t u r e as
Enver Hoxha, who was educated w i t h the noble sentiments of
the p a t r i o t s of the Renaissance and who mastered the Marxist
teachings on the emancipation of mankind. Rarely has such a
profound i d e o l o g i c a l and c u l t u r a l r e v o l u t i o n been c a r r i e d
out as that in A l b a n i a . Rarely has such a great l e a p forward
in education and c u l t u r e , technology and s c i e n c e , been made
as in A l b a n i a .
The u n t i r i n g a c t i v i t y of Comrade Enver Hoxha
to b u i l d a new c u l t u r e - r e v o l u t i o n a r y in content, w i t h deep
n a t i o n a l and democratic s p i r i t - has been and w i l l be an
i n f a l l i b l e compass to guide us on the c o r r e c t road,
to work
and f i g h t unsparingly to make our homeland ever more
emancipated, ever more c u l t u r e d .
Comrade Enver Hoxha fought h i s whole l i f e to strengthen
the
leading r o l e o f the P a r t y ,
t o temper i t
ideologically
and strengthen i t o r g a n i s a t i o n a l l y , t o c o n s o l i d a t e i t s u n i t y
and t o enhance the m i l i t a n t s p i r i t o f i t s members.
The strength of the Party is the strength of our
s o c i a l i s t s o c i e t y and the guarantee of our communist f u t u r e .
Remaining l o y a l to the g l o r i o u s P a r t y that was founded,
reared and educated by Comrade Enver Hoxha, u n i t i n g ever
more c l o s e l y around i t ,
m o b i l i s i n g ourselves t o c a r r y i n t o
e f f e c t i t s l i n e and d i r e c t i v e s ,
our people w i l l a t t a i n new
v i c t o r i e s , w i l l preserve i n t a c t the freedom and independence
of the homeland,
the great v i c t o r i e s of the people's
revolution.
Comrade
Enver
always taught the
communists
to
strengthen constantly the l i n k s of the P a r t y w i t h the masses
and the u n i t y of the people.
In these l i n k s and in t h i s
u n i t y he saw a powerful rampart against i n t e r n a l and
19
Hoxha at t h e 1984 May Day Parade
20
external enemies,
a great m o b i l i s i n g f o r c e to carry our
society ever forward,
a source of i n e x h a u s t i b l e energy to
cope w i t h any s i t u a t i o n .
Our Party and people have c o n s t a n t l y been guided by
these lessons and have always emerged v i c t o r i o u s . And so it
w i l l be in the f u t u r e t o o . The u n i t y of the people round the
Party w i l l always be a s t e e l u n i t y . Every e x t e r n a l or
i n t e r n a l enemy that t r i e s to a t t a c k the P a r t y and the
people's power w i l l break h i s neck against t h i s u n i t y .
As a L e n i n i s t ,
Comrade Enver always fought to preserve
the p r i n c i p l e s by which our p e o p l e ' s r e v o l u t i o n triumphed
and the new l i f e was b u i l t . He taught the Party to be always
l o y a l to the teachings of Marx, Engels, L e n i n and S t a l i n and
to the whole experience of the r e v o l u t i o n a r y struggles of
the world p r o l e t a r i a t ,
to wage c o r r e c t l y the c l a s s struggle
and not t o f o r g e t that i t i s the motive f o r c e which c a r r i e s
human s o c i e t y forward,
to defend unwaveringly the d i c t a t o r ship of the p r o l e t a r i a t ,
and not to compromise w i t h imperi a l i s m and r e v i s i o n i s m , w i t h bourgeois and opportunist
i d e o l o g i e s . He taught the P a r t y and the people how to b u i l d
s o c i a l i s m and defend the country s e l f - r e l i a n t l y , to be proud
of t h e i r homeland and never to y i e l d before f o r e i g n e r s .
Nothing can d i v e r t our Party and people from these
lessons. No f o r c e can d i v e r t them from the p r i n c i p l e d p o l i c y
of Enver Hoxha. As in the past,
so in the f u t u r e t o o ,
our
Party,
i t s l e a d e r s h i p , the working c l a s s , the c o o p e r a t i v i s t
peasantry, the youth, the women, the i n t e l l i g e n t s i a , the war
veterans and the s o l d i e r s w i l l always forge ahead along the
road paved by the people's r e v o l u t i o n and confirmed by the
c o n s t r u c t i o n of s o c i a l i s m , on the road of defending the
i n t e r e s t s of the homeland and the course of the r e v o l u t i o n .
Enver Hoxha was an outstanding f i g u r e of i n t e r n a t i o n a l
communism. He was as ardent a p a t r i o t as an i n t e r n a t i o n alist.
His a c t i v i t y f o r the progress o f the r e v o l u t i o n a r y
movement of the i n t e r n a t i o n a l p r o l e t a r i a t ,
f o r the defence
of Marxism-Leninism,
f o r the cause of the n a t i o n a l and
s o c i a l l i b e r a t i o n o f the peoples,
are b r i l l i a n t examples o f
h i s great devotion to the cause of communism.
21
Genuine M a r x i s t - L e n i n i s t s found in Comrade Enver Hoxha
a comrade and f r i e n d who supported and encouraged them
fraternally.
H i s t h e o r e t i c a l thought on the problems of the
revolution,
the d i c t a t o r s h i p of the p r o l e t a r i a t and the
c o n s t r u c t i o n of s o c i a l i s m ,
h i s analyses of imperialism and
r e v i s i o n i s t degeneration, c o n s t i t u t e a n outstanding c o n t r i b u t i o n to the t h e o r e t i c a l treasure-house of Marxism-Leninism
and to world r e v o l u t i o n a r y p r a c t i c e .
Comrade Enver Hoxha always r a i s e d h i s powerful voice
in defence of the n a t i o n a l and democratic r i g h t s of our
Albanian brothers in Kosova and other regions of Yugoslavia.
For t h i s p r i n c i p l e d , j u s t and c o r r e c t stand he became and
remained beloved, respected and honoured by a l l Albanians.
The t h e o r e t i c a l work and r e v o l u t i o n a r y p r a c t i c e of
Comrade Enver Hoxha is a great h e r i t a g e . His s t y l e and
method of work as a Party leader and statesman c o n s t i t u t e an
example to the present and coming generations.
Enver Hoxha was a g r e a t , many-sided f i g u r e . There is no
f i e l d o f the p o l i t i c a l ,
ideological or social activity of
the Party and s t a t e in which h i s p h i l o s o p h i c a l thought,
o r g a n i s a t i o n a l power and leading a c t i v i t y was not expressed.
Rarely has there been embodied in one person a l l the q u a l i t i e s of a M a r x i s t t h i n k e r and revolutionary leader,
of
m i l i t a r y commander and statesman, of diplomat and p u b l i c i s t ,
of i n t e l l e c t u a l and popular educator, of eloquent orator and
f r i e n d of the common people.
Our people have been and always w i l l be proud of the
great son to which they gave b i r t h , and the Party w i l l
always be proud of the outstanding leader it had. We s h a l l
honour the deeds of Comrade Enver, we s h a l l show our g r a t i t u d e f o r a l l he has done f o r our Party and people,
by
f o r g i n g r e s o l u t e l y ahead along h i s revolutionary road, by
mastering and b r i n g i n g to l i f e h i s immortal teachings, by
working, as he worked f o r the cause of s o c i a l i s m ,
f o r the
i d e a l s of communism.
Today we are departing from Comrade Enver, but he l i v e s
22
and w i l l l i v e f o r ever in the hearts and minds of the
Albanian people. He is immortals because the Party he
founded is immortal,
because the s o c i a l i s t A l b a n i a he b u i l t
i s immortal.
Comrade Enver closed h i s l a s t work "Laying the Founda t i o n s of the New A l b a n i a " w i t h the credo t h a t no harm can
come to Albania as long as the people and the Party are
l i n k e d together l i k e f l e s h and bone.
RAMIZ A L I A ,
F i r s t S e c r e t a r y o f t h e C e n t r a l Committee
o f t h e P a r t y o f Labour o f A l b a n i a ,
d e l i v e r i n g the Funeral Oration
23
We s h a l l r a i s e the p r o s p e r i t y ,
s e c u r i t y and reputation
of our P e o p l e ' s S o c i a l i s t Republic higher and higher,
as he
i n s t r u c t e d u s . So, in the name of the bloodshed and the
toil,
the sweat and the p r i v a t i o n s ,
l e t us transmit to
coming generations the great message h i s t o r y has taught us:
we must always be v i g i l a n t , always a l e r t , always ready to
defend the v i c t o r i e s achieved and carry them f u r t h e r . We
must a l l o w no one - whoever he may be - to v i o l a t e and
negate our immortal and sacred People's S o c i a l i s t Republic
of A l b a n i a .
In t h i s way our f o r t r e s s - S o c i a l i s t Albania w i l l grow ever stronger and r i s e ever more m a j e s t i c a l l y from
generation to generation!
L e t our hearts always beat as one
w i t h i t s great h e a r t !
Our Party w i l l never f o r g e t t h i s message. I t s h e a r t , as
Comrade Enver wanted, w i l l beat always l i k e h i s great
communist h e a r t , l i k e the heart of our g l o r i o u s people.
Comrade Enver bequeathed us a f r e e and independent
Albania,
w i t h a powerful defence, with a s t a b l e and
developed economy; he bequeathed us an Albania without
debts, without any o b l i g a t i o n to anyone; he bequeathed us a
p e o p l e ' s power t h a t has the support of the e n t i r e people; he
bequeathed us a Party i d e o l o g i c a l l y tempered and freed of
i t s enemies; he bequeathed us an Albania which is honoured
and respected in the w o r l d .
The Party and
that they w i l l keep
you wanted i t , that
of s o c i a l i s m and
Albania.
the people swear to you, Comrade Enver,
A l b a n i a always r e d , always strong, as
they w i l l c a r r y on w i t h the construction
r a i s e ever higher the name of our dear
F a r e w e l l , our beloved leader and teacher!
F a r e w e l l , our respected f r i e n d and brother!
F a r e w e l l , Comrade Enver!
Long l i v e the P a r t y !
26
The Plenum of the Central Committee
The 11th Plenum of the C e n t r a l Committee of the
Labour of Albania convened on A p r i l 13th.
Party
of
Members stood in s i l e n c e f o r two minutes in honour
the F i r s t Secretary of the CC, Enver Hoxha.
of
Ramiz A l i a spoke on the l i f e and work of Enver Hoxha,
and the meeting decided that in order to perpetuate h i s
memory:
1. Memorials to him would be erected
G j i r o k a s t r a (his b i r t h p l a c e ) and i n Korça;
in
Tirana,
in
2. The U n i v e r s i t y of T i r a n a would be renamed "The Enver
Hoxha U n i v e r s i t y of T i r a n a " ;
3. The Pioneers'
Pioneers of Enver";
o r g a n i s a t i o n would be renamed
"The
4. The port of Durrës would be renamed "The Enver Hoxha
P o r t of Durrës";
5 . The P l a s a a g r i c u l t u r a l e n t e r p r i s e i n Korça d i s t r i c t
would be renamed "The Enver Hoxha A g r i c u l t u r a l E n t e r p r i s e " .
On behalf of the P o l i t i c a l Bureau, A d i l Çarçani, Member
of the P o l i t i c a l Bureau and Chairman of the Council of
M i n i s t e r s ( i . e . , Prime M i n i s t e r )
proposed the e l e c t i o n of
Ramiz A l i a , Member of the P o l i t i c a l Bureau and President of
the PSR of A l b a n i a ,
to the post of F i r s t Secretary of the
Central Committee of the P a r t y . The proposal was adopted
unanimously by the CC.
The members of the CC then went to the h a l l of the
Presidium of the People's Assembly, where they stood in
s i l e n t t r i b u t e by the c o f f i n of Enver Hoxha. On the motion
of Ramiz A l i a , they then swore to f o l l o w the road and teachings of Enver Hoxha.
27
OFFICIAL
MESSAGES OF CONDOLENCE
Among o f f i c i a l messages of condolence received in Tirana on
the death of Enver Hoxha were those from:
The Communist Party and Government of Vietnam;
the P a r t y of Labour of Korea;
the
Prime
M i n i s t e r of the Democratic
People's
Republic of Korea;
the President of Madagascar;
the President and Prime M i n i s t e r of Turkey;
the President and Prime M i n i s t e r of France;
the President of F i n l a n d ;
the President and Prime M i n i s t e r of Malta;
the Regents and Foreign M i n i s t e r of San Marino;
the Prime M i n i s t e r of Greece;
the Prime M i n i s t e r and Foreign M i n i s t e r of I t a l y ;
the President of Mozambique;
the President o f M a l i ;
the President o f A l g e r i a ;
the President of S y r i a
the President of Tanzania;
the President of T u n i s i a ;
the Chairman of the Presidency of Yugoslavia;
the Emir of Kuwait;
the President of Nicaragua;
the President of Mexico;
the President of Venezuela;
the President of Colombia;
the President of Senegal;
the President and Prime M i n i s t e r of China;
the Prime M i n i s t e r of Japan;
the President of Cape Verde;'
the President of Guinea;
the President of Kampuchea;
the President of Bangladesh;
the President of I r a n ;
the President and Prime M i n i s t e r of Peru;
the Prime M i n i s t e r of Laos;
the President and Foreign M i n i s t e r of Cuba;
the Federal Chancellor of A u s t r i a ;
28
the
the
the
the
the
the
the
President of Burundi;
Governor-General of A u s t r a l i a ;
Prime M i n i s t e r of Zimbabwe;
Foreign M i n i s t e r of Sweden;
Foreign M i n i s t e r of Costa R i c a ;
Foreign M i n i s t e r of Panama;
General D i r e c t o r of the UN E d u c a t i o n a l ,
S c i e n t i f i c and
C u l t u r a l Organisation;
the General D i r e c t o r of the I n t e r n a t i o n a l Nuclear
Energy Agency;
the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
On A p r i l 12th, the Chairman of the General Assembly of
the United Nations, Paul Lusaka, p a i d t r i b u t e to the memory
of Enver Hoxha at the session of the Assembly,
and the
Albanian delegate to the UN, J u s t i n Papagorgji,
spoke of
Hoxha's
l i f e and work and thanked the Chairman
and
representatives f o r t h e i r condolences.
29
NATIONAL MOURNING
To honour the memory of Enver Hoxha,
e i g h t days of n a t i o n a l
mourning were proclaimed in Albania - from A p r i l 11 th to
18th,
inclusive.
Flags
were flown at half-mast and
t h e a t r i c a l and cinema performances, concerts and sporting
events were c a n c e l l e d .
At 9 a.m. on A p r i l 12th. Hoxha's body was placed in the
h a l l o f the Presidium o f the People's Assembly t o l i e i n
state.
Party and s t a t e leaders stood as guards of honour
over the coffin, and extended t h e i r condolences to Hoxha's
w i f e , Nexhmije, and to other members of h i s f a m i l y . Many
thousands of people queued up to pay t h e i r l a s t respects to
the dead l e a d e r . The diplomatic corps a c c r e d i t e d to the PSR
of A l b a n i a l a i d a wreath on the c o f f i n on A p r i l 12th.
Memorial meetings in honour of Enver Hoxha were held in
factories,
cooperative farms,
i n s t i t u t i o n s and l o c a l i t i e s
throughout the country. The slogan of these meetings was:
"Transform your g r i e f i n t o s t r e n g t h ! "
A number of countries expressed t h e i r wish to send
o f f i c i a l delegations t o attend the f u n e r a l ,
but the funeral
commission,
w h i l e thanking them f o r t h e i r sentiments,
announced that the presence of f o r e i g n s t a t e delegations on
such occasions was not in accord w i t h Albanian custom.
30
An Interview with Enver Hoxha
(We p u b l i s h below an i n t e r v i e w given in T i r a n a in December
1984 by Enver Hoxha,
F i r s t Secretary of the C e n t r a l
Committee of the Party of Labour of A l b a n i a ,
to Professor
Paul M i l l i e z , President o f the Franco-Albanian F r i e n d s h i p
A s s o c i a t i o n . Hoxha's w i f e , Nexhmije Hoxha, and Ramiz A l i a ,
then Secretary of the CC of the PLA and Member of i t s
P o l i t i c a l Bureau, were a l s o p r e s e n t ) .
Q: Monsieur F i r s t Secretary, you are a great f i g u r e . De
Gaulle once t o l d me t h a t there were two people he admired in
h i s time: Enver Hoxha and Boumédienne, although the l a t t e r
had been h i s enemy.
A: We have many f r i e n d s in France and other c o u n t r i e s
and we count on t h e i r f r i e n d s h i p . But we a l s o have enemies.
Q: It is normal t h a t you have enemies.
A:
The f o r e i g n p o l i c y of our country has been c o r r e c t ,
and i t w i l l remain s o i n the f u t u r e :
a n independent,
free,
sovereign and honest p o l i c y . We have expressed and express
our o p i n i o n f r e e l y on events which occur in the w o r l d ,
but
t h i s i s not t o the l i k i n g o f some people.
Q: Your Yugoslav enemies speak i l l of you.
A: They are extremely h o s t i l e to our viewpoint, and say
things about us which no one can b e l i e v e . For example, they
claim that we d e s i r e the d e s t a b i l i s a t i o n of Yugoslavia,
although we have never envisaged or s a i d such a t h i n g . They
accuse us,
f u r t h e r , of having provoked the events which
occurred i n Kosova i n 1981, but t h i s i s not a t a l l t r u e . The
people responsible f o r the t r a g i c events in Kosova are the
Yugoslavs themselves.
For our p a r t , we have s t a t e d p u b l i c l y , and a l s o through
o f f i c i a l channels, our p o s i t i o n i n favour o f the j u s t claims
of our Kosovar brothers, demands which are in conformity
w i t h the Yugoslav C o n s t i t u t i o n .
Q: Western Europe has begun, w i t h some d i f f i c u l t y , to
understand your p o l i c y .
It seems that the a t t i t u d e of
31
B r i t a i n towards the problem of your g o l d is coming in
to be considered u n j u s t .
Paris
A: We have waited f o r f o r t y years f o r the B r i t i s h to
r e t u r n the g o l d they l o o t e d . We thank France f o r the support
she is g i v i n g us on t h i s q u e s t i o n . As f o r the Americans,
they are q u i t e unscrupulous. They demand that we hand oyer
to them the wealth of Albanians now resident in the United
States - wealth which, according to them, has a value of
around $1,900,000. But we have t o l d them: give us proof,
supported by documents, on American property n a t i o n a l i s e d in
our country so that we may consider t h i s question concretely.
The B r i t i s h ,
t o o , have taken an i n c o r r e c t a t t i t u d e
towards our country and our people. The story they invented
about the mines l a i d in the Corfu Channel, which were struck
by t h e i r warships,
is q u i t e unfounded. At that time we
possessed n e i t h e r mines nor the means necessary to l a y them.
Nevertheless, when the i n c i d e n t occurred, we sent c r a f t to
save t h e i r s a i l o r s . Concealing the t r u t h ,
the B r i t i s h have
not ceased to slander u s .
We c r i t i c i s e the Germans a l s o f o r the a t t i t u d e they
have adopted towards our country, and we base our c r i t i c i s m
on documents. However, we n o t i c e a change in t h i s a t t i t u d e .
T h e i r press is not so h o s t i l e towards us,
and t h i s applies
a l s o to the press in c e r t a i n other Western c o u n t r i e s . We
wish to e s t a b l i s h good r e l a t i o n s w i t h the Federal German
Republic, but at the same time we demand that she s e t t l e s
the war reparations which she owes u s .
Q:
In your country it is s a i d that without Enver Hoxha
there would be no A l b a n i a .
A: I am only a member of the Party of Labour and I only
serve my people. Every success achieved here has i t s o r i g i n
in our own f o r c e s ; everything has been r e a l i s e d w i t h the
people and in u n i t y with i t .
The enemies of our country say
that I am a d i c t a t o r . But a s i n g l e person can neither act
nor
work w i t h the necessary strength
without
being
surrounded by f r i e n d s and comrades.
Q: You have w r i t t e n a great d e a l , notably on Islam.
32
A: As long as I have the strength to stand on my f e e t ,
I s h a l l not cease to w r i t e f o r my people and f o r my true
friends,
so that they may be aware of the s t r u g g l e of our
people f o r l i b e r t y , independence and s o c i a l i s m .
Every country conducts i t s own p o l i c y , by means of
which it defends i t s r i g h t s .
However, there are abroad some
c i r c l e s and i n d i v i d u a l s who accuse us of having destroyed
the churches and mosques. To these people we say: we do not
involve ourselves i n the i n t e r n a l a f f a i r s o f other
countr i e s , nor wish t o . We w i s h , t h e r e f o r e , that other countries
would not meddle i n our a f f a i r s . A s f a r a s r e l i g i o n i s
concerned, we cannot permit in our country, among our
people, a " s t a t e " which a s s i s t s f o r e i g n e r s l i k e the V a t i c a n ,
which is dependent on i m p e r i a l i s m . On the other hand, we
have not compelled, nor do we compel, anyone by administr a t i v e measures t o renounce h i s r e l i g i o u s views. R e l i g i o n i s
a question of personal conscience.
At the present time, the
Greek
Orthodox c l e r g y represents the most r e a c t i o n a r y
c i r c l e s d i r e c t e d against our country.
It seeks to make
people b e l i e v e that a l l Orthodox C h r i s t i a n s among us are
Greeks.
It ranges i t s e l f even against Papandreou, o b j e c t i n g
t o h i s p o l i c y i n r e l a t i o n s w i t h our country.
But everything
w i l l work out f o r the b e s t ,
i r r e s p e c t i v e o f the t h r e a t s o f
the r e a c t i o n a r i e s .
Q: You have confidence?
A: Yes, we have confidence - and a l s o p a t i e n c e . Our
c l o s e bonds w i t h the people are f o r us of great importance.
Over long periods we have surmounted a good many d i f f i c u l t i e s and have s u f f e r e d many p r i v a t i o n s , but we have never
encountered o p p o s i t i o n on the part of our people. On the
contrary,
they are s a t i s f i e d and aware t h a t if the regime
and the government have not done more f o r them,
t h i s is
because it was impossible to do s o .
Our enemies say that A l b a n i a i s alone,
that i t i s
isolated,
that it has no commerce w i t h other c o u n t r i e s . But
we have commercial exchanges w i t h a l l countries which d e s i r e
them
on the b a s i s of r e c i p r o c a l advantage and
noni n t e r f e r e n c e i n one another's i n t e r n a l a f f a i r s .
For the
Yugoslavs t h a t is something abnormal.
However, our economy
has never been reduced to the s t a t e in which the Yugoslav
33
economy f i n d s i t s e l f ; our country has never r e l i e d upon
loans and c r e d i t s from abroad. And so it w i l l always be,
u n l i k e what the Yugoslavs have done and continue to do in
t h e i r country.
Q: Why, in your o p i n i o n , d i d S t a l i n not prepare f o r h i s
succession?
A: S t a l i n d i d t h i n k about t h i s . At the 19th Congress he
enlarged the Central Committee and the P o l i t i c a l Bureau in
order
to c o n s o l i d a t e the leadership of the Party a f t e r h i s
death. But he was surrounded - a l i t t l e l i k e de Gaulle - by
camouflaged enemies who constantly presented him w i t h f a l s e
r e p o r t s . He t o l d them: " A f t e r my death you w i l l s e l l out the
Soviet Union",
but he d i d not succeed in combatting them in
time.
S t a l i n was a great man. I knew him at c l o s e quarters: I
had f i v e meetings w i t h him. He was a wise and level-headed
man. He fought the enemies of the Soviet Union and of
communism.
Before and a f t e r the Second World War S t a l i n c o n s o l i d ated the p o s i t i o n of the Soviet Union p o l i t i c a l l y ,
economi c a l l y and m i l i t a r i l y . He had noted that h i s country was
being undermined - and undermined g r a v e l y . Khrushchev and
Mikoyan t o l d me w i t h t h e i r own mouths that they had organi s e d a p l o t against S t a l i n ,
that they had had the i n t e n t i o n
of murdering him in a coup but feared the people. That is
the k i n d of c r i m i n a l s and assassins they were. Even a f t e r
S t a l i n ' s death they continued t o c r y :
"Long l i v e S t a l i n ! "
and to say:
" S t a l i n was a great man". But, at a c e r t a i n
moment, a f t e r having consolidated t h e i r p o s i t i o n s , they came
out against him in t h e i r notorious a t t a c k . They accused
S t a l i n of a l l the crimes and f a u l t s which they had committed
themselves. That we never accepted, and we declared so
openly at the meeting of 81 Communist P a r t i e s in Moscow in
1960. That is why they accuse us of being S t a l i n i s t s . But we
are M a r x i s t - L e n i n i s t S t a l i n i s t s and we put i n t o e f f e c t a l l
that i s good f o r s o c i a l i s m i n A l b a n i a .
As f o r the name of L e n i n , they have preserved it with a
view t o d i s g u i s i n g t h e i r counter-revolutionary a c t i v i t y .
At present the new Soviet l e a d e r s , as is seen, seek to
i n t i m i d a t e the West by g i v i n g i n d i c a t i o n s that they wish to
34
" r e h a b i l i t a t e " S t a l i n . But the f a c t i s that they r e t a i n the
counter-revolutionary opinions which separate them from him.
That is why t h e i r threats about the " r e h a b i l i t a t i o n " of
S t a l i n cannot deceive us - and not only u s !
It does not
deceive even the West.
Hoxha w i t h S t a l i n
MEMORIAL MEETING
On A p r i l 21st a Memorial Meeting dedicated to the l i f e and
work of Enver Hoxha was organised by the Revolutionary
Communist Party of B r i t a i n ( M a r x i s t - L e n i n i s t ) , the General
Secretary of which had l e d a d e l e g a t i o n to the f u n e r a l in
Tirana.
The chairman gave a v i v i d d e s c r i p t i o n of the f u n e r a l ,
saying that the d e l e g a t i o n had never before seen such g r i e f
as t h a t shown by the hundreds of thousands of people l i n i n g
the r o u t e .
The young Pioneers in Skanderbeg Square i n s p i r e d
the delegation when they shouted " P a r t y , Enver, we are
always ready!" w i t h tears streaming down t h e i r faces and
waving t h e i r red scarves as the c o f f i n passed.
A representative of the Central Committee of the party
then spoke on the l i f e and achievements of Enver Hoxha,
and
the meeting concluded w i t h the s i n g i n g of the I n t e r n a t ionale.
35
BRITISH PRESS-LIES AND SPECULATION.
by Steve Day
The death of Enver Hoxha gave F l e e t Street the opportunity
to demonstrate once again i t s low standards of i n t e g r i t y and
accuracy when d e a l i n g w i t h A l b a n i a .
The d a i l i e s ,
from The Sun to The Times t r o t t e d out the
f a m i l i a r l i n e that A l b a n i a was " i s o l a t e d " and "the poorest
country in Europe". The Sun,
t y p i c a l l y , took the p r i z e f o r
headlines w i t h "MAN WHO HATED EVERYBODY", and continued
w i t h the a s s e r t i o n s t h a t he "repressed h i s people" and kept
Albania " i s o l a t e d " . T h i s theme r a n through most of the other
reports.
In The M i r r o r Geoffrey Ross wrote that Hoxha r u l e d
h i s people "with a n i r o n f i s t " ,
but d i d manage t o admit i n
the l a s t two paragraphs that "some" gains had been made in
the l a s t f o r t y y e a r s .
The Times, The Guardian and The D a i l y Telegraph devoted
much space to s p e c u l a t i o n about the f u t u r e of A l b a n i a , a f t e r
venting t h e i r c o l l e c t i v e spleen on the man who had upheld
the independence of Albania against p l o t s from B r i t a i n ,
America and the Soviet Union.
Unable or u n w i l l i n g to recogn i s e the f u l l import o f the economic, p o l i t i c a l and c u l t u r a l
s t r i d e s made over the l a s t f o r t y years,
they took comfort
from the r e f u s a l of the P a r t y of Labour of Albania to accept
the telegram of condolences from the Soviet Union, yet
seemed puzzled at the lack of i n v i t a t i o n s to o l d enemies of
A l b a n i a t o attend the f u n e r a l .
Despite the c o n s i s t e n t reports t h a t " f o r e i g n e r s were
not allowed" at the f u n e r a l ,
r e i n f o r c i n g the l i n e of
A l b a n i a ' s " i s o l a t i o n " , representatives o f f r a t e r n a l M a r x i s t L e n i n i s t P a r t i e s were i n v i t e d and attended along w i t h other
foreign friends of Albania.
Reports of the f u n e r a l concentrated on the o r a t i o n by
Ramiz A l i a ,
seeking c l u e s to the future p o l i c y of the PLA.
While the a n t i - S o v i e t comments went down w e l l , there was
evident disappointment at A l i a ' s pledge to continue Enver
Hoxha's p o l i c i e s in the c o n s t r u c t i o n of s o c i a l i s m . The
36
D a i l y Telegraph consoled i t s e l f by s p e c u l a t i n g t h a t a group
around Prime M i n i s t e r A d i l Çarçani was "preparing f o r a
power s t r u g g l e " , The Guardian by the d e s c r i p t i o n of Ramiz
A l i a as "reputedly the most l i b e r a l member of the present
Albanian l e a d e r s h i p " !
Most reports gave only passing mention to the obvious
g r i e f of the thousands of people in Skanderbeg Square and
along the f u n e r a l r o u t e ,
o r t o the m i l i t a n t s p i r i t o f the
youth and Pioneers which made such an impression on the
representatives from abroad. The whole of the press made
great play o f Hoxha's high regard f o r S t a l i n ,
but f a i l e d t o
draw the comparison between the f u n e r a l s of S t a l i n and
Hoxha, both of which were c h a r a c t e r i s e d by the overwhelming
g r i e f o f the ordinary people,
g i v i n g the l i e t o the media's
w i l d s t o r i e s o f " r e p r e s s i o n " and "poverty".
Most of the papers made reference to the question of
diplomatic r e l a t i o n s , w i t h vague mentions of the Corfu
Channel case and the Albanian g o l d . The Observer was the
most p o s i t i v e - c a l l i n g f o r a j u d i c i a l review of the I n t e r n a t i o n a l Court proceedings at The Hague.
Despite the pledge given by Ramiz A l i a to continue the
p o l i c i e s of Enver Hoxha,
many of the papers seemed to t h i n k
that the time might be r i g h t f o r a new move on B r i t a i n ' s
part to e s t a b l i s h diplomatic r e l a t i o n s .
T h i s may w e l l
r e f l e c t B r i t i s h Establishment t h i n k i n g - t h a t ,
w i t h the
death of Enver Hoxha, they can climb down from t h e i r
u n p r i n c i p l e d p o s i t i o n of past decades without too much l o s s
of face.
Perhaps the v i r u l e n t h o s t i l i t y o f the B r i t i s h Establishment press towards the f i g u r e of Enver Hoxha may be
regarded i n i t s e l f a s testimony t o h i s success
in
foiling
the numerous p l o t s over the l a s t f o r t y years to destroy the
hard-won economic and p o l i t i c a l independence of A l b a n i a .
37
Albanian News
(December 1984 - March 1985)
POLITICS
In December:
The 6th Session of the 10th L e g i s l a t u r e of the People's
Assembly was convened.
Meetings and a c t i v i t i e s were organised to commemorate
the 105th anniversary of the b i r t h of Josef S t a l i n .
In January:
A c t i v i t i e s were organised to c e l e b r a t e the 39th a n n i versary of the proclamation of the R e p u b l i c .
Popular i n i t i a t i v e s were taken to a i d the people h i t by
the very heavy snowfalls in Northern A l b a n i a .
In March:
A commemorative meeting was h e l d to
anniversary of the b i r t h of Hysni Kapo.
mark
the
70th
DIPLOMACY
In December:
The Albanian Ambassador to Mozambique, Kostaq Ç i f l i g u ,
presented h i s c r e d e n t i a l s to President Samora Machel.
In January:
Diplomatic r e l a t i o n s were e s t a b l i s h e d w i t h the Ivory
Coast.
The A u s t r a l i a n Ambassador to A l b a n i a , John Hoyle, presented h i s c r e d e n t i a l s t o President Ramiz A l i a .
FOREIGN RELATIONS
In January:
By agreement w i t h the Greek government, the GreekAlbanian border was opened f o r the f i r s t time in 40 years.
FOREIGN VISITORS:
Among f o r e i g n v i s i t o r s and delegations to Albania during the
period under review were:
38
In December:
A delegation of the Franco-Albanian F r i e n d s h i p A s s o c i ation.
A Greek Government d e l e g a t i o n , headed by the A l t e r n a t e
M i n i s t e r o f Foreign A f f a i r s , Karolos P a p u l i a s .
Prof.
F r i e d r i c h Moser, Chairman of the A u s t r i a - A l b a n i a
Friendship A s s o c i a t i o n .
A P a r t y and Government d e l e g a t i o n from Vietnam, headed
by the Secretary of the C e n t r a l Committee of the Communist
Party of Vietnam, Nguyen Duc Tam.
A Swedish Government Trade Delegation,
headed by
M i n i s t e r of State Industry Roine K a r l s o n .
Vania Moura R i b e i r o , Chairman of the B r a z i l - A l b a n i a
Friendship A s s o c i a t i o n .
A delegation of the Communist P a r t y ( M a r x i s t - L e n i n i s t )
of Ecuador.
A d e l e g a t i o n of the Libyan People's Committee f o r
Foreign A f f a i r s .
Jean Dagonie,
Secretary of the Friends of New Albania
A s s o c i a t i o n , Belgium.
In January:
A Yugoslav Government d e l e g a t i o n to attend the
u r a t i o n of the Shkodra-Han i H o t i t r a i l w a y .
inaug-
In February:
A T u r k i s h Government trade d e l e g a t i o n .
In March:
Jusef E l - S i s i ,
of Culture.
Vice-Secretary o f the Egyptian M i n i s t r y
FOREIGN VISITS
Among Albanians and Albanian delegations going abroad d u r i n g
the period under review were:
In December:
A delegation of the Women's Union of Albania to a
meeting of the Women's Pan-African Organisation in A l g i e r s .
39
In January:
A delegation of the Trade Unions of Albania to N i g e r i a .
A trade d e l e g a t i o n , headed by M i n i s t e r of Foreign Trade
Shane K o r b e c i , to Greece.
A trade d e l e g a t i o n , headed by M i n i s t e r of Internal
Trade Osman M u r a t i , to Vietnam.
A delegation of the Academy of Sciences to A u s t r i a .
In February:
The v i o l i n i s t Tedi Papavrami to the Homage to Venice
F e s t i v a l i n Venice.
M i n i s t e r of Education and Culture T e f t a Cami to Rome to
inaugurate the e x h i b i t i o n "Albanian A r t through the Centuries".
FOREIGN TRADE
In December:
Agreements on i n t e r n a t i o n a l road transport, on c u l t u r a l
and s c i e n t i f i c cooperation, on telecommunications and on
p o s t a l s e r v i c e s were signed w i t h Greece.
A trade agreement f o r 1985-89 was signed w i t h Sweden.
In January:
A trade agreement f o r 1985 was signed w i t h Greece.
In February:
A trade agreement f o r 1985 was signed w i t h Vietnam.
A p r o t o c o l on the i n t e r n a t i o n a l road transport of goods
f o r 1985 was signed w i t h Yugoslavia.
A trade agreement f o r 1985 was signed with Turkey.
In March:
A trade agreement f o r 1985 was signed with China.
A sports agreement f o r 1985-86 was signed with A l g e r i a .
Albania was represented at the I n t e r n a t i o n a l F a i r in
Munich.
40
CULTURE
In December:
A s c i e n t i f i c conference on "The
L i t e r a r y Language" was h e l d in T i r a n a .
An e x h i b i t i o n of the paintings of
held in Ankara and I s t a n b u l .
Albanian
National
Vangjush
Mio
was
In February:
The e x h i b i t i o n "40 Years of the Trade Unions of
A l b a n i a " was opened in T i r a n a .
A s c i e n t i f i c session on Enver Hoxha's book "Laying the
Foundations of the New A l b a n i a " was organised at the Univers i t y of Tirana.
At the 16th competition at the Lutece I n t e r n a t i o n a l
Academy ( P a r i s ) , two gold medals were awarded to j o u r n a l s of
the Albanian Academy of Sciences:
"Studia A l b a n i c a " and
"Albanian Ethnography".
A c t i v i t i e s to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the
death of the a c t o r Aleksandër M o i s i were h e l d in Durrës.
Books
Among the
review were:
E. Hoxha:
E. Hoxha:
new books published in
the
period
under
"Reports and Speeches: 1982-83";
"Works", Volume 44 (June-November 1970)
A NEW JOURNAL
A new j o u r n a l in the E n g l i s h language has j u s t made i t s
appearance i n T i r a n a .
T h i s i s S o c i o - P o l i t i c a l S t u d i e s , publ i s h e d by the I n s t i t u t e of M a r x i s t - L e n i n i s t Studies of
the
CC of the PLA.
It is obtainable by sending the annual subs c r i p t i o n of $3.10 t o :
Ndërmarrja e përhapjes së l i b r i t ,
Tirana,
Albania.
41
CURRENT LITERATURE
(Remittance w i t h order, please)
Price
( i n c . postage)
*Albanian Society P u b l i c a t i o n
THE ARTS
Z. Bumçi:
B.
Fico:
V. M o i s i :
"Masks Torn O f f " (cartoons)
"Comedy in Bourgeois-Revisionist
Tragedy" (cartoons)
"Aleksandër M o i s i " (actor)
"Abdurrahim Buza" (painter)
"Monuments of Culture in A l b a n i a "
"Odhise P a s k a l i " (sculptor)
THE ECONOMY
G. Shkodra & S. Ganiu:
"The Well-being of the People"
"Aspects of S o c i a l i s t Construction
and the C r i s i s of Capitalism"
"The Development of the Economy"
£3
£1.50
£2.50
£2
£2.50
£2
£1.50
£1.50
£1.50
FOLKLORE
"Questions of Albanian F o l k l o r e "
GUIDE BOOKS AND POCKET ENCYCLOPAEDIAS
*W. B. Bland: "Short Guide to the PSR of A l b a n i a "
" A l b a n i a : General Information" (1981)
" A l b a n i a : General Information" (1984)
"Gjirokastra"
" G j i r o k a s t r a - Museum C i t y "
" P o r t r a i t of A l b a n i a "
£2.50
£2
£2
£2.50
£1.50
£6.50
£6.50
HISTORY (see a l s o " P o l i t i c s " )
S. Dede:
"The Counter-revolution w i t h i n the
Counter-revolution" (Poland)
£2.50
*E. Hoxha:
"Among Simple People" (Extracts)
£2
E. Hoxha:
"The Anglo-American Threat to A l b a n i a " £4
E. Hoxha:
"The Khrushchovites"
£3.50
E. Hoxha:
"Laying the Foundations of the New
Albania"
£4
E. Hoxha:
" R e f l e c t i o n s on China" (2 volumes)
£10
42
E.
E.
E.
E.
M.
Hoxha:
Hoxha:
Hoxha:
Hoxha:
Zeqo:
*
"Report to the 8th Congress"
"Selected Works" (Volume 4)
"The T i t o i t e s "
"With S t a l i n "
"Mujo Ulqinaku"
" H i s t o r y of the Party of Labour"
"Miscarriage of J u s t i c e "
(The Corfu Channel Case)
"The Museum-House of the P a r t y "
£1.50
£4.50
£5
£3
£1.50
£5
£1
£3
"The Albanian Language", Volume 2
"
, Volume 3
£3.50
£4
"The Labour Code"
£1
LANGUAGE
LAW
*
LITERATURE (see a l s o "Novels" and "poetry")
K. B i h i k u :
" H i s t o r y of Albanian L i t e r a t u r e "
*
"Bibliography of Books on Albania
in E n g l i s h "
£3
50p
MAGAZINES (back numbers)
*
"Albanian L i f e "
"Albania Today"
"New A l b a n i a "
50p
50p
50p
MAPS
Map of Albania (1:500,000)
NOVELS AND SHORT STORIES
D. A g o l l i :
"The Man w i t h the Gun"
N. Bulka:
"Sketches and Short S t o r i e s "
K. B l u s h i :
"Benny Walks on h i s Own"
I. Kadare:
"The C a s t l e "
I. Kadare:
"The General of the Dead Army"
*S. K ë l l i ç i : "The Last Days of a Prime M i n i s t e r "
S. Musaraj:
"Before the Dawn" (2 volumes)
S. Spasse:
"The Awakening"
POETRY
*
"Albanian Poems"
£1
$3
£3
£2.50
£3
£3
£3.50
£6
£3
£1
43
POLITICS (see a l s o " H i s t o r y " )
R. A l i a :
"The Correct L i n e of the P a r t y "
R. A l i a :
O r a t i o n at the Funeral of
Enver Hoxha
E. Hoxha:
Address to the E l e r c t o r s (1982)
E. Hoxha:
"Congratulations on the 40th
Anniversary of L i b e r a t i o n "
E. Hoxha:
"Eurocommunism is Anti-Communism"
E. Hoxha:
"Yugoslav S e l f - a d m i n i s t r a t i o n "
"The Albanian Woman"
" S c i e n t i f i c Conference on Marxism
Leninism"
"Soviet Revisionism"
"Theory and P r a c t i c e of the
Revolution"
50p
50p
£1
50p
£3
£1.50
£1
£2
£2
£1
NEW LITERATURE
R. A l i a :
N. Bulka:
O r a t i o n at the Funeral of
Enver Hoxha
"Sketches and Short S t o r i e s "
50p
£3
G. Shkodra & S. Ganiu:
"The Well-being of the People"
£1.50
" A l b a n i a : General Information"
(New e d i t i o n )
£2.50
"Questions of Albanian F o l k l o r e "
£2.50
"Soviet Revisionism"
£2
"ALBANIA TODAY", No. 6, 1984
50p
"Congratulations on the 40th Anniversary of L i b e r a t i o n "
(E. Hoxha); "The Correct L i n e of the P a r t y "
(R. A l i a ) ;
" S o c i a l i s t Realism"
( I . Kadare); "Foreign P o l i c y "
(R.
Malile);
" I n Defence of Freedom";
"Socialism - a R e a l l y
Human Order"; " Y u g o s l a v i a ' s A n t i - A l b a n i a n P o l i c y " .
"NEW ALBANIA", No. 6,
1984
50p
"Congratulations on the 40th Anniversary of L i b e r a t i o n "
(E. Hoxha); "The Correct L i n e of the P a r t y " (R. A l i a ) ; the
November M i l i t a r y Parade; the 5th N a t i o n a l Spartakiad; the
e l i m i n a t i o n o f m a l a r i a ; v e t e r i n a r y medicine; M a l i q ; Shtjefën
G j e ç o v i ; v i l l a g e d o c t o r s ; the town of Bajram C u r r i .
44
ALBANIAN SOCIETY MEETINGS
On January 26th,1985 the North-East England Branch of the
Albanian Society h e l d a meeting in Newcastle.
The Secretary
of the S o c i e t y , B i l l Bland, spoke on "The Albanian Economy",
i l l u s t r a t e d w i t h colour s l i d e s , and the colour video "40
Years of S o c i a l i s t A l b a n i a " was screened.
On January 27th the S c o t t i s h Branch of the Society
h e l d a meeting in Edinburgh w i t h the same programme.
On February 19th the South Wales Branch of the Society
held a meeting at the U n i v e r s i t y College of South Wales
in
Swansea. Norberto Steinmayr spoke on "Education in A l b a n i a " ,
B i l l Bland spoke on " S o c i a l i s t Realism: The Albanian View of
A r t " , i l l u s t r a t e d w i t h recordings and c o l o u r s l i d e s , and the
colour video "40 Years of S o c i a l i s t A l b a n i a " was screened.
On March 3rd, the London and South-East England Branch
of the Society h e l d a meeting in London. A concert of
Albanian music was presented by the Progressive C u l t u r a l
Association,
L a u r i e P r e s c o t t spoke on "Democracy in A c t i o n
in A l b a n i a " ,
the colour video "40 Years of S o c i a l i s t
A l b a n i a " was screened, and the p h o t o - e x h i b i t i o n on the same
theme was on d i s p l a y .
On March 5 t h , Ron Gregory, Secretary of the South Wales
Branch of the S o c i e t y ,
gave a t a l k on A l b a n i a ,
illustrated
by c o l o u r s l i d e s , at the Ogmore Vale M i n e r s ' C l u b .
On May 4th the Midlands Branch of the Society organised
a l i t e r a t u r e s t a l l at the May Day Parade in Birmingham.
On May 8th the S c o t t i s h Branch of the Society h e l d two
meetings in the U n i v e r s i t y of Glasgow.
In the afternoon a
t a l k and d i s c u s s i o n was h e l d on "Recent S c o t t i s h Press
Reports on A l b a n i a " and in the evening M a r t i n Rogan spoke on
"The Albanian Soul in A t h e i s t L i t e r a t u r e " .
The c o l o u r video
"40 Years of S o c i a l i s t A l b a n i a " was screened at both meeti n g s , and a colour video on the Albanian mediaeval p a i n t e r
O n u f r i at the evening s e s s i o n .
45
MORE UNPUBLISHED CORRESPONDENCE
The E d i t o r ,
"The Times"
Dear S i r ,
In h i s
l e t t e r on the Corfu Channel Incident of A p r i l
24th, Lord Campbell of Croy appears to assume that the
majority v e r d i c t of the I n t e r n a t i o n a l Court,
which found
Albania ' r e s p o n s i b l e " f o r t h i s t r a g i c i n c i d e n t , was based on
the evidence.
In f a c t , the F i n a l Report of the Committee of
Experts appointed by the Court concluded that the mines
concerned could have been l a i d without the knowledge of the
Albanian a u t h o r i t i e s if there had been no look-out on a
c e r t a i n Denta P o i n t . The Court found that there was no
evidence of the existence of such a look-out and should,
therefore,
have found Albania not responsible f o r the
incident.
The p o l i t i c a l character of the case is evident from the
fact that,
although B r i t a i n accused the Yugoslav navy of
having l a i d the mines, no c l a i m was ever made against Yugos l a v i a . T h i s anomaly cannot but be l i n k e d w i t h the f a c t that
Yugoslavia was, by the time of the court proceedings, moving
i n t o c l o s e r r e l a t i o n s w i t h the Western Powers.
Lord Campbell is not accurate when he says that the
r e t u r n of A l b a n i a ' s gold was merely " b l o c k e d " . The Washington Agreement of A p r i l 25th,
1951 provided f o r the t r a n s f e r
of the g o l d to B r i t a i n ,
and it was only the o b j e c t i o n of
I t a l y which prevented t h i s .
It is quite i l l e g i t i m a t e for a
trustee to s e i z e funds entrusted to him in settlement of a
q u i t e separate a l l e g e d d e b t .
In view of the p o l i c y of "unr e l e n t i n g h o s t i l i t y " (the words of Ernest Bevin when Foreign
Secretary) pursued by successive B r i t i s h governments towards
Albania - a p o l i c y which included attempts to overthrow the
Albanian government by f o r c e - it seems not unreasonable f o r
Albania to demand t h a t ,
before d i p l o m a t i c r e l a t i o n s are r e e s t a b l i s h e d with B r i t a i n ,
i t s gold should be returned as a
symbolic gesture that t h i s p o l i c y has been changed.
W. B. Bland, Secretary, The Albanian S o c i e t y .
46
F U T U R E MEETINGS
Sunday, September 29th at 3 p.m.
at
TOLMERS SQUARE COMMUNITY CENTRE,
Hampstead Road, London NW1
(Opposite C a p i t a l Radio)
(Nearest Underground s t a t i o n s : Euston, Warren S t . )
Norberto Steinmayr w i l l speak on
"EDUCATION IN ALBANIA"
Dr. John P u n t i s w i l l speak on
"HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES IN ALBANIA"
ADVANCE NOTICE
A
meeting
to
commemorate
the 41st. anniversary of L i b e r a t i o n ,
the 73rd anniversary of Independence
w i l l be h e l d in London on Sunday," November 24th at 3 p.
47
FILM SHOW
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10th, 1985 at 7. 30 p.m.
at the LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS, Houghton S t r e e t , London
WC2 (Off Aldwych)
(nearest Underground s t a t i o n s : Holborn, Temple)
APASIONATA
(Appassionata)
(Colour, w i t h E n g l i s h s u b - t i t l e s ) ( 1983)
(Based on the novel of the same name by D r i t e r o A g o l l i )
D i r e c t o r s : Ibrahim Muçaj S K r i s t a q M i t r o
Beethoven's "Appassionata" Sonata is played by Gjon Simoni
Other
music is played by the Orchestra of the Opera
B a l l e t Theatre, conducted by Ermir Krantja
and
Demostren R a u f i , a high government o f f i c i a l , is a dominating
p a t r i a r c h w i t h i n h i s family and,
ambitious that h i s son
Artur should become a famous a r t i s t , uses h i s p o s i t i o n to
gain entrance f o r him to the Higher I n s t i t u t e of A r t s .
However,
the boy has only moderate a r t i s t i c t a l e n t and
wishes to leave the I n s t i t u t e to t r a i n as an engineer.
B e l i e v i n g that A r t u r ' s g i r l - f r i e n d M i r a ,
a music student at
the I n s t i t u t e ,
is i n f l u e n c i n g t h i s d e c i s i o n , Demosten and
A r t u r ' s professor make use of the resentment f e l t by the
other a r t students at the favoured treatment accorded to
A r t u r to spread slander about M i r a ' s r e l a t i o n s w i t h another
student, w i t h t r a g i c r e s u l t s .
The feature f i l m w i l l be. preceded by two colour cartoons:
"ZHGARAVTNA" ( G r a f f i t i ) , d i r e c t e d by Bujar Kapexhiu
"DJALOSHT I LIRISE" (Freedom Boy),
d i r e c t e d by J o s i f Droboniku
Hoxha at an Anti-fascist Youth Congress
during the War of National Liberation
48
ALBANIAN L I F E i s p u b l i s h e d t h r e e t i m e s a y e a r b y :
The A l b a n i a n S o c i e t y ,
26, Cambridge Road,
Ilford,
Essex,
IG3 8LU
It
i s s e n t b y p o s t t o members o f t h e A l b a n i a n S o c i e t y ,
annual s u b s c r i p t i o n t o which i s £4.