FLASH
Shkruar nga Ervis Iljazaj
Like no other, he knew the nature of politics and its intrigues, which he conveyed with unparalleled elegance in the studios of the poor Albanian political debate.
When I was a political science student in Italy in the 2000s, I followed every political debate that took place in Albania. But above all, I followed every debate where Artur Zheji was on the panel. He was one of my favorites in political analysis, if not my favorite.
In front of his arguments, especially the language and metaphor that he had, everyone else seemed small. Artur Zheji in the studio was imposing and it was difficult for anyone to win a debate with him. He was a master of the word that he used to penetrate deeply into Albanian public opinion. In short, Zheji was inevitable for everything he said and wrote. He was undoubtedly one of the most influential voices of the Albanian transition.
Like no other, he managed to read the political behind-the-scenes with his intuition, an intuition that came from his education as a playwright and scholar. Like no other, he knew the political nature and its intrigues, which he conveyed with unparalleled elegance in the studios of the poor Albanian political debate. It can be said without fear that Artur Zheji was the best of Albanian political analysis, something that I have had the opportunity to tell him personally several times. Therefore, this judgment on him is not as is usually done after a person leaves this world.
In the noise of Albanian public debate, Zheji stood out for his sharp, yet calm style. He never shouted, never cursed or insulted. He simply imposed himself on the debate studios not only with his stature, but with the pathos of his analysis and elaborate arguments.
Personally, I read every one of his editorials, because he was one of the few political analysts in Albania from whom you could learn something.
Then I had the good fortune to know him closely when he was running the MAPO newspaper, about which he had a joke that we, his friends, always mentioned. "Mapo is a small newspaper, but it makes a big noise," Zheji used to say about the newspaper he ran. It made a big noise precisely because it was run by him, by the publicist that no one could avoid and every time he expressed an opinion, it influenced public opinion.
One of the reasons why I agreed to direct the MAPO Newspaper in 2017, given that I did not come from the world of journalism, was precisely because I had known Artur as its director.
Zheji, with his appearance, may have seemed arrogant, cold and unempathetic, but the truth was completely the opposite. Behind that fierce appearance, perhaps, a gentle and emotional man was hidden. Not in vain, as never before, all of Albanian politics, inside and outside the borders of Albania, the entire media world came together to express condolences for his departure.
Goodbye Arthur!
It leaves an irreparable void in the Albanian public debate.
Lini një Përgjigje