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| Ismail Qemali while holding the famous speech on November 28, 1912 in Vlora |
On the occasion of Independence Day, Oculus News brings back today the full speech of Ismail Qemali held on November 28, 1912, at the Grand Rally in Vlora on the occasion of raising the flag and declaring Independence.
By Ismail Qemali:
Oh! How happy I feel today, to see, here in Vlora, so many Albanian men gathered together, eagerly awaiting the end of this historic meeting, for the fate of our beloved Homeland. Full of pleasure and tears in my eyes, out of longing, therefore, I am coming out here in front of you to rejoice with the great news, that today, even this minute, the Congress declared the independence of Albania, to announce to the whole world about this work and charging me with the head of the interim government of free Albania.
But it seems to me a dream that this great change of our country, which removed and sufferences of the blacks of five hundred years under Turkish rule, but now, in recent times, was ready to give its soul forever, to be extinguished and what was completely erased from the face of the earth, this Albania, which, once, shone from the unparalleled bravery of its sons; this Albania, which when the danger of Europe was threatened by the invasions of Turkey, under its immortal leadership, Skanderbeg, became the iron gate against the most furious attacks of the fiercest sultans that Turkey has ever had.
However, God willing, with the work, with the unparalleled courage and bravery of the Albanians, from now on the misery and suffering of our Homeland will end, because, here and there, we are FREE, INDEPENDENT, and INDEPENDENT, therefore: laugh and enjoy it!
To achieve this great white day, we have been helped by the blood of the martyrs and the valuable work of our patriots and all the comrades who took part in this meeting and of all of you, who now you r harts are blooming from the great joy you feel; but the gathering as I am the oldest, charged me with the sacred Raising of our National emblem, of our dreamed and beloved flag (He brings out the Flag, which he has placed on an iron spear, of course small, and hidden under his coat, and after holding it for a second he sticks it in the pillars of the balcony. As soon as the Albanians saw the Flag, they shout with joy and loudly: Long live the Flag, Long live Free Albania).
Here, then, is our Red Flag with the black double-headed eagle in the middle.
And now, all together, as a whole and indivisible body, let us work to shield, advance, and civilize it as befits our Free Homeland.
To conclude, I have no choice but to offer a prayer to the Almighty God, that, together with the blessings I beg of him to give us to be worthy of this day, he will accept that from now on I will be I am the first martyr of the Homeland, just as I had the honor and the fortune to be the first to kiss the Flag and make wave Free.
Our flag, in our free homeland.
Long live the Flag!
Long live Albania!