University of Tetova today, through a solemn academy organized in the amphitheater “Sevasti and Parashqevi Qiriazi”, marked November 22, the Albanian Language Alphabet Day. On the 116th anniversary of the Congress of Manastir, our University also commemorated the legacy of the founder of the University of Tetova. At the initiative of the President of the Senate of the UT, Prof. Dr. Vullnet Ameti, the complete publication of the works of the founder and first historical Rector of the UT, Prof. Dr. Fadil Sulejmani, was made. These works were promoted today, and at the same time, in the spaces of the Faculty of Philology, was inaugurated the Corner of Remembrance “Fadil Sulejmani”, dedicated to his intellectual and academic legacy.
The Rector of the University of Tetova, Prof. Dr. Jusuf Zejneli, referring to the importance of the Congress of Manastir as well as the history of our University, emphasized that through this dignified event, we are bringing back into the collective memory the historical contribution of distinguished figures such as: Naum Veqilharxhi, De Rada, Zef Jubani, Pashko Vasa, Konstadin Kristoforidhi, the Frashëri Brothers, and other Renaissance figures, along with their mission to safeguard the national cause. “Along with the eternal honor for all the actors of this historic event, today in this cultural activity we also pay our highest respects to the founder, the first and historical Rector of the University of Tetova, Prof. Dr. Fadil Sulejmani, the courageous scholar who made history with his monumental work, the establishment of the first Albanian-language university in the Republic of North Macedonia. Professor Fadil Sulejmani followed the titanic path of the national Renaissance missionaries, shaping their mission in service of the Albanian nation wherever it lives and acts. The Congress of Manastir and the University of Tetova are unparalleled success stories, and as such, they will be remembered by the generations that will come after us”, – added the Rector of the UT, Prof. Dr. Jusuf Zejneli.
Regarding the Congress of Manastir and its impact on national identity, including the linguistic and political aspects, spoke the Dean of the Faculty of Philology at UT, Prof. Dr. Berton Sulejmani. According to him, in the six meetings held at the house of Gjergj Qiriazi, a national program of 18 points was drafted, which became one of the most important documents of the Congress of Manastir. “Among the main political demands in this document were: Territorial-administrative autonomy for Albania; Official recognition of the Albanian nationality and the Albanian language; The establishment of independent Albanian education by converting all Turkish state primary and secondary schools in Albania into Albanian national schools, where the language of instruction would be Albanian, while Turkish would be taught as a separate subject starting from the fourth grade of primary school. The special significance of this Political Program lies in the fact that it overturned the claims of the Young Turks and the Albanian Turkophiles, who wanted to limit the Congress to matters related only to the alphabet. Thus, after nine days of work, on November 22, 1908, the Congress of Manastir entered the history of Albanian culture as the Congress that decided on the unification of the Albanian alphabet”, – declared among other things the Dean of the Faculty of Philology, Prof. Dr. Berton Sulejmani.
At the academy dedicated to the 116th anniversary of the Congress of Manastir, were promoted nine publications by the first Rector of UT, Prof. Dr. Fadil Sulejmani. The initiator of these publications, the President of the Senate of UT, Prof. Dr. Vullnet Ameti, in his speech to the attendees, thanked all the contributors who worked on the re-publication of these works, making it possible for them to remain forever in the drawer and Corner of Remembrance of our collective memory. “I am proud that throughout my intellectual and institutional journey, I have endeavored with all my being to ensure that his name is present everywhere. Therefore, the re-publication of these works is a moral debt that I finally feel I am fulfilling, towards the figure who inspired not only his generation but also every student, researcher, and intellectual who seeks guidance in his thoughts and example. With this act, I want to show future students, researchers, and the entire academic community that the University is not a NOUN but a VERB, it is action, and continuous action. Because when we see things in this light, we are able to create a true sense of identity, and if we turn away from history, it slips further away from us. History has often shown us that identity can sometimes falter, and if we do not insist, with fanaticism and even self-sacrifice, on defending our causes, symbols, heroes, history, language, and distinctive elements that define us, then we undermine the effort, sacrifice, and devotion of our predecessors. We will feel the absence of this more and more, but we see the Professor every day through his statue, and from today onward, we will see him everywhere inside as well, through the Corner of Remembrance. He may not be physically present, but his work lives and breathes more powerfully than ever, because He is present through his absence”, – said the President of the Senate, Prof. Dr. Vullnet Ameti.
Regarding the content of the works, their evaluations before the audience were presented by the reviewers, Vice-Rector for International Relations, Prof. Dr. Salajdin Salihi and former Dean of the Faculty of Philology of the UT and Prof. Dr. Fatmir Sulejmani. Prof. Dr. Fatmir Sulejmani emphasized that, in addition to his activities as an activist, Fadil Sulejmani enriched the Albanian knowledge library with a number of important scientific works, which we are inaugurating today in this beautiful setting of our University. “The scientific activity of Fadil Sulejmani is extensive across many fields of Albanian studies, ranging from phonetics, grammar, lexicology, and dialectology to ethnography and folklore studies. Being of particular importance, there is no doubt that his works will continue to be read and studied by generations of future scholars, because they shed light on the ethnopsychological traits of the people from this region, on the rich and previously unexplored dialect, on traditions, customs, rituals, superstitions, and much more, which, without his studies, would have been irretrievably swallowed by the gears of modern times”,- declared Prof. Dr. Fatmir Sulejmani.
Meanwhile, the Vice-Rector for International Relations, Prof. Dr. Salajdin Salihi, emphasized that the scientific works of Professor Fadil Sulejmani will be received by today’s and tomorrow’s readers because they enrich us with deep knowledge, especially in the field of Albanian studies. ‘Thanks to his scientific and social works, he left an indelible mark on the slabs of history and secured for himself another form of existence. An ethereal existence. A survival through collective memory. The publication of Professor Fadil Sulejmani’s works by the University of Tetova is the fulfillment of a moral obligation and at the same time an appreciation of his scientific, academic, and social work. Thus, we pass on to future generations the message that those who build castles of light are immortal,’ stated Prof. Dr. Salajdin Salihi.
Also, today during this academy, the decision of the Senate of the University of Tetova, made in the meeting held on November 19, 2024, was made public, in which it was decided to award the National Prize “Fadil Sulejmani” to Prof. Dr. Haxhere Sulejmani. This prize is given to Mrs. Haxhere Sulejmani, the wife of the Historical Rector, Prof. Dr. Fadil Sulejmani, for her outstanding merits and exceptional contribution to the foundation and development of the University of Tetova.
This academy concluded with a musical performance by the artists, who are also professors at the Faculty of Arts, Selami Kolonja and Bajramali Idrizi, accompanied on the piano by Taulant Kolonja. Afterwards, in the spaces of the Faculty of Philology, was inaugurated the Corner of Remembrance dedicated to the founder and first historical Rector of UT, Prof. Dr. Fadil Sulejmani. According to the President of the Senate of UT, Prof. Dr. Vullnet Ameti, following the “Doctor Honoris Causa” title in 2012, the establishment of the museum in Poroj in 2013, the scientific conference on the figure of Prof. Dr. Fadil Sulejmani and the scientific journal dedicated to the Professor, the erection of the statue, the naming of the University of Tetova as “Fadil Sulejmani”, the publication of the Monograph (1994/5-2004/5), and the symbolic plaque given to prominent figures of the nation with his iconic saying engraved on it: ‘… we want the pen and the notebook, we do not want violence!’; after the creation of the “Fadil Sulejmani” Foundation for Science and Innovation, and after the National Award “Fadil Sulejmani”, the inauguration of the Corner of Remembrance marks the completion of his mission, because he always envisioned the re-publication of Fadil Sulejmani’s works in exactly this way, as they were promoted today on the 116th anniversary of the Congress of Manastir. He further emphasized: “The admiration and respect for the figure of Prof. Dr. Fadil Sulejmani are as great as the deep sorrow that we no longer have him among us to see him sitting at his Corner, which is now our Corner of Remembrance.
Also, today, in a gesture of gratitude for the contributions made as Rector of the University of Tetova and earlier in other roles such as Dean of the Faculty of Law, as leader of the Student Parliament, and for all his contributions to the University of Tetova, the President of the Senate, Prof. Dr. Vullnet Ameti, presented the Rector of the UT, Prof. Dr. Jusuf Zejneli, with a plaque featuring the portrait of the founder and historical Rector, Prof. Dr. Fadil Sulejmani. The same plaque was also presented to the deans of other academic units of the University of Tetova a few days earlier.
