FLASH
Shkruar nga Frrok Çupi
Gjok Beci is very close as a cultural personality, we had him among us every day, even just a short time ago. But he left a special legacy of creativity.
Gjok Beci's name is spelled Gjok Beci.
There is no room for debate, much less for nerves and passion. This is the hysteria that has overwhelmed the social media pages of some of Gjok Beci's acquaintances in Mirdita. Some pretend to know a lot, some say nothing, others pretend to know everything.
So what do you need to know in this case?
That Gjok Beci write as you like, or as he did in his lifetime, or even as you feel like writing it. All variants are acceptable and there is no room for post-mortem conflict. Just as the language and especially the Geg subdialect used in Mirditë have their own assets. So do the Roman Catholic names batica and zbatica that have been used here for many centuries.
Onomastics have concluded that the name John comes from John the Baptist. A first-century Jewish prophet, John also baptized Jesus Christ. He was also accepted in Islam, as 'the prophet Yahya'.
That's it.
Meanwhile, among us, after twenty centuries, 'sloth' in names, titles, or prophecies is not accepted.
A great debate is taking place on the occasion of the 12th anniversary of the poet's death.
On what occasion?
The local government in Mirdita has decided that the Palace of Culture in Rrëshen will be named 'Gjok Beci'. On this occasion, a sign with the name 'Gjok Beci' has been stuck on the wall. This does not leave them comfortable, because they like it with 'ë'. The ebb and flow of this name also allows the ending 'ë', but in the case when you have Gjoka there and you call him 'O Gjoka, are you coming for coffee!?'. Then the vowel 'o' is lengthened, which is normal in the dialect of the region.
With the name 'Gjok Beci' we find ourselves in the circumstances of John the Baptist, of the name Gjon e Gjin. According to onomastics.
Gjok Beci is very close as a cultural personality, we had him among us every day, even a short time ago. But he left a special legacy of creativity. Without Gjokë today we would not have monumental songs like 'Rrjedh në këngë e liđurime', 'Jam Kosova e shqiptarije', 'Xhamadani i trimërisë'...
I often think that without Gjoka we would not have the pure folklore and folk art that prevails in Mirdita. It seems to me that it is the only 'oasis' where tallavaja, an oriental, Turkish and Arabic music, does not prevail. In the art of Mirdita, the source of the folk spirit prevails; fortunately.
This is a prominent contribution by Gjok Beci, even though he is not among the women.
As for the name, how it is spelled…, the debate proves emptiness and futility. When Gjok Beci was alive, not many people 'knew' his name. Because in life, people make mistakes, and who accepts people with mistakes!. I have tried it myself, even with Gjoka, who I had also had as a teacher for a short time, in elementary school. It was the time of the dictatorship. They tell me that they imprisoned Gjok Beci. He had made a political mistake with Stalin's name. They released him for two days, but sent him to Ndërtim with a labor sentence. I arrived in Rrëshen and headed for Ndërtim, from there in the direction of Lura.
I asked the first one, "Do you know where Gjok Beci works?!"
He nodded 'no', but as I passed he turned and looked at me.
I asked the second and third: 'I'm looking for Gjok Beci!'
They didn't speak, they just turned and left.
I found him at the concrete mixer, his hands bloody from the shovel.
The fruitless debate over a personality's name is related to ignorance.
Gjok Beci was known beyond Mirdita; he was better known by Vaçe Zela, Çesk Zadeja, Lefter Çipa. Lefter even spoke to me about his close friend and called him 'Gjoku'. In Kosovo they call him 'Gjoki', the same as 'Froki'.
What's the point of this, brother!?
In Mirdita it makes more sense. Rrëshen is the only city in our country that has no street names. All the proposed names have 'blemishes', or 'mistakes'. They also removed the wonderful monument of the Four Heroines.
Someone is scanned as a partisan and someone as a ballistic, someone a communist and someone a fascist. That's how man is. Elon Musk was not born or lived in Mirdita.
Then they leave the streets empty, without names and the names without monuments. Perhaps it will be proposed to remove the sign with the name 'Gjok Beci', because there is a mistake.
Emri Gjok,Frrok, shkruhet sipas parimit fonetik të shqipes... Fjala shkruhet ashtu si shqiptohet ????