The exaltation of the Renaissance in the work of Ham Boriçi

The book "Renaissance Publicists" by Prof. Hamit Boricit has a great weight. Not because it is a voluminous work, but especially for the content and the great messages it conveys across generations. The book is a magnificent tribute to great personalities of our national renaissance, to those who shone like a constellation of stars at a time when the sky of Albania was flooded with a centuries-old darkness and when no hope was visible on the horizon. They reborn the nation, roused it from its lethargic sleep and raised high the banner of our hopes for the state, freedom and national independence.

Their only motto was the Motherland. Apart from each other and sometimes to me, they agreed to make Albania at a time when it existed in their dreams and desires. And it was a masterpiece that they did by sacrificing everything and, at the same time, to remain eternal in the national pantheon.

Hamit Boriçi has written many books about Albanian journalism from the beginning until today, being the most persistent and scrupulous researcher in this field. However, I say that the work "Renaissance Publicists" will remain as his best work, a reference work for the history of journalism and for those who will have the wisdom, passion and awareness to continue in this abyss of thought and to enrich this work of Professor Boric.

It seems easy to affirm these facts after we have overcome the first century of our independence and after we have traversed a arduous but still successful path. But to express those thoughts and ideas with such courage and foresight in an obscurantist century like the 19th, you understand how wise our renaissance people were. Those thoughts and ideas have a surprising resonance and actuality even for the times we live in.

"What will humanitarian Europe do for a poor and defenseless nation like Albania?! Will she deign to speak up to defend her rights?!", said Abdyl Frashëri more than a century ago. But don't we say these words in one form or another, sometimes with anger and revolt, sometimes with clear reasoning, even to this day? Pronounced by Abdyl Frashëri, these words take on a great value.

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Through publicists selected by Prof. For Hamit Boriçi, it is not difficult to understand his intention as an author to illuminate one of the most important and flawless periods such as that of our National Renaissance.

E pra, të gjithë e dimë se Rilindja Kombëtare ishte një lëvizje mbarëkombëtare shqiptare që synonte: çlirimin e vendit, bashkimin e trojeve shqiptare në një shtet të vetëm dhe zhvillimin ekonomik, shoqëror dhe kulturor të shtetit të ri shqiptar.  Kryefjala që shprehte shqetësimin dhe brengën e gjithë rilindësve tanë ishte kombi, atdheu, kur horizontet nxinin nga të gjitha anët. Por ata ishin të vendosur për ta bërë Shqipërinë edhe në kushtet më ekstreme të armiqësive, urrejtjeve dhe synimeve të hapura shoviniste për ta zhbërë kombin tonë.  

Dhe fillimisht ata e bënë Shqipërinë në mendjen e tyre, i bënë jehonë këtij atdheu të ëndërrt, luftuan dhe u sakrifikuan për të. Ata nuk e panë të realizuar ëndrrën dhe shpresën e tyre. Edhe sot e kësaj dite ne flasim për Shqipërinë e vërtetë sipas dëshirës së rilindësve dhe shpesh iu referohemi atyre.

Lëvizja e Rilindjes ishte rezultat i lëvizjes politiko-shoqërore dhe kulturore për çlirimin e Shqipërisë nga pushtimet e huaja. Kjo lëvizje nisi nga mesi i shekullit XIX dhe përfundoi në vitin 1912, me shpalljen e Pavarësisë së Shqipërisë. Kështu është thënë zyrtarisht dhe kjo është e provuar nëpërmjet shumë veprave dhe dokumenteve historike. Pavarësisht se në frymën dhe vazhdën e veprës dhe shembullit të rilindësve vazhdoi të shkruhej edhe shumë vite më pas. Madje edhe sot e kësaj dite. Pse ndodhi kështu? Sepse edhe më shumë se një shekull pas shpalljes së pavarësisë, çështja kombëtare shqiptare vazhdon ende të jetë e pazgjidhur përfundimisht. Kombi shqiptar jeton i ndarë në disa shtete dhe shqiptarët janë ndoshta i vetmi komb në botë ku shteti amë rrethohet nga bashkëkombasit e vet. Por edhe deri kur do të vazhdojë kjo gjendje? Prandaj dhe fryma e Rilindjes vazhdon të mbahet gjallë.

Këtë frymë na e sjell në këtë vepër Prof. Hamit Boriçi. Dhe nga ky libër mund të nxirren shumë mësime, të bëhen nënvizime dhe të hartohen programe për mbrothësinë tonë në të ardhmen. Fjala vjen, Rilindja drejtohej nga intelektualë atdhetarë, që vinin nga kategori të ndryshme shoqërore dhe fetare, kryesisht të pasur që gjithçka e vunë në shërbim të kombit, përfshi pasurinë dhe jetën e tyre. Dhe kjo ishte një sakrificë sublime që ata e bënë, ndaj dhe shkëlqejnë edhe sot e kësaj dite me veprën e tyre.  Por, a jemi ne të sotmit, a janë gazetarët, publicistët dhe historianë tanë në lartësinë e idealizmës së paraardhësve tanë rilindës? Kjo është një çështje e madhe, sidomos kur vërejmë se një pjesë e bashkëkohësve tanë janë bjerrur nga vlerat më të qenësishme të rilindësve. Profesor Boriçi rrëfen thjesht jetën dhe veprën e publicistëve rilindas, nuk komenton mbi aktin sublim të atdhetarëve tanë të mëdhenj, pasi vepra e tyre është e përkryer në të gjitha aspektet.

Ata e bënë Shqipërinë fillimisht në mendjet e tyre. Në ëndrrat e tyre. Sipas dëshirës së tyre. Më vonë ëndrra do të materializohej, ndonëse jo tërësisht.

Ata shkruajtën shqip, kur ne ende nuk kishim një alfabet të shqipes.

They invented alphabets similar to other languages ??and printed newspapers and books when the vast majority of Albanians were illiterate.  

They spoke Albanian when we didn't have Albanian schools and when it was considered heresy to speak Albanian. They fought Albanian without any party organization and when they knew they were under attack from all sides.

They did their job perfectly, since their only focus was Albania.

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From reading Professor Boriç's work, the easily readable subtext is that the Albanian National Renaissance was a natural and completely normal continuation of the European Renaissance.

The Albanian National Renaissance was by no means accidental. Our renaissance men were the best example of the European Enlightenment. Italian ones in particular.

The European Renaissance was a time of change that led to a new way of conceiving the world and oneself, through the ideas of humanism, born in literature in the 14th century from the reborn interest in classical studies, above all of Francesco Petrarch, managing to it influenced both the visual arts and the prevailing mentality for the first time. The city of Florence, in Italy, was the place of birth and development of this movement, which spread throughout Europe.

This great age shone between the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of modern times. It was not called Renaissance for nothing. The Italians called the Renaissance to be Europeanized later as the Renaissance by the French.

Petrarch, at the beginning of the 14th century, wrote:

"Loneliness is homeland, freedom, pleasure, / I am talking about that loneliness that evokes calmness and not ferocity, / but without the consolation of literature, loneliness turns into exile, prison, torture."

Homeland! Ah, Motherland! We Albanians missed him, especially. Maybe this is where it all starts. A new world was being born, another world with light, with ideas and with a vision never seen before. Motherland first. This is where the awakening begins. And there a dizzying world is reborn. With literature and fine arts that amazed the world with their brilliance that still amazes us to this day. This development would necessarily bring the inevitable political developments.

Our Renaissance followed in the footsteps of the European Renaissance. This is a great act of our revivalists. They had a wonderful sense of smell and followed the path of world civilization.

Let's not forget that these words of Petrarch, which I quoted just above, were written about seven centuries ago. And it was he who told her on a scary medieval night. When there was neither electricity nor internet. After him, inspired by him came thousands of others, up to our renaissance.

The spread of the ideas of Humanism necessarily led (and there was no other way) to a new conception of man and the world. The Renaissance marked the beginning of the Modern Age, a historical period generally placed between the 15th century and the French Revolution in 1789.

Our revivalists were nourished by those progressive ideas, inspired, motivated and made a masterpiece: They made Albania! First as a notion, as a feeling and then as an indisputable historical reality.

Rebirth was Spirit. It was Vision. It was the future.

From reading and studying their great work, I think they were fully aware of doing their work, but also self-sacrificing at the same time. Because they were realists and idealists. There was no way it could happen otherwise. That is why they are great.

Was our Renaissance late compared to the European one? Naturally. But very justified. We know the story of a five-century Ottoman occupation and extraordinary backwardness. But maybe this is where the greatness of the Albanian Renaissance lies. To a titanic inner power that was actually our consciousness unassimilated and indestructible by successive invasions and floods in these lands.

This is where our Renaissance shined.

Just as the European Renaissance had its great personalities, the Albanian Renaissance has a whole series of personalities. Naum Veqilharxhi made the first Albanian primer, Samiu compiled the first Turkish encyclopedia while simultaneously writing "Albania what it was, what it is and what it has done". While translating Viktor Hygoin, Naimi was putting the finishing touches on his masterpiece "Cattle and Agriculture". Pashko Vasa wrote the epitaph verse: "Albanian's religion is Albanian". Gjergj Fishta played "Lahuta e Malcis"...

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In the work of Professor Boriç, a cartography of our National Renaissance is given with a prominent awareness. The publicists involved in this work have lived and published in the capitals of European and world time and published in the biggest newspapers in different languages: in Istanbul, in Athens, in Bucharest, in Paris, in Vienna, in Switzerland, in Rome and Cairo, in Sofia and ... wherever they lived and kept alive the national spirit and love for the homeland. They spoke not only Albanian, but also French, English, Italian, German, Russian, Romanian, Greek, Arabic...

They are the foundation of Albanian journalism. They are the model that amazes us to this day. They are the foundation on which the edifice of modern and dignified Albanian journalism has been raised. This is clearly evidenced in the work of Professor Boric.

In the conditions of a deep obscurantism, our renaissance publicists cultivated all the variety of journalistic genres. Not to be monotonous and boring. They published powerful editorials, pamphlets, feuilletons, analysis, philosophy... And literature! A magnificent and very sad literature. Kristo Dako even went further. Because he is the drafter of the Albanian Code of Ethics of Journalism in 1917. In the first paragraph of this Code he wrote: 

"The purpose of the press is not to make governments, nor to fight to elect deputies, nor to attack the opponents of a party and praise others. The true purpose of the press is much higher: to benefit the cause it serves, to try to enlighten, represent and guide public opinion on the issues of the day; to support everyone's justice and to fight injustice".

After more than a century, what can you add or take away from this Code? No comma. It is precisely this Code that we are missing and that we pretend we do not know, that has most affected the professional level and credibility of our press today.   

Therefore, I underline the fact that Rilindasi are the first school of Albanian journalism. Utopians necessarily, idealists without a doubt and great self-sacrifices without any doubt. Glory to Them! They deserve much more from us, their descendants, to not only bow before their work, but also to continue that work in the name of a great ideal. Names of schools and streets are not enough for them. They are the story itself that does not evoke a school yard or the space of a street. They are the school itself and the necessary space that we lack.

Note their age. Day of birth and death. Most of them are young. Like the Martyrs of the Motherland. Martyrs of the written word and great ideas. Today they seem to us to be the same age as Skanderbeg, for whom there is no time of birth and death... There is only eternity.

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Deep gratitude to Professor Hamit Boriçin for this very valuable contribution that he gives not only to Albanian publicism and journalism, but above all to our history, which would be crippled without the recognition and valuable contribution of the publicists of the Renaissance.

As a former student of Professor Boriç, I have a special sensitivity for this work, as I experienced these feelings early on and with them I was educated and formed as a professional in this field. I wish this book with inalienable values ??a good journey. We have had, have and will always need such books. Until the Albania designed by our enlightened Revivalists becomes complete!