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Aleks Duka and the testimony of a Durrës patriot on the eve of Independence!

2026-04-23 18:15:00, Kulturë Aleksandër Cangonja

Aleks Duka and the testimony of a Durrës patriot on the eve of

From the research conducted in the funds of the Central State Archives, a document of special historical value comes to light: a biography compiled for Aleks Duka, a citizen of Durrës, sent by his wife, Vasiliqi Duka, to the commission established for the celebration of the 25th anniversary of Albania's Independence.

This commission was tasked with identifying and documenting the figures who had contributed to the national cause, collecting direct testimonies from the protagonists of the time. In this context, Aleks Duka's manuscript constitutes a first-hand source, where he recounts his own patriotic experiences, first in Romania and then in Durrës.

The material brings a vivid panorama of the period before and after Independence, illuminating important historical episodes such as the arrival of Ismail Qemali in Durrës, the role of Jakob during the Serbian occupation, as well as the strong clashes between Albanian national sentiment and foreign religious and political influences.

The following is the full transcript of Aleks Duka's testimony, preserved in its original linguistic form:

"I have known the singing and writing of my native language for a long time. When I was in Constanta, Romania in 1905, after knowing the history of Skanderbeg and the Greek uprising of 1821, as well as the origin of their captains, and seeing that the Greeks opposed any Albanian sentiment, I dared to tell them that the Greek royal crown rests on the bones of the Albanian captains; these conversations often occur in Albanian cafes.

When Mr. Dako and the late Çilka came to Constanta to hold a conference in Constanta, they were stopped by the general who ruled over them, since they had not yet reached the age of 40 to gain political freedom, as well as the Romanians, the general stopped them after they had come to the Greek consul (consul) who allowed any Albanian movement. Then we had to gather in a cafe "Skanderbeg" where we talked and got to know each other, the Albanian cafe owners who had closed their cafes and had come to help with the service, who recognized me and took me and introduced me to the commission, recommending me as one of the valuable patriots, then Mr. Dako and Çilka gave me as a souvenir a geographical map of Albania that had been published for the first time in the Albanian language in Brussels by the patriot Mr. Faik Konica, which map I still have today as a souvenir.

Even when the Turkish constitution was proclaimed, which granted freedom of the Albanian language, I myself wrote the sign with Albanian letters on a cloth and hung it in the shop. This sign caused much criticism and ridicule from the Orthodox, but it was also known by all true patriots that true patriotic feelings were expressed.

At that time, the Albanian club was opened by the late Don Nikoll Kaçorri and Luigj Gurakuqi, in which club I was a member, but since this club was wildly favored by the Orthodox, driven by Greek feelings, they did not let the Orthodox go to the club, who dreamed that the Greek would come to Durrës, and so they watched who came to the club. When I returned home from the club at night, some ordered boys would beat me with sticks wherever they could and scatter through the streets, until the patriot Mr. Mustafa Pipa, president of the court, ordered the police to guard me.

Even when the late Mr. Ismail Qemali and his friends arrived in Durrës, from the sign that read Shqip, Mr. Dhimitër Berati, one of Ismail Qemali's friends, brought his friends back to my shop and we talked many times with unspoken joy. These visits enraged the people of Durrës and soon they reached the ears of Metropolitan Jakob who had numerous spies who monitored every movement when Ismail Qemali and his friends were in Durrës, and thus the boycott against me was repeated.

Even when Durrës was occupied by the Serbs, they made fun of me more every day, banging on the doors and windows of the shop, shouting "get out, Alex, the club is gone" (for the Eagle of the flag) which Mr. Hamid Bey Toptani had raised, but when the Serbs came they took it down. The criticism and mockery continued for a long time with me, and from time to time they criticized Ismail Qemali and the flag with every word, encouraged by the metropolitan and by the fact that the Serbs did not leave Albania, but some of the merchants changed their surnames to Viç.

One day in Taq Theohari's shop I had a harsh argument with two of the leading men of Durrës, Aristill Shallvari and Jovan Goga, because they praised the Serbs and severely cursed Ismail Qemali, whom they called a bribe-taker, who had taken money from Greece and called Albanians barbarians with shaved heads. Then I had to mention to these gentlemen the barbaric murder of the Serbian king Alexander Obrenovic and Queen Draga, who were killed and their bodies thrown from the windows of the palace.

But after a while I regretted that the Serbian general Popovic, who was in command of the Serbian army in Albania and was one of the king's assassins, was very scared and, fearing that I would be reported to Metropolitan Jakob, who had great influence after Serbia had given him one of the five great heads with a cordon, from the services and welcome of the Serbs with the Orthodox knights, hid out of fear in the Italian consulate, in the room of the cage Filip Lesho, who was a good patriot and served us with newspapers that came from Sofia secretly from the Turkish authorities, in the time before the proclamation of the Turkish constitution.

And for the reception of King Wied, they elected me as a delegate from Gjinokastra. At that time, my friends asked me to wear white hats on my head so that everyone would wear the national uniform, which I did. This made the people of Durrës more fanatical, like Mihal Trujë and Pavël Terka, and they repeated the boycott.

Even when I participated in the Albanian deum for the king in the field in front of the royal palace, after Metropolitan Jakob refused to let it take place in the church, the Orthodox hierarchy, who were guarding who participated, became even more furious, and out of anger they summoned Mr. Mihal Trujë, the owner of my shop, who from 14 napoleons paid me 70 a year in rent, and took four promissory notes from me as security.

Even when the rebels entered Durrës, some of them, instructed by their friends from the Orthodox hierarchy, seized me and took me to prison, because I shouted "long live the king", but after four days they released me with the intervention of Muslim friends, from whom I have no complaints.

During the time of President Esat Pasha, it was more dangerous because it served the feelings of Metropolitan Jakob and Pavllo Terka, whom he had as a minister.

At that time, my co-religionists criticized and mocked me and my Albanianism because they could not translate the words of the mass into Albanian, and I said not to listen to the words of the metropolitans because they do not serve God but Hellenism, then Jakob called me and asked me for explanations about the behavior of the Greek metropolitans, then I gave him the book by the late P. Luarasi “The Curse of the Albanian Letters”. Metropolitan Jakob kept that book for me, but I put it back in place with the help of Mr. Luarasi.

We only acted freely during the Austrian occupation under the protection of the famous orator, the late prefect Abdyl Bey Ypi, having as friends Ali Riza Kosova, the late Kristo Rama, and the old veteran, the late Sotir Veveçka.

Below I am listing the names that represent my patriotism:

1.Petro Poga

2.Jashar Erebara

3.Idomene Kosturia

4. Archbishop Visarion

5. Xhaferr Bey Ypi

6. Fejzi Bey Alizoti

7.Reuf Fico

8.Hiqmet Bey Delvina

9.Dhimitër Kacimbra

10.Rexhep Jella

11. Bexhet Bey Cerma