AZEM AND SHOTË GALICA – HEROISMS THAT POLITICS FORGOT BUT THE NATION MUST NEVER FORGET
By Flamur Bucpapaj
Albanian history has produced heroes of both the rifle and the pen, but few figures stand as tall in the memory of resistance as Azem and Shotë Galica. They were not merely husband and wife – they were the embodiment of a nation that refused to bow, of a love bound in battle, and of an unshakable loyalty to the red-and-black flag.
Historical Context: A Divided Nation
After the Declaration of Independence on November 28, 1912, Albania was mutilated by the London Conference of Ambassadors, where most of Kosovo was handed to Serbia. Crimes, burnings, and mass expulsions against the Albanian population began. Ismail Qemali’s government was powerless to defend the territories left outside the new borders.
In this climate of repression, in Drenica there arose and grew the spirit of an armed movement that would never accept Serbian rule.
Azem Galica – The Mountain Strategist
Born in 1889 in Galica, Drenica, Azem Bejta (Galica) joined the uprisings against the Ottoman Empire (1910, 1912) at a young age. After the Serbian occupation, he became commander of one of the most renowned resistance bands. Modestly armed but rich in experience and guerrilla strategy, he struck Serbian garrisons, disrupted enemy communications, and kept the morale of his people alive.
Some of Azem Galica’s notable battles include:
Battle of Galica (1915): One of the first clashes in which his band temporarily drove Serbian forces from the area.
Battle of Morina (1917): With only 40 fighters, he faced an entire Serbian battalion, inflicting heavy losses.
Action in Skenderaj (1921): A surprise attack on the Serbian garrison to free imprisoned Albanians.
Battle of Drenica (1924): His final major clash, in which he was gravely wounded and lost his life.
Shotë Galica – The “Lady of the Rifle”
Qerime Halili, known as Shotë Galica, was born in 1895 in Drenica. She was not just Azem’s wife but a fearless fighter who carried the rifle in every battle. Her participation was extraordinary for the time, breaking the boundaries of women’s roles in traditional society.
In Azem’s absence, Shota often commanded the band, organized supplies, and kept the resistance spirit alive. After Azem’s death in 1924, she continued the fight for two more years until, sick with tuberculosis, she crossed into Albania.
She took part in the Dukagjin and Junik uprisings (1919–1923), defending the neutral zones of Junik and Small Drenica. After Azem’s death, she fought alongside Bajram Curri in the Has and Luma regions.
Her words remain a testament to her vision:
“Life without knowledge is like a war without weapons.”
Azem Galica – A Determined Guerrilla
He grew up in a family that had already paid the price in blood; his father, Bejta Galica, had been killed fighting the occupiers. Azem fought in the Balkan Wars as part of the Committee for the Defense of Kosovo and commanded Kaçak bands that resisted the Serbian, Austro-Hungarian, and Bulgarian occupations during World War I.
In 1918, together with local armed groups, he took Peja and captured entire Serbian and Austro-Hungarian garrisons.
The Final Years of Shotë Galica
For two years after Azem’s death, Shota fought with courage. She later withdrew to Albania, ill and wounded, caring for the orphans of fallen comrades. She wrote a moving letter to King Zog expressing her dire poverty:
Yet no help came. She died in Fushë-Krujë in July 1927.
Monuments of Forgetfulness and Memory
Their kulla (stone tower) in Galica was destroyed during the bombardments of 1924, but it was rebuilt in 2010 by Kosovo’s authorities as a symbol of national resistance.
Institutional Betrayal in Tirana
Instead of opening its doors and giving her the care she deserved, the Albanian state of the time let her live in misery in Fushë-Krujë, where she died in July 1927. Her grave never received the proper state honors. This is a black stain on the national memory.
Why Are Azem and Shota Still Not on the Nation’s Altar?
Albanian governments of all periods – from Zog to the communist regime and even today – have been lukewarm in honoring them. The reasons lie in political calculations and fear of tensions with Serbia. But such fear is an insult to the blood shed for freedom.
Call to Action
As an Albanian and a nationalist, I firmly demand:
Shotë Galica must immediately be declared a “National Heroine” of Albania and be buried in the National Martyrs’ Cemetery or in Prishtina, alongside other great figures of liberty.
Azem Galica must receive overdue state honors with a proper memorial in Tirana and Prishtina.
Their legacy must be included in school curricula as examples of national resistance so future generations understand that freedom was not won at diplomatic tables but in the mountains and fields with the blood of our best.
A Nation That Forgets Its Heroes, Forgets Itself
It is unacceptable that Shotë Galica does not yet hold the title of “National Heroine” in Albania. It is unforgivable that her grave is not in the National Martyrs’ Cemetery. Kosovo remembers her as a heroine; Albania has no reason to remain silent.
The kulla in Galica, destroyed in 1924 and rebuilt in 2010, stands as a symbol – but memory must live not only in stone; it must breathe in the conscience of every Albanian.
Delayed Honor
Azem and Shotë Galica were not just fighters – they were the beating heart of Kosovo’s freedom and the dignity of the entire Albanian nation. They understood that Albania is not just a place on a map, but an eternal oath among Albanians wherever they are.
The deliberate silence and forgetfulness of Albanian governments toward them cannot erase the blood they shed or the glory they won with rifle and sacrifice. This moral debt must no longer go unpaid.
Today, Albania and Kosovo must raise for Azem and Shota the tallest monuments – not only of stone and bronze but within the very national conscience. They must be officially declared National Hero and National Heroine, laid to rest among the greatest of the nation, and taught generation after generation as examples of Albanian courage and honor.
Because Albania is one, and their vow was for it to be free and united.
This is our duty. This is our honor. This is our blood.
