Ferit Vokopola, a politician, theologian, translator, and organizer of the Congress of Lushnja, was one of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence in Vlora on November 28, 1912. Born in Vokopol, Berat, he was the youngest signatory of the Act of Independence and among the founders of the Tirana Madrasah, as well as one of the most representative authors of Islamic mysticism in Albania. He completed his gymnasium education in Berat and studied law and economics at Istanbul University, where he collaborated with the newspapers “Zgjimi” (“Awakening”) and “Bashkimi i Kombit” (“The Unification of the Nation”) after 1908. In 1912, he participated in the Assembly of Vlora, signing the Declaration of Independence with the initials “M. Ferit Vokopola.” He was appointed chief secretary of the Ministry of Finance in Ismail Qemali’s government and, after 1914, became chief secretary of the Ministry of World Affairs in Turhan Pashe Përmet’s government. He was a representative of Lushnja at the Congress of Durrës, delivered the opening speech, and was elected secretary. From 1923 to 1925 and again from 1927 to 1928, he served as Minister of Agriculture and Deputy of World Affairs. In 1928-1939, he was re-elected deputy representing the prefecture of Berat, where he was vice president of the Constitutional Assembly in 1928. In the legislative sphere, Vokopola distinguished himself as a key legislator in the Albanian Parliament during the 1920s and 1930s, collaborating with other deputies to prepare and approve the Civil Code of the 1930s. He was instrumental in establishing the “Muslim Community” and significantly contributed to founding the General Madrasah of Tirana. With the Italian occupation of Albania in 1939, Vokopola withdrew from political life and state administration to focus on religious activities. He worked as an associate at the Institute of History and spent his later years translating historical documents from Ottoman Turkish. He passed away in Durrës in 1969. (In the photo: Ferit Vokopola)
Text: Center of Publications for the Diaspora, Tirana
Photo: © https://sq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferit_bej_Vokopola
Graphic processing: AHCF
