“That day in August 1967, when we parted ways to never meet again, after Mustafa escaped to Yugoslavia, he told me…”/ Rare testimony about the boy from Tropoja who was returned by the UDB and sacrificed in Burrel prison

Memorie.al / Today, with special respect and admiration, I write about my friend, somewhat older than me, about Mustaf Sali Bajraktari, who was appreciated and honored in 1994 by the President of Albania with the title “Martyr of Democracy”, sacrificed to the point of self-denial in Burrel prison in May 1976. Mustaf Sali Bajraktari and I grew up in the same environment, in Kasaj and Shipshan of Tropoja, and many issues of the time bound us together. I never thought I would have the chance to write an “In memoriam” for Mustafa, from whom I parted on that dark night of August 1967, when he left Albania. Since that time, we never met again. Mustaf Sali Bajraktari was special, a boy raised amid many hardships and concerns of the time, but with great intelligence, highly esteemed in social, friendly, and family circles.

When we gathered at my house or his, we discussed the problems of the time and the worries we had back then.

Mustaf Sali Bajraktari grew up in a good family environment, with a very fine family lineage through generations. He had inherited the positive aspects of his family from the bajrak of Shipshan and was a worthy heir of this good, patriotic, nationalist family that defended the national territory from Slavic, Ottoman, Austro‑Hungarian, and other invaders.

They were great leaders in the wars for Albanian freedom and national independence, as far as Moraça, Plav‑Gucia, and Skopje. They bore the great responsibility as Bajraktars of Shipshan to lead and represent the tribe in diplomatic and inter‑regional negotiations, in assemblies, and in frequent wars, starting from the foremost of the bajrak, Din Bajram Bajraktari. They also faced wars, leading by example at the forefront of battles, such as Bek Din Bajraktari, who gave his life in battle against the Montenegrins during the time of the Albanian League of Prizren.

They were also an intellectual family. Mustafa’s father, Sali Tahir Bajraktari, was one of the few at the time who had graduated from the American Harry Fultz School in Tirana. Mustaf Sali Bajraktari was a scholar, very fond of art. I remember the many debates he had with my brother Selim (who is also no longer alive today) about novels, literature, or the philosophy of the time, the system that ruled us, etc. The discussions could go on for 5‑6 hours or 8 hours at my house or his. When we became very tired, I would tell them that we would now play two games of “kapuça” (a card game) to change the atmosphere and the nature of the conversation a bit.

Rrustem Aliaj, my father, was at an advanced age at that time, but he always met with Mustafa, and Mustafa would always say that he learned something new from Rrustem. Likewise, my father took pleasure in meeting this young man, full of energy, full of new ideas, and full of respect for his elders. The system of the time prevented Mustafa from being educated, even though he was the best student in secondary school.

About this young man, whose life was cut short in its prime by the dictatorship system, many articles, novels, books, etc., could be written, but I feel it as a duty toward my friend, Mustaf Bajraktari, to write with soul and heart these lines coming from the depths of my heart, remembering his words as fresh as if they were spoken today: “May we meet again for good fortune.” These were his words that day in August 1967, when we parted for the last time, never to meet again. Today, I am saying these words publicly for the first time.

Throughout all this time, over these four and a half decades, I remember the games we played in the field with a ball, the swimming we did in the river, the jumping from a height into a deep well, but here it seems to me that Tahiri, Mustafa’s younger brother, always beat us in swimming and jumping from heights. About Mustafa, my friend, about this young, sensitive boy, full of dreams and desires for a better life – he sought life and wanted to live it at any cost because he was intelligent, full of creative energy.

I could write about Mustafa at great length, in large, silver letters, because Mustafa deserved everything: my respect, that of my brothers, of my family, but also of our village Kasaj, of our tribe Shipshan, of all those who knew him closely and heard his voice speaking well. On this occasion, allow me to thank the previous council of the former municipality of Tropoja for awarding Mustaf Bajraktari (posthumously) the title “Honorary Citizen” and naming the square in its center after him.

I also thank the municipal council and the mayor of Tropoja, Mr. Besnik Dushaj, for their interest in and appreciation of the lofty and unforgettable figure of Mustaf Bajraktari, in organizing on 26 May 2016 the official ceremony to name the main square of the former municipality of Tropoja after him. Mustaf Sali Bajraktari, I wish that your name be perpetuated continuously, because you were among the rare people of this world; even today, through your name and example, you give much to this time. May his memory be immortal? / Memorie.al