In the summer of 1965, a letter arrived at the address of the Central Committee of the Party of Labour of Albania from an Arbëresh in Italy. His name was Josif De Rada , a name that immediately revived memories of the great Albanian National Awakening writer Jeronim de Rada, but who this time represented another simple man, with a heart full of longing for Albania , for the land from which his ancestors had come more than four centuries before.
The letter was sent from Macchia Albanese , one of the oldest Arbëresh centers in Calabria, on July 30, 1965. It was a lesson in love for the homeland and a rare testament to the spiritual connection that many Arbëresh still had with the socialist Albania of that time.
📜 Josif De Rada’s letter: Longing, respect and pride for Albania
The letter began with the words:
“Your Excellency Enver Hoxha… With the warmest wishes for Your Excellency’s health…”
He expressed with great emotion his love for Albania, which he had visited 30 months earlier , and the longing he felt for a homeland that he felt alive in his soul, although physically distant.
“Today, not only the Arbëresh with protection in Italy, but also many of the scattered in the world… we congratulate your work with Marxist-Leninist thoughts for the health of all peoples.”
✍️ Enver Hoxha: A personal and pathos-filled response
On September 7, 1965, Enver Hoxha replied to Josif, a letter carefully typed by the General Office of the Central Committee and signed by his own hand. In it, he wrote:
“I was very happy about the warm letter you sent me, which expresses the longing and deep love of the Arbëresh people who were forced to settle in foreign lands by the torrential Turkish invasion.”
Enver’s letter is a classic propaganda text , but with a rare personal tone. He states:
“The great-grandchildren of the Illyrians and Kastrioti work tirelessly to make Socialist Albania a country that is more beautiful, more prosperous, and stronger every year…”
He recognizes the Arbëresh for their role in protecting the Albanian language, customs, and culture, calling them “precious assets of the general treasury of our national culture.”
🧳 “I want to return to Albania to retire”
The most touching part of the story happened after the letter was delivered. According to the official document, on September 21, 1965 , the Albanian representative in Rome, Comrade Ferdi Karagjozi , personally delivered the letter to Josif De Rada.
As soon as he received the letter, he kissed Enver Hoxha’s signature and said:
“This is one of the most precious documents for me!”
Further, Josifi said that he wanted to return to Albania to retire , once he had settled his two granddaughters with jobs. It was a deep desire to return “home”, to an Albania that he idealized as the bright land of national renaissance.
🧠 The message of two generations – from Jeronim to Josif De Rada
The name Josif De Rada is no coincidence. In his letter, Enver recalled:
“The noble dreams of the great patriots of our national Renaissance like Jeronin de Rada and Naim Frashëri…”
And so, a simple letter from 1965 carries within itself the story of a blood that did not forget its origins , a belated greeting between two worlds – internal Albania and the one scattered beyond its borders.
