March 20, 1920 — May 5, 1942. A communist militant, a prominent figure of the communist movement and the National Liberation War, one of the closest comrades of Enver Hoxha in the establishment of the Communist Party of Albania and the organization of the armed uprising, leader and organizer of the Communist Youth of Albania, Hero of the People. He was born in Elbasan on March 20, 1920 into a patriotic family. As a student at the state gymnasium in Shkodra, he embraced communist ideas, joined one of the city’s cells, participated in the revolutionary youth movement and became one of the leaders of the extracurricular society “Besa Shqiptare.” In Tirana, he connected with Vasil Shanto, organized within the Communist Group of Shkodra (1937), and together with Vasil Shanto, engaged in revolutionary activities establishing communist cells, spreading communist ideas and revolutionary literature, connecting with workers and organizing actions of the school youth. In January 1939, he was arrested and sentenced to prison by the court organized by Zogu’s regime against communist elements. In the trial, he turned from accused to accuser of the regime and feudal-bourgeois order, declaring himself a communist and stating that only communism would save the masses of workers from oppression and misery. On the eve of the fascist occupation of Albania, he escaped from prison and, together with Vasil Shanto, organized the anti-fascist resistance, tirelessly working to mobilize the youth in the fight against foreign invaders and passionately propagating communist ideas. He continued his studies in Italy temporarily and upon his return home, he went underground.
After meeting with Comrade Enver Hoxha, he fully supported his platform for merging communist groups into a single Marxist-Leninist party. He participated in the Meeting for the Founding of the Communist Party of Albania as a representative of the Communist Group of Shkodra and, together with Vasil Shanto, played a significant role in supporting Comrade Enver Hoxha for its successful conclusion. He was elected a member of the Temporary Central Committee of the Communist Party of Albania and was elected as its political secretary at the meeting for the establishment of the organization of the Communist Youth of Albania. He successfully carried out many important tasks for the organization and strengthening of the Party, for armed struggle against the fascist invaders and traitors of the country, for unmasking and smashing anti-party elements, etc. He participated in the First Consultative Council of the Activists of the Party (1942). As a mature and determined communist, although young in age, with his courage, abilities and culture, he became one of the most active leaders of the Party, a talented and beloved leader of the youth, a great symbol of struggle and selflessness for the cause of the Party. Surrounded by the fascists in Tirana, he fought heroically and was killed on May 5, 1942.
Qemal Stafa was also a talented writer. His literary works mainly belong to his youth. He wrote stories, sketches and poems, some of which were published under the pseudonym “Brutus” in the progressive press of the time. He was ranked among the young realist writers of the 1930s. In his writings, he stood against the social reality of the time, focussed on ordinary people suffering from social injustices, portrayed fighters and people with strong characters who did not succumb to difficulties, who fought for a new world. In a series of journalist writings, Qemal Stafa openly presented his revolutionary ideas with maturity and conviction. His literary legacy is compiled in the volume “Autumn Reflections” (1961) and available online here.
After Liberation, the name of Qemal Stafa was given to streets and squares, schools and institutions, workplaces and military units. In the capital, a bust of the hero has been erected in the square bearing his name. The day of Qemal Stafa’s fall is commemorated as the Day of Martyrs.
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