Margarita Tutulani

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Margarita Tutulani (before 1943)

Margarita Tutulani (born in 1925 in Berat , Albania ; died on July 6, 1943 in Gosa) was an Albanian anti-fascist politician and a member of the Albanian national liberation movement ( Albanian Lëvizja Nacional-Çlirimtare ) during World War II . The brutal murder of the 19-year-old inspired many Albanians to join the resistance against fascism in Albania. She was honored with the title of Heroine of the People .  

Life

Margarita Tutulani was born in 1925 in the historic Gorica district of the museum city of Berat , which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 . Her family has been involved in building the Albanian state for generations. Her grandfather, the lawyer and politician Dhimitër Tutulani (1875-1937), was a delegate from Berat on November 28, 1912 in Vlora to the signatories of the Albanian Declaration of Independence, and her father Miltiadh Tutulani was a member from 1922 until his death in 1933 of the Albanian parliament and temporarily finance minister of Albania. Her maternal grandfather was Sotir Kolia (1872-1945), an activist of the Albanian national movement and from 1928-1937 director of the National Library of Albania .

Tutulani and her five year older brother Kristaq were raised in an intellectual and patriotic environment from childhood. The children were taught to swear in front of their grandfather for "Fatherland and the Banner" so that they could not remain neutral in a war of liberation. Margarita was just completing her training at the Pedagogical Institute “Nana Mbretëreshë” in the capital Tirana when the Italian invasion of Albania began. Without hesitation, she returned to her hometown Berat in April 1939 to protest and demonstrate together with her family against the Italian occupation of their country. In 1942 Tutulani became a member of the Communist Party of Albania . On November 28, 1942, a large demonstration took place in Berat as an anti-fascist protest action, which Tutulani had largely organized himself. Thousands of people marched through the streets of Berats, the fascist flags were torn down and songs were sung outside the prison calling for the prisoners to be released. On the steps of the monument to the fallen fighters of the Albanian national movement, Tutulani gave a fiery speech. Attempts by the fascists to arrest her failed that day, but from then on she lived underground.

19-year-old Margarita Tutulani and her brother Kristaq were arrested on July 4, 1943 in Berat. While they were in detention, they were both interrogated and tortured without giving up. They were taken from prison on July 6, 1943, and shot on the same day in Gosa, near Kavaja . The city of Berat was shocked by the death of the siblings. A photo of Margarita Tutulani's mutilated body was circulating, and the brutality of her death led others to join the resistance against the fascist government.

Honors and commemorations

Bust in Berat

Posthumously Margarita Tutulani was awarded the highest honorary title in Albania, Heroine of the People ( Albanian  Hero i Popullit ). Her grave is in Tirana on the National Martyrs Cemetery of Albania ( Albanian  Varrezat e Dëshmorëve të Kombit ), where about 900 resistance fighters are buried.

Tutulani bequeathed writings that are now part of the Tutulani family archive, including poems, memories, essays, and numerous artistic creations. The well-known Albanian linguist Vehxhi Buharaja wrote the poem "Margarita" in her honor ten days after her murder.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Robert Elsie: A Biographical Dictionary of Albanian History . IB Tauris & Co. Ltd., New York 2012, ISBN 9781780764313 , p. 452.
  2. ^ Albania Report: Who are the men who signed the Declaration of Independence. ( Memento from February 17, 2013 in the web archive archive.today ), November 27, 2012 (English)
  3. ↑ Televizioni Kombëtar Klan: Kuvend, ceremoni për 40 firmëtarët e pavarësisë. ( Memento from October 29, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (Albanian)
  4. ↑ a b c In Memoriam / Margarita Dhe Kristaq Tutulani. Lajme.gen.al, July 6, 2010, accessed May 31, 2019 (Albanian).
  5. ↑ a b Si u ekzekutuan në sy të njëri-tjetrit motër e vëlla. DITA, July 7, 2014, accessed May 31, 2019 (Albanian).
  6. ↑ Gillian Gloyer: Albania . 5th edition. Bradt, 2015, ISBN 978-1-84162-855-4 , pp. 82 (English, online ).
personal data
SURNAME Tutulani, Margarita
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Albanian anti-fascist resistance fighter
DATE OF BIRTH 1925
PLACE OF BIRTH Berat , Albania
DATE OF DEATH July 6, 1943
Place of death Gosa, Albania