Tragic Destinies

By: Dritëro Agolli

Notes for the novel “The Cursed Paradise” of 

the writer Shefki Hysa
Shefki Hysa came in literature with the short prose, with the story and with the literary reportage like all writers. His characteristic was the vital juice that moved across the tissues of the prose’s live organism, organism that had nothing artificial, but it came true like the nature. This specialty attracted the readers’ attention and that of the literary circles and it raised the hope in the affirmed writer’s waiting. So, his short prose was first published in the literary press. It entered in the new writers’ anthologies and then it appeared in independent books. Necessarily, this was gladness for the new writer but, as it is said, after the gladness comes the sadness. When some ill-disposed people saw that his name started to excel through the media and books, they started to dig in his biography, to send anonymous letters and to insist in the national instances of the old-time regime for the blocking of his publication. Only some chances and special conditions saved Shefki from the stop of the publication. But as a proverb says, the evil sometimes has the good inside it. These vicissitudes and stories, one day, were converted in literary material.
Exactly in the new novel of Shefki Hysa “The Cursed Paradise” (Parajsa e Mallkuar), there are a lot of autobiographic pages, described sometimes with pain and sometimes with sarcasm and anger. This increases the dramatic intensity of the novel and holds upraise its tension although, some descriptions, where the tendency is open like in a tract, appear sometimes. And it is natural that the contemporary novel often leans to the essay and sometimes to the tract. When it is a right equilibrium between the narration and the essayist argumentation, then we have to do with a real prose. In the opposite, when this equilibrium is broken and the matter surrenders to the pamphleteer argumentation, then the prose is converted in journalism; meanwhile, when it leans to the narration, it is converted in a fairytale. The novel of Shefki has survived from this danger and an interesting creation, in idea as well as in architecture, has come out.
At first sight it seems as though the novel gives the life of a lost province among the mountains, a province with its events and its good and bad people, sweetheart and sadist, democrats’ soul and tyrants’ heart. But, if you think, quickly you will find out that the novel takes the characteristics of a symbolic work. An isolated place, where the wild laws of tyranny with all its mechanisms dominate completely, where the speaking and thinking freedom doesn’t exist and where the people live with anxiety and fear, is reflected in miniature. The image of Babeloku, who makes the law and decides about people’s destinies, is the incarnation of the tyrant. The author, putting this personage in usual and unusual situations, has escaped from the schemes of black and white treatment and has described a complex figure. Human sparks, with the view of traditional charity, appear to him in special cases.
But in a very natural way, these human sparks are given to the personage by the author to increase his authority. And it really seems as if the region’s people whisper: “Babeloku makes benefits too”. This is a very realized and interesting artistic discovery that reflects with verity an overlord’s figure through this provincial Babeloku.
The novel’s burden with episodes and with tragic destinies hasn’t extinguished people’s desire to live their life and the perspective light too. The desire of living and the perspective light are incarnated in the Jackie’s figure, in that of his friends and especially in the girls’ and women’s figures, which are described with the feeling of a nice lyric inspiration and with human love. All these are in contrast with the gloomy conditions, when the ululation of the wolves’ kennel with two feet is sometimes felt, but even directly with four legs. And here I should absolutely mention an unusual artistic fact. The author describes a valley with hungry wolves. Here, in snow time Babeloku used to get out of the car those who didn’t like, and he used to leave them in the midway. So they would finish in the wolves’ teeth. The author finishes the novel with this artistic fact full of dramatic tension.
“He was leaving me in his brave men’s hands. And it was still midnight. I was all shuddered and I was feeling that my heart was freezing by an inexplicable fear. Perhaps the forebodings were doing their job. I was trying to drive away my thoughts from the evil that was going to catch me, but the more I insisted the more clearly I was imaging myself in front of the wolves’ kennel.
They were going to stop the car in the middle of the meadow, to push me out of the cabin and then, they were going to draw back several tens meters to view with satisfaction the dreadful scenes. Being alone in the meadow’s darkness, running or staying, it was the same. In few minutes, I would have been surrounded by the wolves. Those beasts were used to the meat of Babeloku’s enemies. I would feel the wolves’ grindings and roars and then, their teeth would have immediately bitten into along my body like a lot of knives. I would scream with all my forces by the pain but in few seconds the kennel would have ripped me and my sanguineous body’s parts wouldn’t feel anything… Oh my God! Help me God – I screamed with half voice as I realized that I was losing my feelings from the body’s weakness that the hemorrhage of the head’s hurt had caused me and also from the intensity of the neurosis that I was experiencing… My sight was disappearing quickly in the darkness… And my body was subsiding in darkness too… Darkness…”
It was really an avid artistic discovery.

Mesages of hope and peace

By: Shefki Hysa

Notes about the volume of short stories 

“An ordinary night” of the writer 

Namik Mane
The writer Namik Mane (born in Filat Of Chameria in 13 March 1942) after the publication of the poem book “Filled with tears” (Pjergulla a lotëve), comes in front of the reader with the summaries of stories “An ordinary night” (Një natë e zakonshme). Social themes and issues prevail in the stories of this book.Thus, the author appears to us as the spokesman of the time he lived, brings it artistically reflected, with love and pain, that characterizes potential creators. The stories are an autobiography of the author and a biography of his contemporaries through the years. They distinguish for a realistic display of life, for truthfully and poetic breath, in the events presentation, in their subjective intuitive knitting, in the discovery of the character’s relatioship and in their carving with vivid and prominent lines that made the reader to remember most of these characters.
Through conversational style, without invention, fiction, tricks and artificial. Namik creates a short prose, that is fluently read, arouse the reader’s interest and curiosity on how social relationship are interwined, quite often strained, of vicissitude, surprises of life and the influence of today policy on the author’s spiritual world and the people who sorround.
Namik Mane, contemporary, close friend and friends in letters, of the desident known writer Bilal Xhaferri, is appeared in the Albanian press with hist first creativities in poem and in short prose since ’60. His name in those years, was in the rows of creators like: Bedri Myftari, Bardhyl Agasi, Moikom Zeqo etc, however for the fact that he came from a Chameria tribe, economically powerful, with patriotic and anticommunist traditions, time censorship abolished the right of publishment.
In these conditions, Namik Mane struggled a lot to survive, as a writer and along with real literary values, that his pen has taken out, sometimes for the sake of the publishment in the contemporary newspapers, he was also subjected to their demands for creativity with common themes of the day. This is seen in any story with the theme of the work, whose the author, aware of the weaknesses, has included in the book with the desire to give as full the time of dictatorship mirror, when he went for a couple of years in exile in Hamalla of Durres ( a period beautifully described in the story “The third”), together with the known writer Bilal Xhaferri.
The book “An ordinary night” (Një natë e zakonshme) is a nice conversation of the author with the reader. The stories are written with a rich artistic language, short sentences, that express feeling and energy, popular phraseology, especially of Chameria region. It scar the fact that the author of this stories is a really formed and completed prose writer and what is the most important, now his creativity is at the peak of artistic maturity. There is no way not to recognize this phenomenon in the original conception of stories, in the manner of the subject disclosure, in drawing the characters up to the finding of special expressive details and minuteness which definitely add value to the stories of this summary. In this sense Namiku ranks of the best prose writer we have today, although his creativity is low and till now not so far rated as it deserves. His stories are distinguished for kindness and nobility, as the author own soul, but they simultaneously are a hope message for reconciliation and peace between people of all stratum regardless of religion, race and colour. (Carefully read the story “Grekia”, whose character the author describe with love, without even the slighest rancor, although as violently expelled from Chameria, could allow himself any negative emotional burden)
We wish the writer Namik Mane further successes in creativity and you dear reader, a good reading!

”The rebellious” and “The sold paradise”

(Gossip for inquisitives)

Notes about the poetic volume of the poet Dylbere Dika

I had too much time without reading creativities of new writers and as soon as I read the first poetries of the new poet Dylbere Dika, from Sllova of Dibra, I felt a surprise within myself. I had secession from the everyday routine as a piece of lava is suddenly broken away by a silent volcano and I felt renewed. It seemed that I was covered by a special spring awakening and it was easily understood that the only reason if my renewal were that flock of flowers that she was bestowing me through her poetic volume “The sold paradise” (Parajsa e shitur), without being published yet. Dylberja, twenty two years old, (born on 4 September 1979), who just jumped the meadows of adolescence.

“And now you have not changed too much
You run as the colt without master through lawns and say:
The world is Jules and violence”…

So, as the character of verses, also the poet is even she, the compulsive adolescent, naughty child that prejudices and judges our world and is not lazy at all to call it also as the sold paradise, as rebellious as she feels by collisions with the iniquities of the life.
Rebellious poet! She was rebelled in her soul by the beauties of the life, which are property of the powerful people of this world, and prohibited apples for simple people. The simplest, the humans are only allowed to enjoy the beauties of the nature…
By right I feel sad too as the expressed in the verses:

“I travel by myself:
With the head among the hands,
With sorrow in the heart.
Death by right”…

Does the poet really wish death of the world?
No! Absolutely not! The human who sing for the creation of the earth Paradise, who creates by self how much he can, under the image of the great God, cannot agree with the death!
For this, Dylberja dreams and expresses in her poetries, this compulsive adolescent.
Let wish Dylbere good luck to pass the Rainbow of the desires and to be a great poet, like she dreams and to give to the humanity more beautiful creativity than her poetic volume “The sold paradise” (Parajsa e shitur) that you are taking in your hands, dear reader!

Shefki Hysa
Writer

Tear and laughing lightning

Notes about the book “The heart‘s flaw” of the 

poet Gjin Progni
Gjin Progni belongs to the generation of the youngest poets whose spirit, thanks to democracy, managed to emerge from the ruins of souls that broke over 50 years, the hell of Enver dictatorship. Disappintment, desperation, pain and little hope, very little hope- this is the sediment of the that whole illusory gigantic-mania with bloody east and west, with socialist vivid colors that the communist propaganda served to the ‘young man”, his mannequin creation.
This is seen also is Gjin Progni’s poems, one of the most talented among those poetic voices that are being heard. Love is the only feeling, which gives, once again, the optimistic tone to his verses overloaded with the contemporary drama. It is a love like all capricious love that started since the whims of Adam and Eve, love as sweet and at times divine, as well as tormenting and heartbreaking. I even encounter it in the whole tissues of the volume poetry “The heart’s flaw” (Krisja e zemrës) this very human feeling, as it is created the image that Gjini’s political universe is nothing but a giant heart that tries to lock up the whole universe inside himself and in impossibility he disappoints, despairs, flaws and leaks pain and revolt. Between tears lighten at times the sincere laugh of the poet, the humor of the young that even though heartbroken at last remembers that life is long and should be lived. And to live it, he must move. In this journey as exhausting and fascinating towards the unknown fate of man, we wish Gjin Progni the top of the success, after the publishing of his first book “The heart’s flaw” (Krisja e zemrës).

Shefki Hysa
Writer

The love, the pain

Notes about the book “A sun’s plateau” of the 

poet Nexhmi S. Hoxha
In the book of poetry “A sun’s plateau” (Një pllajë diell) has a love and deep pain. Love is for the whole homeland, especially for the birthplace-Konispol, while pain is for the Cham’s hearth, part of this homeland, but violently depopulated from the half of its native inhabitants, from where are the author’s parents. In addition to these pronounces the renewal of consciousness, of thought and psychology, now, released. The peaceful love and the drama of loss that is expected to return to the ancestral lands like Israel in their holy land, constitute the author’s world, which could have been expressed through verses 20 years ago, when he started to write. But, if authentic love for the homeland would definitely lock up in the love for socialist homeland, that naturally, hindered the inspiration, the disclosure of the drama of loss of Chameria was strictly forbidden. These, perhaps, have been the two of the main causes Nexhmi Hoxha, with a few rare case, failed to publish poetry in the first youth, because his world would be locked up or would be forbidden. Abolition of censorship liberated spirit, vigor and passion of each. Therefore, this book, which besides the poetic beauty, especially expresses the passionately world of the author, is not only the result of liberation of the soul but also of the free publication.

Bashkim Kuçuku
Literary Critic

Hymn to man

Notes about the book “I-the Man” of Cham 

poet Hekuran S. Halili
God, as He created man, gave him wit more than all other creatures. Then he cried the angels and said to them:
-Humble to human, it is one of my most perfect creatures, more knowledgeable in the universe. I have set my vicegerent on Earth.
And angels bowed to human respectfully.
Satan rejected:
-Oh Lord, – he said, – I do not humble to a mortal creature of clay. I’m immortal of grace, of fire.
-Humble! – The Lord ordered. – It is my smartest, knowledgeable creature. Smarter than you.
-No! – The disobedient Satan rejected again.
-Despised be thou forever!- the Lord cursed him and threw away from Paradise, condemning him forever to hell for disobedience.
And since the beginnings of human life, Satan swore to himself to injure man at all costs. And to destroy it, he declared war for life or death this magnificent creature, a fight that continues even today throughout the world, the struggle between Good and Evil. It was the evil war of Satan which deceived the man, pushed him into temptation and lost Paradise and crashed into the whirlpool of this madness that tortures him everywhere and anywhere. So is described in all sacred books the history of the early human life, the subsequent flow of which is the daily effort of Man to survive in the struggle between Good and Evil, that are represented by values and divine virtues, on one hand, embodied in human spirit and the anti-values and evil sins shaped in the image of be away the black-hearted, the plotter Satan to undo mankind.
Good and honest people, extremely sensitive to the danger that threatens more and more to the human figure, worry, get angry, revolt and rebel against the evil and try and sacrifice to save humanity and its values. So human life across the globe, if you notice with the eye of a poet as Hekuran S. Halili is now extremely vulnerable. It seems like the evil is triumphing day after day over good and that the human being, on the verge of destruction and annihilation, has not any importance. And in this situation it needs a lot of sacrifices until the limit over-humanity to save the honest man from the dishonest. This is the reality of life, not just text and sub-text of artistic reality through the poet’s creativity involved at times from great dilemma: “the honest or dishonest will rule the globe?”
If you observe life through the eyes of a sociologist, will conclude: “Man, a death risk! Man doesn’t worth anything! Money over everything! A dog worth more than Man!”
Such conclusions look absurd, but this is the truth of the human daily around the globe.
You often sees through television screens, dogs-gentlemen’ parades accompanied by crooked millionaires on the role of their servants. “To live the animals! Human death!” Sometimes this is what visual media and the presses preach. Don’t you believe it? Be more aware and notice the madness around human!
Equally endangered are human values in the Albanian reality. Precisely this bothers more the poet Hekuran S. Halili, that’s why he has devoted his creations especially to Albanian man.
“Human death!” – scream and rumble the anti-values.
“I, the Man (Unë-Njeriu)! Man over everything!” – squawk and cry rightly the world of the poet Hekuran S. Halili, against the devilish flow that is defeating every human value throughout the globe filled with predatory wars and injustice.
Well, not in vain is titled “I – the Man” (Unë-Njeriu) the poetic summary of the poet Hekuran S Halili. This title is not casual, but a logical flow constrained by hard reality that surrounds us, is the very essence of the issue of human survival, is a divine conclusion conveyed in a way of genius to the mind of the poet of a genius, the creator of everything, God .
“The man to rule on Earth!” – was the message of God from the beginning of human life. This tries the poet to reflect in his verses.
So, God gave knowledge to human by his own knowlegde, gave him light by his own light, consecrated him and appointed as a successor on earth, he delegated power on him to live according to the principles and divine laws and not to eat themselves, to transform into a self-eating cannibal and self-murder kamikaze, as it is happening in reality. Despite this evil and satanic state that today rules the world, Hekuran S. Halili, with the wisdom and foresight of an inspired poet by God, returns to human origin and in the tradition of the romantics of Renaissance and evokes the glorious origin, the greatness of the Man creature that even the angels humbled him, Man who should rule the world as a divine sovereign and not as a tyrant Satan.
“I, the Man,” (Unë-Njeriu) sings the poet and his song is a hymn to the greatness of the human being, which has a homeland that is called Albania; he has a birthplace, which extends from Chameria unjustly robbed, till Konispol in Saranda, wet lands from the blue waters of the Ionian sea, heated by the life-giving rays of a sun and Mediterranean blessed climate; has a house named “Hekuran S. Halili”, inscribed at the door, and inside it a wonderful family with a rare woman as Bardha, the worthy wife and mother as God has commanded, with children model like Ona and Goni; he has a large kindred with many brothers and sisters, cousins, good and honest people committed to labor; he has a lot of old and new friends, school mate and colleagues, whose mind works for good working, to beautify their lives and that of others and their tourist city, Saranda; this Man has so many things!
Magnanimous poet Hekuran S. Halili is aware of the sanctity and the nobility of the Man creature, so that not unintentional in his poetry gives the role of the subject of life on earth, that role that even the creator has appointed, God, and that the Satanic try to deny. He, at times, through verses identifies his lyric-epic hero, the Man, with himself and does good because he shows to people the etalon of the Being-Man. So, Hekuran starts from himself, from his spiritual and physical riches to go to people who surround him. And so, singing himself, pointing out the values and human and intellectual skills that owns, which never hesitates to honestly put in the service of all those chains that comprise the notion Man: self, family, home, kindred, friendship, friends, hometown, home, homeland, the world, the universe and above all the Lord, the poet Hekuran S. Halili, invites the others to follow his example, to fulfill the Ideal-Man, because only this way they can leave the evil that has flooded everywhere the human life.
A man, as the poet’s hero Hekuran S. Halili, like himself, never leave forgotten his parents, his father and mother, those who were tired, who born him (naturally according to God’s law), that grew him up with hardships, that sent him at school and instructed him to act and behave like their ancestors from generation to generation, to become worthy for himself and his offspring. This attitude is neither a diary keeping, nor enumeration, nor inventory vulgarism, but it is the artistic mirror of the links of that chain that are summarized in a life node and make up the notion Man. So, model Man that leads the path of God to others with his own example. Even Hekurani as human model in life, is trying to create an artistic picture of reality that surrounds it, to remind others that today more than ever need to disclose the values as man and then come the material values and assets that may have accumulated during his life.
More than any kind of property Hekuran, Man and Poet, worries the fact that how to acceptably explain other that was the father Safeti and mother (Nuja) Nazua who have cooked the dough of the Man that is named Hekuran S. Halili. And he succeeded in combining naturally the presence of parental figure with all the other elements of poetry and in full harmony he has given us a poetic volume full of life rhythm and very melodic as a long song with a find and appealing refrain till to magnetism, that occurs in the form of a magnificent hymn for human symbol, an impressive hymn, likeable and solemn like all the hymns, especially as the anthem of motherland and flag, which are among the most holy and most vulnerable in the human world in every corner of the globe.
“The human hymn over all!” – says the poet Hekuran S. Halili in his book “ I- the Man”(Unë-Njeriu), with the great desire that everyone learn such a hymn and become aware of human values that God has given us and that Satanic try by all means to bury.

Shefki Hysa
Writer

In trails less violated of Albanian origin

By: Sokol Jakova
(Thoughts about the book with historical values “Dodona, the ancient temple of Albania” of Rasim Bebo’s author)
The problem of the origin of our people has been and remains an important issue among big issues that are object of study of Albanian’s historiography. Lots of discussions and debates were held today to find and prove scientifically that from what origin are our people that by the researchers it is considered as one of the most ancient peoples, if not the most ancient, of Balkans. Unfortunately, in the Albanian’s archives are missed the documents that definitely have been lost in the whirlpool of centuries and millenniums.
It is known the today’s political and social situation in Albania, where science, culture and art are passing a crisis, and the major problem of the origin doesn’t have that interest that is needed by Albanian scientists and researchers, but that paradoxically, has raised even more the interest and curiosity of foreign researchers.
The first in this context, “Dodona, the ancient temple of Albania” (Dodona, tempulli i lashtë i Shqipërisë) book, of the old researcher in age and profession, Rasim Bebo, brings a valuable contribution on the origin of the Albanians, but simultaneously it unfolds to Greeks, our southern neighbors, their history, which has been the true model of Albanian or Arvaniti, as they call us, what antiquity have had these people that in a sense it also excels its antiquity, by educating to the young generation of our people the sense of national pride, dignity, non humility and submission toward the Greeks, in whose land today work about 600 thousand immigrants and where above all is an “eagle’s broken wing”, Cham province with its countless riches. Arvanit known researcher who has been for several years chairman of “Arvanite League of Greece”, writes: “The Greek before returning into Greek was Arbanit, namely Pelasgian. Our language, Arbanit, is the earlist of the Greek ancient language that is said Homeric language. (Aristidh P.Koljas “Proklamata” “Dritero” editions, p.40, Tirana)
The symbolic title of the book of Rasim Bebo, is explained since in the beginning: “Dodona’s ancient temple is in the south of Janina, 22 km, in the valley between the Tomara and Monalisa mountain. Prehistoric date tells that this place was baptized as the Earth God. There went the Cham’s Pelasgian clergy and performed their religious duties to the Empire of the Sun- Zeus. This cult has been brought in Dodona by Selloi of the Thesprot (Cham) tribe between 19-14 centuries BC. The clergy of that time had as a duty to inform the people who lived at the foot of the mountains with a gong, which was stroked several times to inform all the inhabitants that the sun came out.
It is said that by the rhythmic stroke of the gong “don, don, don…” even the liturgy took the name Dodone”. Relying on the known thesis of the Pelasgian origin of people that live today in the Balkans land and beyond, Rasim Bebo starts the analyses in his writings to prove the authenticity of this thesis, which is now spread. According to Herodoti, Dodona was the most ancient oracle in Pelasgian. This important evidence, served the author that later in his summary writings in this book, exploiting a wide and rich literature by many Albanian and foreign researchers and scholars, to come in the prominent conclusion that Albanians, descendants of the Illyrians, that have had the root at the old Pelasgian people, to be the most ancient grandchildren of the Balkan.
Indeed Rasim Bebo’s book summarizes a series of special writings and articles, many of which the author has published in the periodic press. However, this abundant material is ranked in the book according to a prominent compositional axis which has left the path that the writings and the articles have between them a sort of connection.
After an evaluation of the work titled “Book of an age with the author”, sympathetically written by Dalan Luzaj, today resident in Chikago of US, the first chapter of Rasim Bebo titled “Dodona” widely develops, through numerable citations and references, the history of Dodona ancient temple. In this chapter, according to numerous historical data, the author Rasim Bebo answers the questions “What about the Greeks? Where did they come from? Around 2000 BC a Greek-speaking uncivilized people slowly broke from the Russian step toward the south, passing through the Danube to the Balkan Peninsula, along with herds and cattle herd. About the year 1500 BC until 1100 the newcomers began to spread in the southern area of the peninsula”.
Then, in the second chapter of the book, chapter that is titled “The eagle”, Rasim Bebo after a long analyses, relying on evidences and documents of many researchers, comes in conclusion, even according to Homer, that the “Brunette brown eagle of Pelasgian Zeus, of Epiri’s Dodona was the most loving poultry, the courier messenger, constant companion of Zeus Pelasgian, who was the Sun God in the Pelasgian Ancient Dodona of Epirus called Pellazgjia”. (Watch Herodoti 2:56; Eskil 658-62; Dodona, today’s Kastrica town not too far from Janina).
Of particular interest in the book is the analysis that the researcher Rasim Bebo makes to Zaharia Majami’s book “Etruscans began to speak”. Using historical and linguistic data in the bud of the book, it is concluded that the Etruscans used to speak a similar language with Albanian. Then to prove his thesis of Pelasgian origin of the Balkan peoples, Rasim Bebo refers to the book “The enigma”, in seven volumes of French researchers Roberto d’Angeli. Rasim Bebo simultaneously refers even to the book “The Albanians” of George Fred Williams. For these valuable historical books, in his voluminous work, the author makes a brief description, focusing on historical data that are in favor of the thesis of Pelasgian origin of the today’s Balkan peoples.
Very interesting is even the third chapter of the book which is titled “On the expedition of Alexander the Great”. Draws the attention the fact in this chapter when the author says: “Olympia, Alexander’s mother was Epirotic, so Alexander’s mother tongue was Albanian”. In “Enigma” book its author insists that the word “Epiriot” means Albanian nothing “Helen”, “Epiriotika lingua” is always understood “Albanian language” and never “Ellonikn lingua”. King Philip of Macedonia, Alexander’s father was born in Argos (pelasgian place) bordering Epirus. (Alexander the Great p.14. G. Rado 1931) Alexander the Great with Hellenistic and Albanian origin thanks to education in the Greek language followed the studies from Aristotle, an Albanian from the town Stagire. Through the mother tongue, Albanian or Epirotic, Alexander gave courage and commanded his generals during his military expedition. With this language he spoke to his fellow and soldiers of his extraordinary army, language that was understood by all. Most of the population was illiterate and Modern Greek was unknown, because it began to form about ten centuries later. “(Salang d’Angeli, translated by L.Rama).
Further the author of the book makes a striking description of the commander and the legendary leading, Pyrrhus of Epirus. The portrait of Pyrrhus of Epirus – he says – in the emblem of the association Cham, is the symbol for the respect of the ancestors by his Thesprot’s ancestors – Cham of Illyrian land. According to E. Jasques in his work “Albanians” p.14 “Albanians, a ten-year population, are descendants of the Pelasgians prehistoric and of the closest Illyrian ancestors”.
To more deeply discuss the above thesis, the author entitles the fourth chapter of his book “Who are the Albanians?” referring to many Albanian and foreign authors and researchers, he makes a detailed description of Epirus Despotate and identify historical figures such as Cham head Lord Gjin Bue Shpata, Mërkur Bua etc.
The next chapter of the book entitled “The Albanians in the Balkans” deals with the history and the framework of placement of these people in Balkan as Illyrians and old Pelasgians descendants. As for arvanitas Rasim Bebua refers to the historian A. Llalla who says: “Arvanitas of Greece are not predecessors, they are not a minority. They were and are still in Greece. Huge wave of Arberia in the direction of Greece that has had in centuries 4-7 and 14 that we know from some historians are nothing more but the evacuations of some Arberi’s principalities of the north toward the south because of their land’s invasions in the north of Arbanas by Slavs and later by the Ottoman Turks. Arbanët or Arvanitas who left their land in the north of Arbëria, as in Slovenia, Croatia, till in Kosovo fields when they came in today’s Greece, they weren’t welcomed by war by those people, which indicates that they descended from north to south to their arbanit (arvanite) brothers, who lived in their millennium lands”.
In the book the author does not sit without mentioning some characteristic feature of the Albanian nation as religious tolerance, trust, hospitality etc. He makes portraits drawn with lines, to the captains that he call Arberesh like: Teodor Kollokotronit, Laskarina Bubulinës, Kostandin Kanarit, Andrea Miaulit, Llambro Xhavellës, Marko Boçarit, Gjergj Karaiskaqit, Odhise Andrucios, Dhimitër Palputës, Teodor Grivës, Athanas Shkurtaniotit, Nikolla Kryezotit, Gjon Kapodistrias, Haxhi Mehmet Dalianit.
The author of “Dodona, the ancient temple of Albania” (Dodona, tempulli i lashtë i Shqipërisë) book, being of Cham origin, in addition to the work a separate chapter “Chams” he dedicates Cham population, which has unjustly remained beyond the borders of Albania. In a special bud of this chapter is narrated with living marking the life and the famous deeds of one of the most famous warriors in our history, Ali Pashë Tepelena.
In this bud, among others, are described Suli’s land and the famous family of Boçarë. Further, the researcher Rasim Bebo reveals in the book the considerations for Albanians by George Fred Williams.
After some evaluations are made for the Arberesh of Italy, for some features of the Cham population as Cham dance and kilt, for Cham manhood and loyalty in the work “Erveheja”, in the continues chapter is portrayed a familiar figure of Albanian origin Dora D’Istria or Elena Gjika. Such a portrayal is made in the book, in chapter seven, to another familiar figure of Cham origin, Abedin Pashë Preveza.
Rasim Bebo’s book continues with a long article devoted to one of the most prominent and glorious sons of Chameria, the writer and the poet extremely talented, well-known dissident Bilal Xhaferri. It is well known the contributions of this personality and the magazine’s “Eagle’s Wing” which he established in exile in the U.S., in the benefit of the Albanian question, fighting and debunking communism, which managed to cruelly persecute the Albanian people for a dozen years, eliminating among others also a lot of the best Cham sons as Hilmi Seiti, Teme Sejkon, Tahir Demin, Jonuz Purizon, Taho Sejkon etc.
In the book are portrayed other historical figures of Cham origin.
As seen from the preface of the book, historian Rasim Bebo has tried to create a compositional structure for his work, a kind of compositional axis, that the book’s writing and articles create continuity from the ancient years until today. However, in this work has been focused the argumentation with diverse and different historical sources, from Albanian and foreign researchers and historians, of the thesis of the origin of the Balkan people of a very old nation, prehistoric, Pelasgians, who are congested and have occupied these lands for at least ten years ago. This thesis is still in the historical center of scientific debate. But it is worth mentioning that, in most occasions, today’s Greek historiography not only accepts the scientific findings regarding the origin Pelasgian thesis, but tries to interpret in the wrong way, and, as moreover, it can conceal them. However, as the talented researcher Aristidh P. Koljas expresses (Aristidh P. Koljas – Proclamation, Dritero editions, p.67, Tirana) “Many Greek and foreign historians have expressed the view that Albanians make representation in the highest degree of very old Pelasgians, from whom derives the origin of the ancient Greeks.”
By closing these notes I express confidence that the book “Dodona, the ancient temple of Albania” with historic and patriotic values will be read with interest by the readers who will benefit a lot of it and they will expand the knowledge about the Albanians origin.