[Narration: Antigona Qena Kaçaniku]
Each era has its own people, has its youth, its own ideals and ambitions. Each era has its joy and pain, maybe we may not like that era from a temporal distance, but if we were to take one stone from this mosaic of our history, it would all fall apart.
Tonight we are conversing with a lady who was a witness, a protagonist of our life under this sky.
Many winds and storms have blown on this land, but this was also the spring breeze that gave worth and beauty to work and creativity. In a struggle against time, customs and prejudices, it was our women who defied reality with their burning desire to change it, not as much for themselves as for the children and generations to come. They had the inner courage and will to change the course of the clouds under this sky, they were the first ones who wanted to be enriched by knowledge, who wanted to help justice, who wanted to leave a mark and create and pave the road for new generations, for a more beautiful future. Therefore, they don’t deserve to be forgotten.
On an autumn day, when the leaves were saying goodbye to a sizzling summer, we knocked on the door of a woman. It was clear that we were opening a world rich with memories a heart that still beats to the rhythm of a forgotten melody.
Antigona Qena Kaçaniku: In the program Pa Skenar, we usually start from the early beginning. We want to do this with you as well, given that your history is so rich…Life, we want to start from your family, your parents, which family in Prizren is this, or…?
Vahide Hoxha: Antigona, I too, thank you for coming, although I don’t like being on television that much, and I’ve never pushed to be on television (smiles). Therefore, I’ve always stayed a bit in the back. But, nevertheless, I thank… this will remain a kind of history, a part of my life history.
Antigona Qena Kaçaniku: We are doing this program with pleasure.
Vahide Hoxha: I was born in Prizren to the family of Sadif and Xhemajl Kabashi. These two were my parents. Mother came from a fairly rich family. Father is from an intellectual family. He spent most of his life in Thessaloniki and Istanbul. In Istanbul… he started university in Thessaloniki, and he continued it in Istanbul. Since the father of… my grandfather worked in the Turkish administration, but was also a Turkish parliamentarian, so he died as a parliamentarian, but he kept his family in Prizren. It is very interesting, even I couldn’t explain what was the reason for him to remain in Turkey and the family in Prizren, he had a son and two daughters, a wife, in Prizren, and he in Turkey. So, the last time he came to Prizren was in the year 1928.
Antigona Qena Kaçaniku: And you, how many children are you?
Vahide Hoxha: Three sisters and two brothers. My sister Rabija was among the first students of the Prizren gymnasium.[1] In the year 1941, she finished the Great Matura,[2] not the Small one, I finished the Small Matura.[3]At the time, education was: primary school, four years; four years of gymnasium until the semi-Matura; after the semi-Matura another four years, until Matura.
Antigona Qena Kaçaniku: You were very few women in school at the time.
Vahide Hoxha: Not very few, but we two sisters and one girl, Jëlldëze Gjoni, was there, but she did not continue, she left after the semi-Matura. Rabija continued, she enrolled in the Faculty of Pharmacy, in Bologna, Italy. I continued education in Shkodra. So, we were scattered. The first time we moved out of our home, it wasn’t easy to move out of our home. When I returned that day from school [and] arrived at that road close to Prizren, it was full of mulberries. That, a sort of a great sadness, at oncejoy and sadness, took over me.
Antigona Qena Kaçaniku: How many years did you spend there?
Vahide Hoxha: Two years, two years.
Antigona Qena Kaçaniku: And it was a school for…?
Vahide Hoxha: It was… for teachers. It was like a pedagogical school. In Shkodra there was the eight-year gymnasium, and a classical gymnasium, the well-known gymnasium of Shkodra. There was a building close to the gymnasium, attached to the gymnasium, a building where only women were taught. I was placed in boarding school, Donika Kastrioti was its name. We were about 60 girls from all over Albania.
Antigona Qena Kaçaniku: Was there any other woman from Kosovo?
Vahide Hoxha: Eh, of the other Kosovars, Drita Dobroshi was there. The girls from Mitrovica were in Tirana. We… from Prizren were in Shkodra.
Antigona Qena Kaҫaniku: And in Shkodrait was the years before the war?
Vahide Hoxha: Yes, I was in Shkodra in the year 1942, ’43. In ’43, the Anti-Fascist Movement was organized in Shkodra. Both Drita and I joined the Anti-Fascist Movement and we organized a huge demonstration in our school… no, first we demonstrated in the dormitory at night. We sang patriotic songs, we were all singing in the yard and the police was in front of us. Around 12 o’clock, the gates opened and the police entered, they surrounded us and forced us to go into our rooms. We went inside our rooms, but we continued singing, but we were in the room. That is to say, we did our first demonstration there.
Then, the second demonstration. The whole school, not only us living in dormitories, but all women who were in that school, demonstrated in the school yard, we asked that the director be changed. The director was Italian, we asked for an Albanian Director. We made … we made quite a loud noise. But that noise cost us, they closed our school, they closed our dormitory and they expelled us (laughs). These were the circumstances!
I came back to Prizren, but in order for me to continue the next grade, I had to enroll somewhere. There was no place in Prizren, but there was the Shkolla Normale[4] here in Pristina. And I came to Pristina, I continued my studies in Pristina. And it seems I couldn’t stay calm in Pristina either… I don’t know what it was about (laughs). Before the school year was over, the director invited me and told me, “You can’t continue staying in this school.” And they read those statements, a letter that expelled me from school.
Antigona Qena Kaçaniku: Why?
Vahide Hoxha: Because I was in the Anti-Fascist Movement. To tell you the truth, Antigona, I felt bad for being expelled from there… I couldn’t finish school. I was very scared when I went home {lifts her shoulders}. Surely I feared that they would shout at me… But it seems they realized there was nothing they could do. I was one semester short of finishing the matura, which I then completed privately.
Antigona Qena Kaçaniku: How did you meet Fadil?
Vahide Hoxha: As an activist of the Anti-Fascist youth of Prizren, after Prizren was liberated from the German occupation. I will highlight it like this. Prizren was liberated on the 17thof November. On the 18thof November, Xhavit Nimani invited me and some other friends and appointed us to go to Gjakova to the conference of the Kosovo regional youth, which gathered youth from all Kosovo. The conference for all Kosovo was attended by the ones who were partisans and by us from the background. We, who were working in the background, were called “from the background.” And I went to Prizren together with four friends from Prizren, Albanians. But before I went there, when I went out to Shadërvan[5] I saw Serbs, Serbian youth, women and men had put on the shajkaqa[6] of the Serbs, of their army. When I saw what they were wearing, I was… I was leaving for Gjakova, I went there… by chance there was one qeleshe[7], a qeleshe maker, I took one qeleshe and put it on my head and left for Gjakova. Therefore I have a picture with a qeleshe that was taken in Gjakova.
The conference began, the greetings began. There were about 200 people in the hall. The commander entered the room. They said, “The commander is coming!” We all raised and applauded and else… I did not see the commander. I knew that Fadil Hoxha was the commander, but I didn’t know who he was. After the greeting, he continued his way like a soldier and left. But the organizers of the youth, of the conference, informed us that a dance would take place in the evening to entertain the delegates of the conference. And I went, I sat down with a friend of mine from Prizren. When the music started, the commander came, he approached us, and told my friend, “Will you allow me to take your friend for a dance?” I didn’t know how to dance, I had never danced (laughs), you know, I got into a pretty difficult situation. Anyway I stood up, but I apologized, I said, “Excuse me!” and like this, “Excuse me, for I don’t know how to dance, I don’t know!” He, Fadil, told me, “Well, I don’t know it very well either, we’ll learn together”, like that (laughs)…
We continued playing and dancing, we who danced, that was the first meeting with Fadil. Later I was interested, how did he get to me, he had never seen me before… But in the presidency there was a friend, he was Ramadan Vraniqi, and there was Mita Mirković. Mita Mirković was later a Minister of Education, he was very good for that matter, you know, because people are different. Mita Mirković had said, “Look Fadil, go see her among the delegates,” because I greeted him at the conference, I got up there. I told him how the Anti-Fascist Women Youth in Prizren worked and congratulated the conference. That was all! And I returned [to my place]. He told him, he told him, “Look Fadil, there is a girl there from Prizren that has greeted the conference. Go see her, she has curly hair and other, go find her where she is.” He asked, he was interested in who I was and so slowly I got to know him and got together with him. In ’45, for New Year, I came to Pristina and got together with him, I met with Fadil, but I did not stay, I returned to Prizren and worked there until March. I worked not only in Prizren, but in the villages of Suhareka and Srbica [Skenderaj], here and there. And then I returned. Those conditions were very hard, very hard.
Antigona Qena Kaçaniku: And now comes the marriage, you get together and where do you first live in Pristina?
Vahide Hoxha: I got together with Fadil in March 1945, we lived in the Division, where the army was, here where the Museum is now. There on the second floor {points with her hand}, we had a room with the view over there, a small room, like half of this one {points to the room}, like the office rooms that are there. Two iron beds, some old bed sheets, an old duvet, one basin, and one thing for water… a canister for water – this was our life in the beginning. At the end of May, the Operational Headquarter moved to Peja, it left. The Regional Committee remained in Prizren, the Operational Headquarter went to Peja, we left Pristina. While I was in Pristina, I worked again with youth, with women, we organized different groups and else.
Before moving to Peja, while I was in Prizren I cut my activity a bit, not because of me, but because of other women who were also working. The women’s organization was very active, but our situation was very hard. No one will believe it nowadays, therefore when people write history, they should look at the time and the situation as they were.
It was very hard, it was missing… everything was missing, bread was missing, clothes were missing, everything was missing. We paid the greatest attention to the cultural improvement of women. Education was first. We started opening anti-fascist groups, anti-fascist courses. Beside literacy courses, we organized household courses, hygiene courses in the villages, and not only childcare, but also a campaign to send children to schools, to not leave children without education. I don’t think anyone would believe that the organization of the Anti-Fascist Women Front published its own leaflet, its bulletin.
I have the first issue of the bulletin, I have it. I am sorry I don’t have the other issues. But I do have the first issue of the bulletin, which has stories about two women, one who took the veil [hijab] off and is an activist, but the other one was a teacher of household care, she was the daughter of my paternal uncle. And we wrote, Antigona, I am sorry to say I had forgotten that I was the editor-in-chief of that bulletin,that I had no idea about printing, but we managed somehow. I am very honest, I can’t embellish things (laughs), I can’t embellish things. But we have the magazine, the women’s bulletin at that time! I think it was the beginning of ’46.
Antigona Qena Kaçaniku: Everything starts in Prizren, radio, theatre, newspapers…
Vahide Hoxha: And we were the first women who had our magazine.
Antigona Qena Kaçaniku: These wishes of yours to start and work, you had these ambitions since your youth, the will and the ideal that a woman is more progressive, that a woman expresses herself more freely. This seems to have continued throughout your life?
Vahide Hoxha: Yes, throughout my life! But this freedom that I have worked for, I have joined the Movement, from my family I joined the Movement, to be free and else, we should thank my parents, my father who enabled us to not wear the veil. We got educated and he saw us off, he put the books in our bags, he saw us off to school. Although my mother wore the veil, she saw her children off to school. She did not know how to write, but she was progressive in her spirit. My father had graduated from university, that’s not a problem… in fact it would have been right if he pushed us…
But that whole family was progressive because even his sisters, my father’s sisters, they finished Ruzhdi school,[8] they finished it in Arabic at the time, Arabic because nothing else was available at the time… but they completed it. They knew how to write, they knew how to read, they played cards, thus we were a more educated family.
Antigona Qena Kaçaniku: You have children, Sharri was born immediately after the war.
Vahide Hoxha: Sharri was born in Prizren on December 10, ’45, without having basic things for children, no nappies, no water, no basin. But in the house where we were living we didn’t have anything either, except the house walls, we didn’t have any possession, but will and youth endured those circumstances. In September ’46 we are in Pristina because it moves… the Regional Committee, the government moves to Pristina. We settled again in a house that the Council for the settlement of employees and others had found, because none of them had homes. Not one, none! All proletarians! (Laughs) So it was a very modest house, it wasn’t a bad house, it was normal. We didn’t have conditions, we didn’t have other possessions either, but we were happy with that much.
I continued my work here at the Conference of the Anti-Fascist Women, I continued there as a member of the Secretariat, a member of the Council. At that time Bije Vokshi was the president. I continued there until 1949. Until then, this organization had published another leaflet, it was called Agimi, but I don’t have it. I don’t know where Agimi is. And I know that I was the editor-in-chief of Agimi, but I am sorry I don’t have any copy to at least see what I have done, something that I have worked on (laughs).
In ’49 Fadil went to the Higher Political School in Belgrade. I joined him and we settled together and I enrolled in the Pedagogical School, which lasted two years, two years with the hope to finish and return together. I placed Sharri in preschool in Belgrade, Fadil went to work and I suffered there plenty. I was bringing a little son to the preschool, Belgrade is not as small as Pristina,on one side the preschool, on the other side the Higher Pedagogical School. Anyway, I completed, I completed the school on time, hoping we’d return, but Fadil was asked to remain in Belgrade for another four years. I enrolled in University and I completed it.
Antigona Qena Kaçaniku: History?
Vahide Hoxha: History. Lulja was worn, she was born in Belgrade. Leka too was born in Belgrade. I did not stop my social activities, not at all! But I did not work for five years. After five years I realized I had to find a job, not only because I didn’t want to stay at home, but also because it was a material issue. We didn’t have any other income, we didn’t have a house, or a shop, or land, we didn’t have anything, but we endured very well, and I am very glad that we had a very good harmonious life with Fadil and the children.
Antigona Qena Kaçaniku: My aunts have attended the Normale[9] and they remember you as a respectful and loving professor.
Vahide Hoxha: In Shkolla Normale the students accepted me very well, I don’t know why so well (smiles).
Antigona Qena Kaçaniku: Were you close to them?
Vahide Hoxha: I was close to them, it’s true, I tried to help them. Some of them, not some… most of them were from the villages and they were economically disadvantaged. They had a dormitory, they were fed there. It wasn’t bad for them, but every time I saw them I sympathized with them a lot. Some students did not have it ok, they were under OZNA’s[10] surveillance, there were certain people that would follow the students’ actions. Precisely in the class where I was the supervisor, there were one or two students who were often taken for conversations[11] and else, and were maltreated. I tried to help them, of course I couldn’t do it on my own, I did it through Fadil, to intervene so they would not be mistreated. I tried in that way. So, maybe I made a good impression on the students.
Antigona Qena Kaçaniku: Then Pristina starts to bloom, culture, education, youth…
Vahide Hoxha: Ah, yes of course…
I have been President of the Culture Union for a fairly long time, the Culture Union. In the period of ’70, ’72, ’73, the Kosovo budget had a slightly higher share than… because the percentage for underdeveloped places was increased a bit more, and they allocated more [budget] for culture. I can say that during that period, together with the friends I worked with, in that period the foundation was laid, libraries were built, the archive, the house of culture in Serbica, the house of culture in Peja, Gjakova, Kaçanik, Podujevo, and the sport houses were built in these places during that period. For example, we did not manage to build one in Prizren, the house of culture, and it continues to be like that, because they were not active in identifying the site for its construction, money was not the reason. It wasn’t that we were not committed, we were committed. We couldn’t build the Opera in Pristina, also because of the lack of site. During this period, a greater number of books were published too. It was built… I forgot to mention, the Film Centre was built during that period, the Film Centre, and we had some great movies, with good artists. Regarding that time, every theater piece that was played in the Regional Theatre, if we were around and had the opportunity to go, we’d never miss it.
The Collegium Cantorum, the choir was established. We had a wonderful choir, and we also had the festivals Akordet.[12] And those Akordet were of a pretty high level. I don’t know why Akordet hasn’t been continued, and very often some things are represented as they have only begun in this time, [they are] only losing their own history. Lose history, lose life, lose it, and you lost yourself, you lost civilization, you lost your cultural development.
Antigona Qena Kaçaniku: Are you very active during this time as well?
Vahide Hoxha: Yes Antigona, I set myself a duty from the beginning, that maybe if I am left alone at home to only clean, dust, cook – the work that I am doing now too, no one else does it for me – along with the housekeeping, I set myself a duty that if I stay at home, I will rust. Especially after Fadil passed away, I couldn’t allow myself, although I have him in front of me all the time, night and day, sleeping or not, I have him, but I wanted to change the situation a little, not to think only about him, and not to think only about my children, where are they and what are they doing.
I started painting even while Fadil was still alive, and to tell you the truth, I don’t know why I started telling you this. I just got some pencils, some colors and I started here and there, I realized that some things were turning out well and I began. Fadil would advise me, “Don’t tire yourself, you are tiring yourself! I don’t know if it will turn out well or not” (laughs). Nothing… I gave my first exhibition and I have pictures and a video from the first exhibition, and Fadil was there, and Ramiz Kelmendi was there. And some good words from Ramiz Kelmendi…
This is how I started: little by little I gave an exhibition here in Prishtina, then I gave an exhibition in Gjakova on Fadil’s second death anniversary. I marked his second death anniversary with an exhibition. From Gjakova, I gave an exhibition in Prizren, I wanted to give it in the Hamam[13]of Prizren. This was the third one and another one in the Library, and one year, or whenever I gave it, in the Albanological Institute, so as far as it concerns me, it’s enough! I have given away my paintings, my grandsons and granddaughter have chosen the ones they liked. Thus I have decided to give them most of the paintings.
I am the president of the Antifascist National Liberation War Veterans. This is an association of veterans of the Second World War, I am a president there and our commitment is to protect the values of the National Liberation War. We have done plenty of work, we have published few books, and we have organized memorial meetings on the anniversaries of the leaders. So we have engaged in the preservation of the statues from the Second World War, since they are destroying our statues, they are knocking them down… We have worked for six year, we have paid our coffees ourselves, we have paid the phone ourselves. And you can imagine what the pensions are, but we did not want to give up. Not Vahide alone, together with friends that are there… the veterans, we did not want to give up and we will continue until we can, until we are alive, each and every one of us… the oldest one is 89 (laughs). I am 86, another one is 84, so we are old and we wait every day that… {moves her hands}.
Antigona Qena Kaçaniku: Allow me at least with this small program to thank you for your courage, for your willpower, for the ideals of a woman that has lived the good and the bad, but has breathed in this place, under this sky. Thank you for having been and being!
Vahide Hoxha: I don’t know if I was able to give the most important details that should have been told, but I did my best!
Antigona Qena Kaçaniku: Thank you very much.
The story is honest, modest, human – just the way this lady is, despite her age, she still has the power and the heart of a young girl full of kindness and desire that give wings to the truth, to justice, to the future.
We parted from Mrs. Vahide, aware that we can’t unfold all the pages of a life book. An historian by profession became history itself, which will be surely written as the truth deserves, without embellishments and without stains and injuries.
[1] Secondary school in which students prepare for university entrance.
[2]Great Matura (Matura e Madhe) also referred to as a set of examinations formerly given to students after the eighth year of secondary school.
[3] Also referred to as semi-Matura, a set of examinations formerly given to students after the fourth year of secondary school.
[4]Higher secondary pedagogical school.
[5]The fresh water drinking fountain in the main square of Prizren. Shadervan (Sadirvan in Arabic) means precisely fountain, built to provide water for more than one person at once, usually for ritual ablutions, and is a typical element of Ottoman architecture
[6] Serbian national hat or cap.
[7] White traditional Albanian hat, cap made of wool that differs from region to region.
[8]The speaker means the secondary school Ryzhdije (rüshdiye), a religious secondary school that was opened in Prizren in 1874.
[9]Higher secondary pedagogical school.
[10]Odeljenje za Zaštitu Naroda, Department of National Security – Yugoslavian security service notorious for the persecution and establishment of a regime comparable to the KGB terror in Russia.
[11] Conversations was the euphemism given by the police to their own random interrogations.
[12] Music festival held annually, featuring different music genres.
[13]Formally the Turkish bath in the city center, now occasionally used for art exhibits, otherwise closed to the public.
