Havzi Nela
| Havzi Nela | |
|---|---|
Havzi Nela
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| Born |
February 20, 1934 Kollovoz, Kukës County, Albania |
| Died | August 10, 1988 (aged 54) Kukës, Kukës County, Albania |
| Nationality | Albanian |
| Occupation | Schoolteacher and poet |
| Known for | Poems against the Albanian communist regime |
Havzi Nela (20 February 1934 – 10 August 1988) was an Albanian dissident poet, born in the village of Kollovoz in the district of Kukës. He managed to finish both elementary and high school while living in extreme poverty. In high school he began to express objections against what he perceived as "injustices" that, according to him, were created by the communist regime. After this he began studies at the Higher Pedagogical Institute of Shkodra (Luigj Gurakuqi University today), but was expelled due to seemilngy rebellious and controversial beliefs. After much difficulty, he found a job as an elementary school teacher at Plani i Bardhe, a small village in the district of Mat, but was forced to leave the village due to suspicious activity. Suspicion arose after students began reading his poetry. He then went on to study at the Higher Pedagogical Institute of Shkodra by correspondence. He worked as a teacher in different villages such as Kruma, Lojme and Shishtavec until 1967, when he moved to Topojan. Topojan was where the most dramatic events of the poet and his family began.
Havzi Nela was constantly under surveillance and was often taken into custody. He was restricted and censored heavily in what he wrote, but also where and how he could live. After his students read the poem "Shko dallandyshe" (Go Swallow) written by Filip Shiroka, Havzi Nela and his wife, Lavdie, were under threat of prosecution from the government due to its controversial content. They risked their lives by taking the journey over the border into Kosovo, Yugoslavia on April 26, 1967. While crossing the frontier he wrote on a piece of paper; "Goodbye, homeland, I am leaving, but with a broken heart", (Lamtumire atdhe i dashur, se po iki zemërplasur). He placed the piece of paper in the branch of a hazel tree. It is widely believed that the purpose of this was to declare an undying love for the country and its people however expressing disdain towards its dictatorship. A tragic fate would soon follow in Kosovo. He was captured just beyond the border together with his wife. They were arrested and imprisoned in Prizren, Kosovo. On May 6, 1967, the Yugoslavian government agreed on an exchange turning Havzi Nela and Lavdie Nela in for several Yugoslavian prisoners held in Albania. The exchange took place at the Morina border crossing point.
On May 22, 1967, the poet was tried and sentenced by the courts of Kukes county to fifteen years in prison, on charges of betrayal and desertion of his country, serious offences under the regime of communist leader Enver Hoxha. His wife Lavdie Nela was sentenced to ten years in prison. She was offered the possibility of a shorter sentence if she would forsake and divorce her husband, but did not agree to this and accepted her punishment. Havzi Nela was imprisoned in the prison of Burrel initially then transferred to Spaç-Rrëshen prison.
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