A2 CNN journalist Luela Myftari has brought to Dita Jonë the touching testimony of survivor Sali Bollati, on the day that commemorates the massacre of the Greeks against the Cham community.
With tears in his eyes, the old man recounted the experience of those difficult days where he lost most of his family, including his minor sisters and brothers, and why they had done nothing, except for being Albanians and Chams.
Sali Bollati remembers the school where his father was killed, the mosque where his mother was executed, and the camp where his brother and sister died from lack of food. He says he was rescued by British troops who brought him to Albania.
"We must clearly show those massacres, those murders and the abandonment of our relatives in Chameria. I was 7 years old at the time and my mother woke us up quickly that we were going to flee downstairs. Our house was on the hill of Parimithia. We heard shots and my mother took us down to my uncle's house near the clock. We went to my uncle's. My mother's uncle's son passes by and tells us that the Greeks are killing us. He said that he has many children and he cannot leave them alone. The Zervis came and took my father without shoes and took him to the school and the next morning they killed him in the schoolyard.
When I went to Paramithi, I visited the school and it was covered with concrete. We returned to our house, but on the way we were told to be careful. In the yard we saw grandfather Muharrem Bullati, who had been dragged into the apartment. We had no reason to stay and our mother gathered us at the Madrasa and told us about this bad thing. In front of our group was a Zarvis soldier who was ready to kill us.
My older brother was also killed on the way to his friend's house. My mother took out a photo of my father and gave it to me, telling me to keep it carefully. Then I received the news that my mother was killed in the middle of the mosque.
We were left 5 orphaned children, they took us before the Parimithia police along with other Chams. Zybideja became our second mother. We did not know what massacres were, we were children. Orthodox and Muslims coexisted at that time.
As soon as they put us in the concentration camp, my eight friends would come and bring us food. There, my grandmother died of hunger, my little sister, who was 2 years old, and my brother. And we were left with 2 children. Then the English soldiers came and brought us food and medicine. The English took us by car and took us to Igoumenitsa. They dressed us and we came to Saranda on motorbikes.
"We came to Tirana, they put me in the Children's Home and in 1952 they took me to the high school dormitory in Shkodra. I finished school there and as a distinguished student they sent me out to go abroad and I went to Czechoslovakia," said Sali Bollati, among other things. (A2 Televizion)
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MUND TE LEXONI GJITHASHTU
