By ANI JAUPAJ
Memorie.al / Haxhire Merlika or Angela Muka, the sister of one of the most talked about figures in Albanian history, tells her version of the facts about Mustafa Kruja’s government, Jakomon’s request, his conditions for the flag without the fascist Lictor, the resignation, leaving Albania, until the final settlement in America, where he passed away. The sister was the only person in the family, who took care of him…! How did the life of the Albanian married in the Vatican, with another fugitive from Albania…?! The old alley at the entrance to the town of Kruja, had remained similar to the old one, according to the stories of the elders. That alley was the divider of three or four houses of the Merlika tribe, which in recent years had of course recovered with the hand of reconstruction. The daughter of one of those houses, Haxhire Merlika, (known as Angela Muka, her baptismal name and her husband’s surname)], could not even imagine the transformation that her yard, the cobbled streets, or her father’s room had undergone. .He had asked to stay exactly in the latter’s room, when he had made the decision to return from America for the first time after 70 years. He had not found those images that his memory had still allowed him to have, but he knew that he was standing in the same room where his father had passed away. Haxhire Merlika, is the sister, the only member of the family who stood by her brother, Mustafa Merlika Kruja, until his last breath. Or Lala, as she and the whole family are always used to call her. The Prime Minister who governed Albania (one of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence, active part in the first national government, representative of Albania at the Paris Peace Conference), during the Italian occupation, gave his soul in America, with the last bequest, that his sister not to leave there, but to continue the work he left in the middle, for the benefit of the country. And so she did. She went to the edge of her life in exile. He managed to preserve the old Albanian language, obviously with the occasional intervention of English and, with its frequent habits. Dressed in white, with the emblem of the American flag, which she always kept on the side of her heart, the old lady who did not prefer to tell her exact age even though the calculations of the years ‘betray’ her decision, now thinks that he has completed all the orders He kept his brother’s trust, living oceans away from home, until a few months ago. It is not that he had long decided that one day he would return, nor had he thought about it. But when he decided, the decision was final. There will be no turning back.70 years have passed, they are extremely long, it is a lifetime. Why did you decide to come back now? While my husband was alive, a few years ago, we did not think about going back. I didn’t want to, I couldn’t come alone.
Why didn’t he want to?
The way Spiro had fled Albania, stealing a boat together with three of his students, to escape, did not make him have good taste or good memories. In addition, they had also shot a brother, only 15 years old. It wasn’t easy for him to face his country again, and he didn’t even realize, like me, how much things could have changed. It had been so many years that we had lived far away, getting along with our relatives on scraps of paper.
Why had Spiro escaped?
Spiro was the son of Koço Muka, Minister of the Interior, member of the “National Front” and an early friend of his brother. The political direction, I believe, gives you the reason.
It’s been 7 years since your husband passed away, you could have come earlier…?!
You know, leaving a whole life, acquaintances and friends, completely different ways of life, is not easy. Moreover, my husband’s thoughts indirectly affected me as well.
And then, what changed your mind?
The frequent calls of my relatives here, the disease of old age that has approached me, and especially the visit of my other brother, Hasan, the only one I found (besides the grandchildren) from our former family.
I can’t even imagine a reunion with my brother after 65 years…?!
You have no idea. They were quite emotionally charged moments. I had ordered Hasan to be escorted to the last airport by the carriage service and, when I saw him, of course without knowing him, except that he was gray and old, I threw myself on his neck, asking him “You are Hasan, you are you my brother”?! We haven’t been apart for a few minutes, crying so much that travelers passing by at the airport stopped and took pictures of us. Hassan then insisted that I return, until he convinced me.
Have you had Albanian friends in America, that you have preserved the language?
No, I have not had any Albanian for 60 years, except my husband. When he got sick and asked me for water in the hospital, I went outside and asked the worker washing the floor where I could find it. She put her hand to her lips to let me know she didn’t know English. I asked him where he is from and he only says; “Albania”. I pick up and hug that woman who used to work as a teacher in her country and since then, we have become friends. After meeting her and her family, I spoke Albanian more often.
Let’s start the story from the beginning, from when you knew no other language than Albanian, when you were a schoolgirl in Albania, the daughter of a family named e, with a brother who governed the country…! Do you remember the time when Mustafa Kruja became prime minister?
I must remember, because we talked about it with Lala afterwards. It was 1941, as you may know, when one night, at 9:00 p.m., a telegram came in his name. It came from Jakomon, the representative of Viktor Emanuel. It was written that he wanted to speak with Mustafa Kruja. Lala goes to that meeting, where the first question she was asked was: “Do you want to save Albania”? And if he answered positively, he should take over its direction.
Was that enough?
No, he asked you for three days, to think about three conditions (conditions as Angela says), without the fulfillment of which he would refuse.
What were they?
First; was to leave the Italian troops. Then the second; requested that the Albanian flag be cleaned, i.e. the signs of the Lictor and those of Savoy be removed. The third condition; was that, if he took over the government, he would lead the Ministry of the Interior himself. In order to fulfill his claims, the signature of the Duce had to be obtained, which Jakomoni secured. So Lala, immediately started work.
What jobs did he start with, did he talk to you about it?
He started immediately by gathering his patriots, whom he asked to go to Italy, to liberate Kosovo. He ordered them to prepare to go there. That’s how it happened, Lala entered the Parliament with a speech, where he described the terrible suffering that Serbia inflicted on Kosovo. Again with Duçe’s signature, work which was already left to Mustafa, since he was the one who started it.
Wasn’t he risking too much to get the “fascist” label?
He didn’t want to know about it. They even warned him that the communists would not delay this seal. As it actually happened. Lala said that they could talk to me as they wanted, fascist and hell, it is enough to win Kosovo. This is the reason why Kosovo was not mentioned in the meetings of the communists, and this is the reason, the liberation of Kosovo, why today and always, we have been called fascists.
What reactions were heard with the appointment of Mustafa Kruja, prime minister?
Despite the fact that they asked him, it was not very simple, because everyone had their own versions of why he opposed it. One of them was his predecessor, Shefqet Vërlaci, who said that; he did not allow the son of someone who had served him coffee in Esat Pasha’s palace to become prime minister.
The government of Mustafa Kruja lasted for a short time, 1 year and a few months. What was the reason for his resignation?
Mustafa Kruja resigned, because his man in Vlora, Qazim Koculi, who had been sent there (according to people close to Prime Minister Kruja, but also indirectly according to Luogotenec’s documents), with the task of organizing a resistance against the Italians. Koculi had been the organizer of the War of Vlora in 1920 and maintained a great authority among the people of this city. His treacherous murder was carried out by some Dibra mercenaries, who collaborated with the Italians and not the communists. Kruja, not being able to punish the real culprits, resigned and returned to his private life, dealing with his other work, his Albanian dictionary. In October of the same year, the communists assassinated him and then, as history knows, events took a turn for the worse…!
And… Mustafa Kruja escapes to Vienna?
His flight to Vienna in 1944 was interpreted as an escape, but in fact, the truth is quite different. Lala left because his son, Besimi, was suffering from a serious illness and, since he was studying in Vienna, his father went to visit him. The son’s suffering did not last long, because he passed away soon. Meanwhile, the war had started and his return became impossible.
And yet, even this variant does not sound entirely reliable, as long as Merlika was actually threatened in Albania, escape would be the only salvation…?!
Yes, but by the time he left, he had enough power here to take the whole family with him. There was no reason for him to run away, without looking back, for the other children he had left in Albania, his wife, all the relatives he had. At least he would have taken the family tree, because he could. But, in fact, when he left, he did not foresee not returning. He ran away and never saw them again.
What happened to you then? It seems that the family has all been scattered?
Yes, I was in Tyrol, a country that was then under the borders of Austria. Lala had enabled me to study there, for foreign languages, German and French. Meanwhile, he had remained in Vienna, together with Bashkimi, the other scientist son, who had joined his father, after his brother’s misfortune. The rest of the family was in Albania, waiting for the measures to be taken.
How was his condition? A son had died, the roads with Albania were closed…!
The desperation was palpable, for either motive. But at least it was the three of us, because I just finished my studies. The problem was Bashkimi, who had left his studies in Bologna halfway and that Lala insisted on returning. His uncle’s daughter-in-law, Asllan Merlika, Italian, helped Bashkimi continue his studies, protecting him from any unexpected events. She felt so Albanian that she had as her last bequest, that her burial be done in Albania.
What about you two?
Lala also stayed there, in Bologna, it was a safe place for him. I went to Rome, where I started another fashion school. From this time, it was still several years before we met again.
When?
It was the year 1949, when Lala came to Rome and informed me that she had to flee to Egypt, because she had received a letter from King Zog. He advised me to go there after finishing my studies. So, I attended private courses in order to shorten the time of taking the exams and I managed to benefit more than a year from the predicted one.
What was written in Zog’s letter?
He wrote that they had asked him three times to give up the throne, after the war. That Albania needed Mustafa Kruja, more than ever, and that they wanted to divide Albania.
This has not been heard before, because Zogu and Merlika, until then, were known for conflicts…!
This is also what the emigrants of that time said, how Mustafa cooperated with Zogu. In fact, Lala consulted his friends, Gjon Markagjon and Ernest Koliq, and left for Egypt. According to what he told me, he had prepared a statement for the King, which he had to present to the Albanian Embassy, that he was the King of all Albanians. But that was not enough. They had to form a free government, outside of Albania, and that’s what they did, they couldn’t do it alone. Mustafai thought of taking a representative to Rome, a job for which he chose Koço Mukë, as a patriot, a serious and authoritative man at the same time, under the secretary of the “National Front”. He went, all the parties gathered, including ‘Balli’ and ‘Legaliteti’, and formed Free Albania. In this way, those who wanted the dismemberment of Albania by the Serbs and Greeks, would not be able to.
Was Lala and his friendship with Koço Muka the reason why you connected your life with his son?
The beginnings yes, but nothing had happened until then. Many more years had to pass before I married Spiro. Let’s come back to this issue later.
Because I wanted to ask you, if in all these years and all these movements, if you had ever received news from Albania. What happened here with your relatives?
Yes always. Receiving news through correspondence with the wife of Petrit, Lala’s other son. Elena was Italian and I wrote to her, as if I were her friend in Italy. By another name, of course.
Was the communication encrypted anyway?
We only exchanged information, how the family members were there, I told him that it was fine, but I never mentioned Mustafa in any letter, in all the years.
How did you learn that his life was threatened there?
Elena had her mother in Bari, her communication with her was undoubtedly more extended than he could be with a friend. She received information that Mustafa was constantly looking for and passed it on to us.
How long did you live in Egypt?
For five years.
How was life there? What did you do?
I took care of Lala. From the beginning of my life in Egypt until he died, I have not been separated from him for a single day or a single night. I took care that he ate well, so that he was as calm as possible, in his studies and works, at least from this side, he was relieved.
Linguistic studies, which were published under the name Shpend Bardhi?
Yes, it was the rest of his career as a researcher of Albanian, historian and publicist. As soon as he finished writing, I told him that we could review them together, in this way, I seemed to encourage him. It was during these aids that I had the first thoughts that I could start writing. And these books that I have published today, have their genesis precisely in those years.
Did you leave Egypt of your own accord?
No, we left Egypt because of the revolution, along with the Bird. We went to the Cote d’Azur, in France, where Zogu had a house and gave us a room for rent.
How did you get to America?
Lala told me that she felt old and that she didn’t want to leave me alone in France. Thus, he applied to America for political asylum. We went to their office as simple refugees and the employee asked us what we had done before. Lala told him that to give him an answer, he should write a book. The joke that the employee laughed at and said; agree, come in a few days, give me what you are going to write. That’s how it happened. He wrote down everything that had happened to him and started. The call to call us back to the office was immediate. From the Cote d’Azur we went to Nice, where they asked us if they could give us American citizenship.
This is how your new life began, but for Merlika, it didn’t last long…?!
Yes, we headed to America, where the Union had gone before. There I remember that, as soon as I got down, I stopped, I sat on my knees and I said to myself; “America, I came here, I promise that I will become a good citizen of yours.”
How did your new life start?
I started working as a teacher of French and German, while Lala continued with his studies. Along with the new life, he asked me to promise him that I would never return to Albania. That I would continue from America, to write to presidents and deputies, for the good of Albania and Kosovo. And so it happened. Here you can see my correspondence, with various presidents of America, until the end.
Among American presidents and dignitaries, I also see an envoy to the Prime Minister of Albania…?!
Yes, I sent it to him, but I haven’t received a reply yet.
What did you ask him?
I ask that in Tirana, one of the streets should be named after Mustafa Merlika.
I also see, what attracts even more attention, letters and photographs, with Mother Teresa, they are even more frequent than the others…?!
We were very good friends. We met each other often, until Mama settled in India.
How did your friendship start?
I knew Mama, that’s how we all spoke to her, since I was studying in Rome. She demanded that I tell her everything I wrote or did. He always encouraged me, and not only me, to always do something good. When I wrote the first book, about children’s clothing, she got so excited, telling me; “Angela, now that you have done this book, for their external part, you should do another one, to serve in the development of the mind. It was exactly this impulse that made me work on my last book. At that time I told him; “Mom, I’m tired, I can’t do it now”, but then, with the encouragement of my husband, I was able to carry out her request.
When was the last time you met?
The last time was in Pennsylvania, where we worked together with Pirro, he was a pharmacist, he made drug formulas. Mom told me that next time, the next meeting would be at my house, where she would visit me. I remember that at this last meeting, she was very worried about her mother.
Why?
Because Mother Teresa had asked the communist regime to allow her mother to go to America for treatment, since at that time her family lived in Shkodër. Their answer had been negative and I remember being moved to tears by her boredom. He asked me to calm down because, regardless, they were going to take him to Paris.
Let’s go back to Mustafa Kruja…! His years in America were few. How did he die? What happened to him, because the time for old age had not yet come…?!
No, it wasn’t because of old age. His death came as a result of an infection, after the surgery he did in the gallbladder. Three days after the operation, he died in the hospital. In the last moments, he took my hand and couldn’t say anything more than a sigh.
Who else was there for you, so you could share the pain?
There were actually more than we thought. We had no family members, but we were surprised when we saw in the local newspapers the next day that the former prime minister of Albania had died. Even when the doctors saw this news, they asked to do an autopsy on Lala.
What were the reactions you didn’t expect?
When Lala died, we got a call from the FBI, who were quite surprised to tell us that we’ve been here all along to protect them. We neither knew nor thought of this. They came later to comfort us, assuring us that they will stand by us.
Did you announce in Albania?
Immediately afterwards I sent a telegram announcing his death. The whole family was interned in Lushnja, the news was brought there by Mustafa’s second wife, along with Hasan, my brother, who were not interned, but were sentenced to work in the hardest jobs they could be.
Until the death of Lala, you did not take Spiron in your mouth, so the marriage must have taken place after his death…?!
Yes, it has been done further back. Except for one word, enough to let me know that he agreed with the man who was proposing to me, he had already told me in Egypt. He went every Wednesday and Sunday to the King, on Sunday I went too. Everyone gathered there, the princesses, friends of Albania, etc. One Wednesday, after he returned from there, while I closed the door after his arrival, he asked me whether Enver Hoxha would send any vagabond; “Would you marry Spiro”?
The answer?
I didn’t answer him back. I was surprised by that question, which I had never even considered. That question did not receive an answer, nor was it spoken again. I knew very well what he wrote to his friends in correspondence; “I can’t imagine life without him.” Like me, I couldn’t imagine leaving him.
Doesn’t that sound a little selfish?
No, because the strongest reaction was mine. I had the responsibility of all Merlikaj, to take care of Lala, who had been an idol for everyone. And, if he had lived longer, I would not have connected my life, even afterwards, with Spiro. As always, he took care of my well-being, as he had promised his mother.
What had he promised his mother?
Mustafa’s children and I are almost the same age. When I was born, he had 4 sons, almost the whole tribe, ours was only giving birth to sons. He asked his mother then if I could be his. “Will you forgive me this chick”? – he told him. “Yes, this is yours, ours, everyone’s,” his mother told him. And in the last meeting that they had, the bequest left to them by their mother was to take care of me. So he was the one who gave me education, gave me school, and died in my hands.
After Lala’s death, how was the relationship with Spiro restored, because he hasn’t been to America, right?
Spiro started writing me letters. In the last letter, he asked me: “Shouldn’t we unite, to continue the friendship of our two families”? That’s how our relationship started. Only that I was in a very difficult situation.
Why?
Because, for America, those who had cooperated with the ‘National Front’, Spiro’s party, were considered as collaborators with the fascists and their entry into America was not allowed. Spiro lived in Rome.
What was the solution?
It was one of my students who came to my aid. In general, I was very energetic in nature and I made the lessons very rhythmic. After the appearance of this problem, the mood was not the same as before and one day, the student asked me that; what i had I told him my situation and he told me that; there was a well-known member of parliament who could help me. He talked to him so quickly that at 12 o’clock at night, when I was coming home from late lectures, I found him waiting for me at the door. “Come, he said, the deputy is waiting for us.”
Was it that simple?
The answer was his. But first I thanked him for waiting for me. I told him that I also had a brother who was involved in politics, but he had not done such things. He asked me if I loved that boy, and I told him; yes, because Lala liked it. He left me a month before he answered me back. The exact time after which the telegram came to me; “The American government in Washington says: Go get married”.
Did you fly to Rome?
Of course, what else could I expect? Even Spiro had been so impatient that he had called the priest, a friend of Lala and Koço, at the airport, where they were waiting for me. In fact, the marriage did not take place there, but the very next day, the priest told us that the marriage would take place in the Vatican. So it happened, I got married and returned to America, where Spiro reached me a month later.
Did the correspondence with Albania continue, now that Lala was no longer there, there was no need for coded communication?
Communication with Albania has never stopped. I always sent them peace packages (aid packages), as much as I could, I helped them.
After ’90, who did you have the opportunity to connect with from Mustafa’s family?
After the exile, Mustafa’s children immigrated to Italy. I went and met them there. Now, no one lives anymore, except Fatos.
Of course, there are so many years that not everyone can live…!
Yes, and I suffered for it. It seems, in fact, that those who are here suffer more, but I assure you, we have cried more over there.
Were you prepared for the changes that awaited you in Albania?
Without a doubt, I had been spoken to. But I asked that, despite the changes, I could live the rest of my life in the room where my father died. The nephew prepared the room and here I am comfortable. Memorie.al
