Babë Dud Karbunara (22 April 1842 – 19 December 1917), born Jorgji Karbunara was an
Albanian teacher and politician. He was one of the signatories of the
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 ...
.
["History of Albanian People" Albanian Academy of Science.]
Early life
His grandfather had moved from Trozhar near
Tërpan to
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 i ...
, where his son Theodhor later worked as a gold work embroiderer. Babë Dud Karbunara, son of Theodhor, was born as ''Jorgji Karbunara'' on April 22, 1842 in the ''Kala'' neighborhood 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 i ...
.
He initially studied in
Corfu and later continued his studies in
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into pr ...
.
Career
During the
League of Prizren
The League of Prizren ( sq, Besëlidhja e Prizrenit), officially the League for the Defense of the Rights of the Albanian Nation ( sq, Lidhja për mbrojtjen e të drejtave te kombit Shqiptar), was an Albanian political organization which was offi ...
era he started an emigre branch of the organization in Corfu.
Karbunara's activism primarily focused on the opening of Albanian-language schools in his native region, Berat.
Karbunara's activity as a teacher of Albanian was banned in the 1890s and it led to his house being burnt by
Ottoman agents on September 14, 1894.
After the establishment of the 1908 constitution, along with other ''
Rilindas'' of the city, he opened two Albanian-language schools in Berat.
During the
Albanian Revolt of 1912 he organized the assembly of Sinjë, where the rebel bands of southern Albania signed the memorandum of Sinjë, a list of demands regarding Albanian rights in the Ottoman state.

In November 1912, he participated as a delegate and signatory of Berat in the
Assembly of Vlorë, in which the independence of Albania was declared and a national congress was formed. The deputies of the national congress also elected eighteen delegates of the assembly to form the Albanian Senate, of which Ajdin Draga was a member as a senator of Berat.
On June 30, 1914 he was attacked by pro-Ottoman
Islamic rebels led by
Essadist Musa Qazimi. He was brutally beaten after being questioned "Are you Albanian or Osman (Ottoman)?", and after answering "Albanian, just like you are".
Death
He died on December 19, 1917 and was buried in the cemetery of St. George's church of the city. The ceremony was held in ''Mangalem'' neighborhood church, with a huge participation of the town's population.
Vatra's musical band came from
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...
to pay respect to him at his grave.
Honours
In 1937, a bust of Karbunara by sculptor Dhimitër Çami was presented in Berat, while during the Communist era he was posthumously awarded the Mësues i Popullit (
English: Teacher of the People) medal.
Today, a high school in Berat keeps the name "Babë Dud Karbunara" in his honour.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karbunara, Babe Dud
1842 births
1917 deaths
Signatories of the Albanian Declaration of Independence
People from Berat
19th-century Albanian politicians
20th-century Albanian politicians
Albanians from the Ottoman Empire
Eastern Orthodox Christians from Albania
19th-century Albanian educators
20th-century Albanian educators
All-Albanian Congress delegates