Musa Demi (1878–1971) was an Albanian revolutionary and writer. He was one of the main proponents of the Albanian National Awakening in the region of Filiates, Paramythia and Igoumenitsa ( Çamëria).

Life

Musa Demi was born in Filiates, then a town of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

in 1878. His father Hamit Demi was a local landowner of the region from the Demi family of Filiates. Musa Demi's grandfather had been Çafa Demi. He graduated from the local Ottoman rüşdiye (secular state school) and then continued his studies in

Ioannina Ioannina ( ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina (regional unit), Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus (region), Epirus, an Modern regions of Greece, administrative region in northwester ...

. In the early 1900s he became one of the founders of the Vëllezëria association of Filiates and was the commander of one of the most important ''çetë'' (armed guerrilla groups fighting for independence of Albanians). On August 25, 1908 along with other rilindas he opened the first Albanian-language school of Filiates. Musa Demi, Rasih Dino along with other locals provided the funds for the construction of the school building. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he is said to have had contact with the Albanian as well as the Greek Communist Party. However, it is contested that there was a 'socialist' movement around Musa Demi during this period His daughter Ballkëze Demi fought and died during the Albanian Resistance of World War II. He was decorated in 1945 with the Patriot of National Awakening () medal. Musa Demi died in 1971. In 1978, for the 100th anniversary of the formation of the League of Prizren, he was posthumously decorated with the civil medal For Patriotic Activities ().

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Demi, Musa 1878 births 1971 deaths 19th-century Albanian writers 20th-century Albanian writers Activists of the Albanian National Awakening Cham Albanian people Albanian resistance members Musa National Liberation Front (Greece) members People from Filiates People from Janina vilayet