Jani Minga (1 August 1872 – 7 May 1947) was a patriot Albanian teacher and a notable follower of the

National Renaissance of Albania The Albanian National Awakening ( sq, Rilindja or ), commonly known as the Albanian Renaissance or Albanian Revival, is a period throughout the 19th and 20th century of a cultural, political and social movement in the Albanian history where th ...

. He was one of the signatories of

Albanian Declaration of Independence The Albanian Declaration of Independence ( Albanian: ''Deklarata e Pavarësisë'') was the declaration of independence of Albania from the Ottoman Empire. Independent Albania was proclaimed in Vlorë on 28 November 1912. Six days later the Ass ...

Life

Minga was born in Shënpjetër village, today's

Fier Fier (; sq-definite, Fieri) is the seventh most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Fier County and Fier Municipality. It is situated on the bank of Gjanica River in the Myzeqe Plain between the Seman in the north, the Vjos ...

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

, on August 1, 1872. His father Konstandin was an activist for education in Albanian, while his mother Ana was a descendant of Topia family of

Berat Berat (; sq-definite, Berati) is the ninth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Berat County and Berat Municipality. By air, it is north of Gjirokastër, west of Korçë, south of Tirana, and east of Fier. Berat is located in ...

. He finished the elementary school in Berat, and the high school in Qestorat, having

Koto Hoxhi Konstandin Hoxhi, known as Koto Hoxhi (1824–1895) was an advocate of the Albanian language. He taught the language secretly to his students in Qestorat in Southern Albania. He was imprisoned and died in prison for his beliefs. Biography Koto Ho ...

as a teacher. He studied and graduated later for

Philology Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...

in the

University of Athens The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA; el, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών, ''Ethnikó ke Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinón''), usually referred to simply as the Univers ...

. Minga knew Old and New Greek, Latin, Italian, and French. After finishing the studies he moved to

Vlorë Vlorë ( , ; sq-definite, Vlora) is the third most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Vlorë County and Vlorë Municipality. Located in southwestern Albania, Vlorë sprawls on the Bay of Vlorë and is surrounded by the foo ...

. Minga took part in every congress on the Albanian that took place before the declaration of independence, most notably the Congress of Monastir, where the

Albanian alphabet The Albanian alphabet ( sq, alfabeti shqip) is a variant of the Latin alphabet used to write the Albanian language. It consists of 36 letters: ''Note:'' The vowels are shown in bold. The letters are named simply by their sounds, followed by ë ...

was established. He initiated the association "

Labëria Labëria is a historic region that is roughly situated in southwestern Albania. Its inhabitants are known as Labs (referred to as sq, Lab, pl. ''Lebër'', also dial. sing. ''Lap'') and its boundaries reach from Vlorë to Himara in the south, to ...

" in 1889 and opened the first Albanian-language school in Kanina. Minga wrote some early scholarly books on Albanian. His patriotic activity would culminate with the participation and signature on the Albanian Declaration of Independence on 28 November 1912 as delegate of Vlora region, and participation in the

Vlora War The Vlora War or the War of 1920 ( sq, Lufta e Vlorës or ''Lufta e Njëzetës''; it, Guerra di Valona) was a series of battles between Italian forces garrisoned throughout the Vlorë region of Albania (an Italian protectorate) and Albanian nati ...

as member of a voluntary unit from the villages of Seman area near Fier. He held the victory speech in "Pavarësia" square in Vlora. Minga held also a solemn speech together with Qazim Kokoshi during the funeral of

Ismail Qemali Ismail Qemal bey Vlora, mostly known as Ismail Qemali (; 16 January 184426 January 1919), was an Albanian diplomat, politician, rilindas, statesman and the Founding Father of modern Albania, and one of the most famous Southern Albanian perso ...

on 1919. Minga had two sons, Pirro and Mërkur. The first one refused to join the Albanian Fascist Party though serving as an interpreter for the Germans during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, being arrested and sent to a

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

, never returning. The other one lost his life in a construction accident. Depressed from the loss of his sons, Minga retired from his activities and died on May 7, 1947.

Legacy

Minga is awarded "Mësues i Popullit" (English: ''People's Teacher''), and

Honorary Citizen Honorary citizenship is a status bestowed by a city or other government on a foreign or native individual whom it considers to be especially admirable or otherwise worthy of the distinction. The honour usually is symbolic and does not confer an ...

of Vlora. Several schools in Albania bear his name.

References

Sources

"History of Albanian People" Albanian Academy of Science. 1872 births 1947 deaths People from Fier Signatories of the Albanian Declaration of Independence 20th-century Albanian educators 19th-century Albanian educators Activists of the Albanian National Awakening All-Albanian Congress delegates {{albania-bio-stub