THE PANALBANIAN FEDERATION OF AMERICA
VATRA

The newspaper Dielli

 

February 15, 1909 is the official birth date of the Newspaper Dielli– one of the most important voices of the Albanian movement of the time. It was started by Fan Noli as a continuation of the Kombi, but very soon, found its own voice as a missionary of the Albanians and the Albanian cause in the USA. Dielli was the voice that taught the new Albanian immigrants where their duty toward their country and heritage rested; it taught them to read and write in the mother tongue.. Dielli was a  necessity for the tired souls of the immigrants that worked 14 hours or more– it made them feel part of the greater cause, it made them proud of being who they were and what they were doing.

 

During 1909-1912 Dielli prepared Albanians for the  upcoming independence but also taught them that it comes with a cost and it is even more difficult to preserve it, especially in the situation that Albania faced at the time.
Gazeta Dielli

HISTORY         ARCHIVES      CONSTITUTION          LIBRARY            INFORMATION       DIELLI NEWSPAPER              VATRA OFFICERS                  BLOG
Text Box: Brief notes on the Legacy of Noli By Dr. Gjon Buçaj The legacy of Fan Noli is a complex one, as is his prominent figure in the Albanian culture.   A prolific writer, he authored some of the most beautiful pieces, among poems and novels. The eulogies Te Shpellë e Dragobisë and Syrgjyn vdekur, are two pearls of our literature. From the historian we have Histori e Skënderbeut. Beethoven and French Revolution could have been written only by someone who is both, a talented musician and an expert in history.   Noli translated skillfully in Albanian some of the world’s masterpieces from Shakespeare, Cervantes, Khayyam and others, that look like originals. In some instances his translation sounds even more original than the original itself. Take Poe’s Raven (Korbi). The refrain kurrë më sounds like raven’s onomatopoeia more than the original never more. If Noli’s translation of church liturgy into Albanian has its linguistic value and its importance for believers to follow religious rites and understand them in their own language, it was even more important for teaching Albanian orthodox people that God speaks Albanian beautifully, not only Greek.   In general Bishop Noli is considered as someone who excels in many fields except in politics. He is even called by some a failed politician, mainly because he was overthrown only 6 months after coming into power as prime minister of Albania in 1924. But circumstances of the time were very unfavorable for the survival of his democratic republican government. Albania was surrounded by unfriendly neighboring countries all ruled by monarchy regimes. The internal situation was close to an anarchy state unlikely to be stabilized by peaceful means. Noli’s government was perhaps too peaceful, reluctant to keep the power by force and unwilling to get outside help that could have come only from parties unfriendly to our nation.   Some extraordinary contributions of Noli that make the nation eternally grateful to him are political successes of historical significance.   The foundation of National Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania was a political act of patriotism, because he did it to stop the helenization process of orthodox Albanians in the South.   In December of 1920 Bishop Noli represented Albania in the League of Nations Assembly, making the case for membership.   Our neighbors have been making the case for quite some time to partition Albania, the “Little Turkey” in the Balkans, arguing that we were uneducated, wild primitive tribes that fight against each other and, therefore, we should be taken over by neighbors and be “civilized” by them. Their kind of civilization was notably demonstrated during the genocide against Albanians in 1945 in Chameria and in 1999 in Kosova.   When our Noli, with a big Bishop’s cross on his chest, took the stage and spoke with great skill in perfect English, replying to each of the adversary delegates in their own language, he made the opposing speakers look like stuttering midgets compared to him.   The Pan-Albanian Federation of America, VATRA, is another Legacy left from Noli together with Konitza and other compatriots. Konitza would say that he left VATRA as a baby of only 7 months and Noli made it big and famous.   I believe that most Albanians who know VATRA feel like being a part of it, and I hope that many of you here will actually become members and go on to be part of a successful celebration of the upcoming 100th anniversary in 2012. Thank you.   (Presented at the Symposium on the 45thAnniversary of Fan Noli’s death, held in Boston, April 26, 2010).

The Library of Congress has extensive holdings of newspapers in various European languages printed in the United States by recent immigrants. They range from the press of large groups like German-Americans and Polish-Americans to those of small nationalities. To this latter group, for instance, belongs the world's oldest continuously published Albanian newspaper, Kombi (The Nation)(1906-9), subsequently called Dielli (The Sun), which was published in Boston. Before Albanian independence in 1912, Albanian immigrants to America used this newspaper to learn to read and write their language, the use of which had been forbidden under their Ottoman rulers.

Thumbnail Image of an issue of Kombi (The Nation), the world's oldest continuously published Albanian-language newspaperFounded in 1906 as Kombi (The Nation) and subsequently (from 1909 on) called Dielli (The Sun), this is the world's oldest continually published Albanian-language newspaper. The issue depicted here reports the March 8, 1908, ordination of Fan S. Noli and with it the establishment of the Albanian Orthodox Church of America. Noli provided leadership and promoted Albanian culture and nationalism at a time when Albania was ruled by the Ottoman Turks. (Serial and Government Publications Division)
[Enlarged Version (190 K)]