Forsaken Albania

By Artan Lame
Tirana-Durr쳭Vlora, April 1924. The assassination of Avni Rustemi remains one of the greatest of the Albanian enigmas of the 20th Century, the consequences of which set off so many happenings. It is not at all an easy job to write about Avni Rustemi, because in Albania it is both difficult to write history due to the lack of documents, but just as hard when documents exist. So I have no intention of doing anything of the kind here, moreover on the one page. So the only thing left for me to do is to describe what I undertook to describe, the actual burial, the funeral, trying to avoid comment as much as possible.
Avni Rustemi was assassinated on 20 April 1924, in Tirana, at the spot where the square, bearing his name, is located today. His wounds proved fatal and he passed away two days later, on 22nd of April, in the city’s hospital. It was decided that the funeral of Avni would take place in Vlora, which, at the time was the center of the anti-government Opposition, although he came from Libahova, where his family also resided. The funeral ceremonies began in Tirana on 28 April at the Sulejman Pasha Mosque. Then, the motorized cavalcade drove slowly down 28 November Street, past the Mosque of Ethem Bey, entered Durres Street and at this point it left the crowds of people behind it, who had lined the street, and continued the journey on towards Durr쳮 In Durr쳠the cavalcade, with the hearse bearing the coffin with the remains of Avni drove through Durr쳠city and down to the port where the coffin was put on a boat to be taken down south to Vlora. The boat arrived in Vlora one day later on 29 April and during the whole of that day, homage was paid. The funeral took place on 30 April, which was exploited to the maximum by the Opposition to incite the situation against the Government.
In the first photograph, you can see a group of members of the Association, “Unity” carrying flags and a banner which read, “Avni is a Martyr while his ideal lives on.” The first flag belongs to the Association, whilst the second is the national flag. Bunches of flowers have been tied to the top of the flag poles, in sign of mourning.
In the second photograph, the cavalcade has arrived in Durr쳠and is rounding the corner heading towards the port. A group of Boy Scouts, in uniform, form a guard of honour for the hearse bearing the coffin.
In the third photograph, we are now outside of Vlora, Prior to the funeral, final services are being rendered to the deceased, laid out in the coffin covered in the Flag of the Association. A wreath can be seen at the top, on the ribbon of which the words, “To Avni Rustemi from the people of Vlora,” are inscribed. Two women in black mourn over the coffin, and an old man stands on the other side, also dressed in black.
In this emotionally charged and aggravated atmosphere, it is understandable how what happened afterwards, happened- the eruption of the June Revolution.
No matter how hard I try, I cannot help but see the resemblance to the events of Tirana 74 years later, in September of 1998.