Translated: Dea Shapllo, Student at the University of Tirana, branch of Archeology. Sorce of information: telegraf.al
HOW DID 600 YOUNG PEOPLE WROTE THE SLOGAN ON THE MOUNTAIN OF SHPIRAG. THE RECORD, 15 DAYS TO BUILD 80 METERS LONG AND 40 METERS WIDE, 3 MONTHS TO DESTROY IT.
The story of the Oficcer Teki Permeti: “How 600 young people worked to write the name of the communist leader on the mountain of Shpirag.” Record, 15 days for 80 meters long letters.
How I broke my arm writing the name “Enver”.
Project: 15 days to build, 3 months to demolish.
Leonard VEIZI
It is a slogan of almost extravagant size. All sorts of slogans were written at that time, with mountain stones and silicate bricks. But the idea of writing a name whose letters were at least 80 meters long and about 40 meters wide was the biggest initiative undertaken at that time, and the mountain of Shpirag was projected for this.
The ENVER slogan, written in giant letters on Mount Shpirag, which was started and completed in 15 days of volunteer work, seems impossible to tear off even though it has been declared “undesirable” for 20 years. But what is the story of the 40-years old writing. Why was it written and by whom was given the idea, for the realization of which about 600 young people were engaged?
What were the efforts 25 years later, to destroy the action, which ended with the heavy burning of a soldier in 1994. Meanwhile residents of the area say that only years will make it possible to eradicate it. One of the soldiers of the engineer battalion in the district of Berat, who participated directly in the work of this slogan, Major in Reserve Teki Përmeti, tells “Telegraf”:
Why was such a giant slogan written?
It was 1969 and the October-November holidays were approaching, the 25th year of the liberation and formation of the First Democratic Government on October 22, 1944, announced in Berat. The instructions from the Central Committee announced that the First Secretary, Enver Hoxha, would come to Berat. After this news everything was put in a double motion.
How was the atmosphere of those days?
In the city of Berat, almost the entire Political buro had stepped down as 25 years ago. Everything was being painted and sorted. I can say that for the first time in Berat, so much was being invested, the palaces were being plastered, banners were being written everywhere, the roads were being paved, the sidewalks were being repaired, and even the houses were being painted. The whole town had an unusual liveliness. He began to think about the lighting of the city streets and other ornaments of this sort. So the whole city was on the move…; because the leader himself would come, comrade Enver Hoxha.
Who gave the idea of making the name-slogan?
A competition started between the communists, over who would be more diligent in this period and who would give the best ideas on where the slogans would be written. I have followed these debates from afar and I do not know exactly, but among them was someone who gave an opinion on an extraordinary slogan. Although I asked many, many people of that time, I could not learn the name of the man. Now I say that he deserves a place in the Guinness Book of Records, for the idea of the slogan, which in terms of place, size and time at which it was realized, is something really rare.
Why Mount Shpirag?
Because he seemed to have been made especially for that work, because he was divided as if by hand into almost equal formations, in a vertical form. Then Shpirag was very visible from Berat. While the terrain also gave a lot of hand, as there were semi-finished parts which were adapted by the slogan designers.
How was the mountain written in white letters?
I remember that the slogan “Enver” was written on the Mountain of Shpirag by the youth of that time. Now we can say that it was idealized by the people of Berat and not by order from above. The work was done by the youth under the direction of several officers who commanded at a distance about the direction and font size.
How would this technique be accomplished?
The telescope, which made this possible, was placed on the balcony of the building of the former Executive Committee and another one was placed in the western part of the castle. Commands were given by radio and portable telephones, or in other words, by army manual. As far as I remember, the head of this operation was appointed Kozma Lazar, a former functionary in the Executive Committee of that time.
Apart from the five places by letters, did you have any other help?
They also got help from the youth of the village of Galina, which is located just a few meters below the slogan. At that time it was like all the young people of the other villages, also those of Galina, took part in the work done to write the letter even though they did not have a special letter.
How would this work start?
The work started by clearing the rocks from the bushes and the soil from the mountain plateau. After they were cleaned, they were wiped well and then in some places even washed, because later they would be smeared with thick lime syrups. Thus the letters began to appear, even from Berat. And that was the goal.
How big are these letters?
A letter is 80 feet long and 40 feet wide. While the thickness of the lines is about 2 meters. So a really giant slogan.
How would this work be divided?
It was operated this way . “E” – was the first letter of the name that was taken over by the young people of the village, Paftal. ” N“ - was the second letter of the name that was taken over by the youth of the village of Starovo. ” V” – was the third letter that would be written by the young people of the village Poshnje. ” E” – is the fourth letter that would be written by the youth of the village of Sinja. ” R” – was the fifth and last letter that would be written by the young people of the Textile Factory. So it was a comprehensive slogan.
What time did this slogan have to end?
The ENVER slogan, written in giant letters on Mount Shpirag, was written in record time, with only 15 days of volunteer work.
Were there any accidents during this voluminous work?
As far as I remember I was the only one that had an accident. This happened at the end of the work, after we went for inspection. We as a management team of three soldiers, went to see closely the level of work. While we were there, my foot slipped and I slid a few feet down. Because of this fall, I had a broken arm. They put it in plaster in the hospital of Berat and I kept it in that condition for a long time.
Raw material
Stones and lime for 5 letters
Everything built was made of natural stones that were placed on the “foundations” of the letters. Stones taken from the surrounding area and especially pebbles extracted from the bed of the Osum River. Teki Përmeti says that the lime came in the form of porridge from Berat. Then, for about an hour on foot, transported in buckets to the letters and then diluted a bit with water, and so in the form of thick syrup we painted the letters. During the work, the people climbing the slopes looked like earth flies; everyone, some with buckets and some with water cans, climbed silently one after the other.
The Deadline
The mobilization had a motto above all, the slogan had to be written within the deadline because if its completion would be afterwards, everything was worthless. Although if we didn’t keep our word, and the tasks were not performed, the greatest possibility was that the leaders of the action would be sacrificed on behalf of the party, even declared as its enemies, saboteurs that would end up in political prisons. Thus, within 15 days ENVERI, was built on the mountain of Shpirag, as the Party decided… or, so wanted the militant base…
Destroying the slogan
The accident of the soldier who burned Enver’s name with napalm
It was the time when the slopes of hills and mountains were covered with large inscriptions, which evoked his name, glory and immortality. Hundreds of thousands of people mobilized to carve on the slopes of Mount Shpirag, near Berat, the giant name “ENVER”, while such processions and rituals were performed at any time and without interruption, across the country.
But the troops of the army would be the ones who would continue the other side of the coin, the destruction of that enterprise they had taken over years ago, in 1994, while preparing for the folklore festival in the castle of Berat, the government raised funds to eradicate those five letters created with stones and limestone-painted rocks, on the Mountain of Shpirag, which formed the word ENVER.
Millions were spent, they worked for months, using strong tools, even burning it with napalm. A soldier working on their extinguishing was badly injured and this was the only accident recorded at the time! However the results were not entirely clear. The relief of the letters did not manage to disappear completely.
Citizen reaction
In fact, there were intellectuals and citizens of Berat who strongly disagreed with the destruction of the slogan on the Mountain of Shpirag. Many of them thought that it was an outdoor museum, which told a certain time of history, and that it was not necessary to lay hands on it. However, the new leaders of the Berat Division took over its destruction, following a decision issued by the Council of Ministers. And to accomplish this, both explosives and napalm-type fuels were made available.
Summary
It was 1969 and the October-November holidays were approaching, the 25th year of the liberation and formation of the First Democratic Government on October 22, 1944, announced in Berat. The instructions from the Central Committee announced that the First Secretary, Enver Hoxha, would come to Berat.
The slogan “Enver” was written on the Mountain of Shpirag by the youth of that time. The telescope, which made this possible, was placed on the balcony of the building of the former Executive Committee and another one was placed in the western part of the castle. Commands were given by army radio and manual telephones.
A letter is 80 feet long and 40 feet wide. While the thickness of the lines is about 2 meters. So a really giant slogan. Thus the letters began to appear, even from Berat. And that was the goal.
Translated: Dea Shapllo, Student at the University of Tirana, branch of Archeology. Sorce of information: telegraf.al