Ramazan Njala February 20, 1922 – September 24, 1982 / Grand Master" Stage actor and athlete, champion in several disciplines. He was born on February 20, 1922 in district no. 1 in Durres, after finishing excellent primary education, he also finished the city school with an economic (commercial) profile. He totally inherited the family upbringing, wise, intelligent, loving, charming and resourceful. Ramazan Njala was a man with a magnificent appearance, tall, physically strong, strong-willed, intelligent, transparent and pleasant in stories and conversations, attractive and charming, great original as an actor and writer, an excellent humorist and sensitive to to others, passionate and unrestrained towards sport and art. During his high school years, Ramazani showed his sports skills by being active with local teams. He loved his homeland, the people, he was nostalgic for his hometown, Durres. Every time in the company he emphasized the beauty of this city, its treasure the sea, the clean breeze of the hills. His sweet and ringing voice could be heard everywhere. In his memories, his childhood friends say: Zani was very organized. He would gather us, buy the ball and divide into teams, teaching us how to play football. He was the goalkeeper himself, and we won every match because Zani did not let a single ball enter our goal. But in the free time in the afternoon, he taught us how to do theater, with the scenes with carcafe and roles that he forced us to learn to memorize. April 7, 1939, Albania was invaded by Fascist Italy. The homeland was in mourning for the loss of independence. The people, especially the youth, started opposing the occupier by starting the war. Ramadan distributed tracts calling for the fight against fascism and turned the house into a base for youth gatherings. In 1939, Ramadan started work for the first time: he worked at Post-Telegraph (year 1939); in social insurance (year 1940); in the bank (1940-1942); in the transport company (year 1942-1944); in the protocol-archive of the popular council of neighborhood no. 5 Tirana (year 1945). After the liberation of Albania, Ramadan, together with the youth of Durrës, was at the forefront of the reconstruction of the country destroyed by the war. They cleaned the city, opened the drainage canals, took part in the construction of roads and railways, but always Ramadan, in addition to work, also organized sports matches, football, basketball, volleyball or parody shows with songs of popular and light music. In the years 1945-1947, during his military service in Gjirokaster, Ramadan became active in the football, volleyball and basketball teams of the brigade, division and city. This is where the first artistic-literary tendencies to write are born. In that year he created the first famous humorous poem "Gjirokaster te kam mike" In the second year of the army, he was transferred to the military hospital in Tirana from where he was recruited by the Partizan team, with whom he played as a goalkeeper for two years in a row, years in in which this team was the champion of the country. After serving in the army, he returned to Durres and married Nazime Abdulla Kila (year 1947). In 1947-1948 he worked as a specialist in the Foreign Trade Company; in Cars-export-import in the years 1948-1954; instructor in the Professional Associations of the District in the years 1954-1957; in the District Physical Education Committee in 1958-1959; in charge of the Culture Club of the Sea Port in the years 1960-1964. In these years (1947-1964), the sports activity of Ramazan Njale takes off and increases significantly in quantity and quality. He is a protagonist not only in basketball and volleyball, but also in handball, swimming and athletics. After 1947, he became active again with the national team, but this time with the volleyball team. With this team, Ramazani took part in the first Balkan games that took place in Tirana. But his popular spirit, a Durrës local, drew him to the teams of his hometown, Durres, with which he played for years and years until 1968, years of Ramadan's high achievements in the field of sports, achievements that came as a result of his realization of all norms and sports indicators. He has always been active in the first five, he has played against different national and foreign teams, feeling on himself, together with his friends Dhimitraq, Napolon, Pipi, etc., the joy of the title "Champion" in volleyball and basketball, with the team of his heart "Locomotive" of Durres. During this period, he was active as a player, coach, referee for first category matches. In 1952, he participated in the representative athletics team of the Durres district, in the 10,000-meter marathon and was ranked seventh at the national level. His sports activity has been constantly intensifying. In the years 1955-1956, the basketball and volleyball team of the city of Durres, where Ramazan was a part, was declared the national champion and given the title "Master of Sports". Ramazan Njala and some old players of the Durrsak team deserve and receive the title "Master of Sports" this year. In 1959, he participated in the first national spartakiade with the Durres team. He also had good results in swimming with different lengths and styles, water polo, football, handball, volleyball as a shooter, passer and blocker and until the end of his sports activity, with his favorite sport basketball, where he was a from the best scorers. In the years 1960-1964, in an excellent sporting form, Ramazani interrupted his activity as a player (for reasons of age) and without separated from sports, took the leadership of the city team as well as the city's youth team in volleyball, where he achieved excellent results. During the years 1960-1970, Ramazani has developed a busy sports activity, now being active as an arbitrator of the first category of hand games, a field in which he has manifested and shown the wisdom, justice and very high responsibility of referees not only in national and international meetings. Society, family education, the desire and passion to play sports, as well as European basketball stars inspired him, although he played in difficult field conditions, without material base, with poor food and financial treatment. The fighting spirit, the warm and loving public inspired and encouraged Ramazan for further successes, which he achieved one after another, thus becoming a personality in the field of sports in general and basketball and volleyball in particular. Sport needs psychological morale, and he had this, he did not know ambition, anger, dissatisfaction. They called him fireman, he accepted it and made jokes. The nicknames were not bad, Ramazani-zebra or shrimp, Dhimitraqi-goridha, Pipi (Spiro Urumi)-peanut. Ramazani has been called the best player of the time, the soul of the team, for his good skills. Today, the sports palace of the city of Durres has the name "Ramazan Njala". Over time, due to age and physical fatigue, he was forced to leave the sport, but his heart was already beating in his second desire, to activate himself in the sector of art and culture, a field in which Ramadan excelled as in the sports field. In 1964, Ramazan Njala was appointed a comedian in the troupe of the professional variety theater "A. Moisiu" in Durres. With the beautiful art of humor, especially in the field of verses and parodies, he became an idol for art lovers and the broad masses of the people, not only in Durres but in all of Albania. Historically, art and culture are among the oldest disciplines of a nation. Here the people are educated through expressions, joys, sorrows and music, etc. No one denies that when the spectator leaves the beautiful and dignified show, he feels relaxation and relief from the anxieties of life. In these activities, people born to play these roles are not given by the school, he wanted to be identified as such, Ramadan was born with these qualities. He had experimented himself since childhood. The directors didn't have a hard time, he quickly caught the problems and dramatized them in an excellent way. In appearance he was serious, but when you saw him on stage he was happy with his character performing the role he was playing, he communicated with the audience and was understood. ok There was no arrogance in the spirit of Ramadan. He knew only love and sincerity, he was tireless and sought company. When he left sports, he took with him friends in art such as Spiro Urumin, who became a well-known, excellent actor, as well as Napolon Llallen, who took part in the Skanderbeu operetta that was performed in our city, while in the variety troupe framed Enver Likmeten, Fadil Hasen etc…. His ability was to write very educational materials, in those roles the weaknesses of that time in our country are pointed out. The spectator enjoyed laughing and pondering where these weaknesses that had appeared would lead, he also studied folklore using all kinds of material. The well-known director Gjergj Vlashi remembers with nostalgia the time when he worked with Ramazan, he, says the director, stayed by my side and gave me courage while staging the show. We spent a lot of time together, at work and outside of it. Hard work and dedication damaged his health, but he never gave up, he was ready at any moment. In the conditions of that time, for various reasons, he worked until late, rehearsed for the show. Often the work did not go well, he thought how to replace one role with another, one part with another of his or his friends. The next day in the morning, he met the director and his friends, telling them that I think this part should be replaced with the other one, etc. Ramadan was tireless, ready and dedicated to do every job, he helped as the secretary of the troupe, as an accountant, he dealt with the preparations of the troupe's performance for various tours, he took over and carried out the obtaining of the permit for the amateurs, fixing the roles of characters in photographs, etc., etc. Ramadan was the spirit of sacrifice of this troupe. But the work of this well-known troupe would have no meaning without the collectivity and contribution of all, without the role of the great director Gjergj Vlashi, without Sandri, Aisha, Merop, Spiro, Fadil, Landi, Elibet, Rremen and Adam, etc. Ramadan and the troupe of Durres were welcomed not only in our city but in all the towns and villages of Albania. Has Estrada e Durres arrived? Has Ramadan come? They asked everywhere. During the performance, there were cheers and enthusiasm, especially for the different roles such as peasant, worker, intellectual, sick, etc. His performance was so original that the audience loved and sympathized with his role. Friends show that Ramadan was versatile and extraordinary, actor and director, author of skits, parodies and couplets, active in feature films, television shows, etc. the background of the Albanian variety show, but they gave impetus and rapid development to the genre of stage humor. In addition to working in the Durres variety show, in which he performed over 90 roles and created or performed about 70 couplets, he continued to train artistic groups in work centers, schools, villages, etc. In their competitions, his group was liked and appreciated with different incentives. It was interesting that wherever Zani was seen, humor was created, he could not stand the harshness and contradiction in society. The pop collective had become a second family for him. He was doing well and had made friends with every family member of his colleagues. He shared his worries and sorrows with them. Someone has called it "aspirin of stage". He constantly carried candies in his pocket and distributed them as a symbol of sweetness and understanding between people. With his sincere advice and his funny jokes, he calmed the situation, he had the feeling of compassion. Ramadan was invited to every wedding among the first. There is no citizen of Durrsak left who did not share a smile with Zani, who did not talk to him about sports or art, who did not receive from him his lively humor, optimism for understanding and cooperation with each other. He gave and shared only good and interesting news. He was the spirit of laughter with beautiful words and jokes, with songs and dances sung and played by him. He had a melodious and very intoned voice. He used to improvise humorous skits. Even in times of death and misfortune, he was at the forefront speaking, advising and giving courage. It didn't matter if he was a worker, an intellectual or in a high position. He was simple in conversations and social discussions, he showed skills even for young children. In his writings in newspapers and magazines, he gave positive examples in their education. Ramazani has been a regular correspondent of press bodies such as Bashkimi newspaper; Sporti Popullor newspaper; Hosteni magazine; Estrada magazine; stage and screen magazine etc. Regular correspondent of the radio show "Ora Gazmore", "Heroism of our people in the centuries" of radio Tirana, active in many programs of Albanian television as well as Kinostudio "Alhqiperia e Re". Approaching the stage with the shyness of the amateur who came from the production, Ramazan Njala takes on the dimensions of the accomplished professional, remaining steadfast in the power of communication, of the sacrifice to always be present and preferred on the stage, remaining in the gender of the couplet unbeatable. Zani knew several foreign languages. Ramadan's talent for photography is not forgotten by his contemporaries. There is no one who does not have a memory of him. A patriot in spirit and conscientious about everything, he fixed on his amateur camera, historical monuments, beautiful panoramas, views of the sea and squares with greenery, couples at weddings and family and social groups, beautiful matches in all kinds of sports, shows theatrical and variety shows, etc., thus creating a wonderful photography studio. But he was also a collector of various popular words and expressions, stamps of different types of countries, self-taught compiler of several dictionaries, and everything that served his fellow citizens. We cannot help but remember Ramadan as an exemplary wife and parent. His wife and daughters cannot forget Ramazan – a wonderful father, correct, serious and sensitive to every problem, Ramazan an exceptional friend and brother. So with hard work as a sportsman and artist, but also as an exemplary citizen and parent, Ramazan Njala won the gratitude and respect of everyone. It has been announced the Honor of the city of Durres, also an early street of the city is named Ramazan Njala. He gained popularity through the stage, sports, closeness with people. The year 1982 was the year of the 60th anniversary of his birth, and the family together with the pop team celebrated the anniversary of his birth on February 20, although in fulfillment of legal obligations he should retire. But he was never separated from his beloved Estrada, from his respected friends and colleagues until he finally passed away due to a serious and unexpected illness on September 24, 1982. ______________ Albanian Cinematography a public page in activity since 2013 Reference: Based on the information on the official Facebook page of the artist Ramazan Ngjala himself in 2015.
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