Vojo Kushi (, August 3, 1918 – October 10, 1942) was an Albanian and Yugoslav communist guerilla fighter (partisan) and one of the founders of the Communist group based in

Shkodër Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra) is the fifth-most-populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. The city sprawls across the Plain of Mbishkodra between the southern part of Lake Shkod ...

, following the Italian occupation of Albania in April 1939. He was proclaimed a National Hero of Yugoslavia by the Yugoslav communist government on February 12, 1945, and then a

Hero of Albania The Hero of the People ( sq, Hero i Popullit; Heroinë e Popullit) was the highest title bestowed upon the citizens of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania. Creation Founded on July 9, 1945, the title was awarded by the Presidium of the P ...

by the Albanian communist government in 1946.

Life

Kushi was born in 1918, in Vrakë, near

to a family belonging to the local Serb-Montenegrin minority. His original surname may have been Kušić ( sr-Cyrl, Кушић); due to

King Zog King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the t ...

's state persecution of Serbs following 1920, surnames with obvious Slavic suffixes such as '-ić' and '-vić' were removed, as were Slavic-speaking schools. Following the

Italian occupation of Albania Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

in April 1939, the first communist revolutionary organization was established in

(Shkodër group), which included minority members brothers Vaso and

Branko Kadija Background On 22 June 1942, the Albanian student trio of Branko Kadija, Jordan Misja, and Perlat Rexhepi, who stayed in Misja's house at Firaj Street in Shkodër (at the time part of the fascist Italian protectorate of the Albanian Kingdom), ...

, Vojo Kushi,

Jordan Misja Background On 22 June 1942, the Albanian student trio of Branko Kadija, Jordan Misja, and Perlat Rexhepi, who stayed in Misja's house at Firaj Street in Shkodër (at the time part of the fascist Italian protectorate of the Albanian Kingdom) ...

, Ivo Jovanov, Vojin Dragović, Petar Bulatović and

Vasil Shanto Vasil Shanto (17 August 1913 – 1 February 1944), called Vasko was one of the founders of the Albanian Communist Party. He was the leader, along with Qemal Stafa, of the Shkodër communist group. One of the delegates of the party, he was freque ...

. The Shkodër group was led by Shanto and

Qemal Stafa Qemal Stafa (20 March 1920 – 5 May 1942) was a founding member of the Albanian Communist Party, and the leader of its youth section. Biography Stafa was born in Elbasan in 1920, in a family originating from the Zabzun village, at the time part ...

. The other organization, established in

Korçë Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the eighth most populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population is 75,994 (2011 census), in a total area of . It stands on a plateau some ...

(Korçë group), was united into one on November 8, 1941, in

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

, at the house of Bojko Lazarov, hence forming the Communist Party of Albania. In 1942, he was chosen as a member of the regional committee for Tirana and appointed commander of guerilla units. Enver Hoxha was appointed the Party leader in order to include the majority Muslim population. Kushi was sent by the Albanian government for education at the

Military Academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...

in Belgrade, in the

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 unt ...

. Before his return to Albania, he joined the

Yugoslav Partisans The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian, Slovene: , or the National Liberation Army, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska (NOV), Народноослободилачка војска (НОВ); mk, Народноослобод ...

and became a member of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia. One of the discussions of Partisans in

Prokletije The Accursed Mountains ( sq, Bjeshkët e Nemuna; sh-Cyrl-Latn, Проклетије, Prokletije, ; both translated as "Cursed Mountains"), also known as the Albanian Alps ( sq, Alpet Shqiptare), are a mountain group in the western part of the B ...

, including Kushi, was included in Đurica Labović's ''Lučonoša sa Prokletija'' (1985). The Albanian fascist regime sentenced communist fighters to death for treachery and unrest. In Tirana, Qemal Stafa, and later Kushi, Sadik Stavileci and Xhorxhi Martini were surrounded and killed by ''

carabinieri The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign polic ...

'' on 10 October 1942. Their house on the Kodra Kuqe quarter was surrounded and a fight ensued for 6 hours, with tanks forcing them out; Kushi stormed out and killed several carabinieri, then ran out of bullets and jumped onto the tank and was killed. After the war, he was proclaimed a National Hero. In Albania, many streets, quarters, schools, sport institutions and others were named after him. In Tirana, a monument was erected in his honour. An Albanian documentary about him
Vojo Kushi (1969)
was made. Later Hoxha imprisoned Vojo's brother Marko and his family in southern Albania as part of his party purges.

Annotations

. In Serbo-Croatian sources his name is written Vojo Kuši (),, , and Voja Kuši ().

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kushi, Vojo 1918 births 1942 deaths People from Shkodër Albanian communists Albanian people of Montenegrin descent Albanian people of Serbian descent Heroes of Albania 20th-century Albanian people Yugoslav Partisans members Recipients of the Order of the People's Hero Albanian resistance members Deaths by firearm in Albania