Wednesday, December 24th 2025
He does not remember where he was at the moment when the news of the fall of the Berlin Wall was given, but he remembers the impact this event had on him and on the entire Albanian society.
On the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the writer Zija Çela answers questions about this major event, its impact on the future of Albania, about the long transition and the “culprits” of the stagnation in place number.
Mr. Çela, this year marks the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, one of those epochal events, that everyone remembers “where he was and what he was doing at those moments”. If you remember, where were you and what was your experience at that time, about the events that were unfolding with the collapse of the barrier that separated Berlin, Germany, Europe and the East from the West?
I don’t remember what I was doing, but I remember the mental movement. Paradoxically, for a few moments I was transported to China. I was thinking that compared to the Great Wall of China, although the Berlin one was much smaller, its collapse was far superior in terms of effect and symbolism. At that time I had written the novel “Blood of the Swallow” and was writing the first notes for “Half of Xhokonda”. In a reproduction cut vertically in half, ordinary people did not know who it was, not even the famous Mona Lisa. But even the inhabitants of Barabi, which was mistakenly known as Barbarì, felt like half. Therefore, all anxiety, they asked each other: Where do we have the other half? Have we never had it or have we had it and lost it? I have the impression that the fall of the Berlin Wall found our people in this state of search. He found him in political isolation, in economic misery and in search of identity. In other words, a pot with a lid, a heavy stone on top of the lid, the substance inside is boiling.
Do you think that the collapse of the Berlin Wall, thousands of kilometers away from Albania, had a direct impact on the development of events in our country?
It would be wrong to think otherwise. Regardless of where the center of an earthquake is, when it is strong, the shock wave is transmitted from territory to territory. Even the history of human development has created and creates its own tectonic plates. Their collisions are sometimes continental. It is enough to remember the effects of the French Revolution, the Leninist one in Russia, the coming to power of the Nazis, etc. The fall of the Berlin Wall was more than European. The effects would become Euro-Atlantic, because the so-called “Iron Curtain” would soon fall.
There has been a lot of criticism on the failure to realize the aspirations of 1989. There are criticisms that have appeared in some Eastern European countries. You yourself, during this period of transition, had an important role in critical moments of Albania’s political journey. Today, when you look back, how do you see this journey?
With all the criticism, there is something that can never be forgotten: the internal liberation of society, the transition from totalitarianism to democracy. What path did we follow? The one with concentric rings in the shape of a spring. If its wire is opened, it remains the same length as when it was a spring. Apart from the many twists and turns and grueling descents that take time, it also relieves tension. Any compression of the spring from up or down increases the tension, causing uncontrollable jumps. We all remember (I am not mentioning the preceding reasons) how our veins “jumped” in 1997 and we demolished the walls with yrysh. Except this time he saw the point of glory, because we broke down the walls of our common house.
Let’s take a trip back in time thirty years. Are you able to remember how you imagined Albania after 2 or 3 decades, in that distant year 1989?
We were all swept away by the exaltation, taking binoculars in our hands to see as close as possible what was actually far away. And, surprisingly, we could see all the colors, because even the mirror lenses turned into kaleidoscope glasses. Until that year, I had had the chance to see Budapest and Prague. But there were others who had seen the West. So, according to experience, everyone made comparisons with our cruelly hidden Tirana. Of course, we were dreamers. But without a complete theoretical formation for the future system, we remained somewhat at the limits of empiricism. Therefore, the whole spirit of the protest, its popular energy and aspiration, took on a somewhat general character, concentrating on the slogan of the students: “We love Albania like all of Europe!”. And it is undeniable that the West and the USA were found ready to feel this epochal transformation.
Despite the enthusiasm that engulfed young and old in those days when Albania left behind once and for all 50 years of totalitarian regime and entered a new, unknown phase of a democratic society, few felt that the road to be followed would not be a highway, but an obstacle course. The question is straightforward: What went well in the Albanian transition during these 30 years? And what went wrong?
Overall, overthrowing tyranny and embracing the new path went well. However, when we took one step forward, we still had another one behind. And what happened? We walked at first, then the movement slowed until it seemed to stop. Visualization takes me back to the static position, the one with one foot in front and the other behind. Figuratively speaking, the long transition is like a long spark, which risks tearing the saddles. Here’s what went wrong and to hell, this trance and this chance was dragged and wasted until exhaustion.
93 percent of Albanians are in favor of the integration of Albania into the European Union. Which makes us perhaps the most pro-European people, at a time of flourishing populism and extremism. However, today, 3 decades later, Albania is “still waiting at the gate”. Why this delay? What do you think are the factors that have caused us to lose the “integration train” during these 30 years?
It is not the speed of the train, so much as our clumsiness, ignorance, often selfishness and stupidity. We happened to be on the platform at the right time and even boarded the train. But after passing the first stations, we untied our wagon from the locomotive caravan. Why did we choose it? Because internal conflicts took our minds, which party would be in charge of the country and which caste would benefit the most. So, we decided to do the rest of the trip on foot. Hop here, hop there, when we arrived after 30 years, we found the gate closed. Next to the gate is marked the pressing dilemma, which once again raised debates: Why didn’t Europe accept us even this October, which the Albanians want so massively? How much happened for the needs of reforming the Union and how much for our faults? I agree that one finger, the index finger, can also be pointed at international decision makers. But, forgive me for the question, which finger is left for us to turn from ourselves?!..
Do you think that the Albanian political class as a whole – in its entire spectrum – has managed to rise to the height of weight and importance that this three-decade period has in the history of Albania?
When talking about class, class also comes to mind. Do its protagonists come from schools of modern politics? Not everyone fits into one mold. But, unfortunately, today we still have more unqualified politicians than unlicensed car drivers. Regardless of the way it was done, corrupt, anarchic, rapacious, nepotistic, capitalism has been achieved in the economy. But this does not mean that we also have capitalism, in the contemporary sense of the word. I mean models of capitalism that are based on mutual interests, the employer wins, but the employees also win. But we (there are several reasons) have one-sided exploitation, wild exploitation. Therefore, despite the change in the system, many people hate capitalism. On the other hand, from the miserable memory of the past and the very low standard of living, many people also hate socialist aspirations, those of the type with such an unreasonable distribution of income. Left and right, arguments are heard, while no doctrine is seen anywhere. The foundation of a western democratic society is the rule of law. How much do you think we have “built” this foundation during the Albanian post-communist transition. Where the power is over the state, the law is always under the feet of the governors. What iron fists have they had under their shoes, oh God, these Albanian governors?!
There is no doubt that Albania’s difficult journey, full of potholes and obstacles in these 3 decades, has brought us all down to earth and made us more realistic about what we should expect from the future. What do you think this future has in store for Albania?
But, are you really saying that we have landed with our feet on the ground?!.. Why then, these realists, now that they have landed, often say that they are in a land (political terrain), that the citizens play under their feet?! And, finally, where did we come from? The answer is known, from false illusions, which are never turning into self-reproach and self-correction. But in the face of disappointment, which has as its source lies and deception from politics, there is a shield: doubt. Active and reasonable doubt paves the way for truth, which no one possesses as an absolute. As for the future… Definitely, definitely, one day we will be members of the European Union.
One last question: Where do you see Albania in 2049?
I don’t know why, this question makes me think of Orwell. Indeed, the prophecy of “The Year ’84” was not fulfilled, because this is not in the nature of the writers, but the visions of the author have remained steadfast. In 2049, there will be more Albanians abroad. It makes me think that where they will be, Albanian will be heard less and less. Meanwhile, attracted by the climate and the sea, many more tourists will speak foreign languages in Albania. The United Europe will also look for to be reformed, due to the rivalry of the big countries and the pressure from the small countries, but being in the new imperial phase, I hope that the solutions will be reached in peace. In the divided region where the events are taking place, there are also requests for admission. The most backward city-state, where the walls are being built. But how does the design resemble the shape of the human body, except that one faces from Vitistan? When the architect is asked where the bars and barbed wire are, there are no barriers. Every time someone turns their back on another, it will probably remain for the rest of their lives
Kaynak: prizrenpost
