On the 100th birth anniversary of Musine Kokalari, the first Albanian
female writer and founder of a political party during the WWII, who
worked and fought for the democratization and emancipation of the
Albanian society, the Municipality of Tirana decided to name Library
no.9 of the Albanian capital after her, a place much visited by youth.
The Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, said it is crucial to never forget important stories such as Musine Kokalari’s.
“I am happy that this library is dedicated to Musine Kokalari, a symbol of literature, symbol of an open society. She had an open mind, symbol of a resistance which proves that sooner or later you may have people against you for some time, maybe even for most of the time, as it was in her case. But the day will come when what is right prevails over what is wrong”, Veliaj said.
For the Tirana Mayor, it is very important for the Abanian society to reflect on her story.
“The reason we are here is that during our time in the Ministry of Social Welfare, I understood that the case of communist files was an unhealed wound. The lesson here is not about who was on the left and who was on the right. The lesson is that extreme politics is dangerous from both sides. Extreme politics from the right lead to fascism, and extreme politics from the left lead to communism. This is why it is important to have a balanced debate, closer to the center, rather than encouraging collective hysteria that takes us towards extremism. This is exactly what is going on today in Europe, what took Britain out of the EU, and what is currently being debated in France by presidential candidates”, Veliaj said.
The Minister of Culture, Mirela Kumbaro, valued Kokalari as the symbol of an intellectual Albanian woman, symbol of a resistance that comes through the power of the mind, and not through violence.
“Dictatorship has left many victims in Albania, but Musine Kokalari is special because of her extraordinary nobility. She may have had a delicate body, but a very powerful spiritual strength, which turned her into an inspirational muse and also into a heroine. For all of these reasons we decided that the 100th birthday anniversary of Musine Kolalari should be more than the day when another victim of communism and was born. It should be the symbol of resistance that comes through the power of the mind, not through violence”, Kumbaro said.
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