The Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, attended the opening of an exhibition today dedicated to the poet, publicist, journalist, and activist Afrim Maliqi.
In her address to the attendees, Acting President Haxhiu stated that Afrim Maliqi remains in our memory as a poet, critic, and journalist, but also as an activist and a martyr for Kosovo’s freedom.
“In this exhibition, we encounter him in a different way. We meet him through manuscripts where his corrections are still visible, and through letters he wrote to his loved ones. We see him through photographs from various stages of his life, drawings others made of him, and a family postcard. These are documents that were not created for public display, yet today they bring us closer to Afrim. And, through him, they also bring us closer to the era in which he lived and wrote,” said Acting President Haxhiu. She further noted that we usually remember the 1990s through major events—repression, exclusion, violence, and war—but that documents like these also reveal what daily life was like during that era: how a newspaper operated under pressure, how a line of text was edited, or how a letter was written to one’s family.
“These documents also trace Afrim’s path. He came to journalism from a background in literature. At the Bujku newsroom, he began by writing about culture and education. However, the unfolding years demanded more of him. He started writing about the discrimination Albanians faced in their workplaces, as well as the escalating repression and violence. Every such article carried its own risks, and Afrim was well aware of this. To the Serbian authorities, a voice like his posed a significant obstacle,” stated Acting President Haxhiu.
Acting President Haxhiu added that, alongside his journalism, he continued to write poetry, essays, and literary criticism. “For Afrim, literature and journalism were not two separate worlds. They stemmed from the same attentiveness to the country, the times, and its people. Over the years, this commitment also took the form of direct action for Kosovo’s freedom. On December 2, 1998, Afrim Maliqi was killed in Prishtina in an ambush by Serbian forces, alongside his comrades from Llap: Hyzri Talla and Ilir Durmishi. All three fell as martyrs. Afrim was only 33 years old. His friends remember him as a quiet, kind young man, yet one with very sharp convictions. Today, we honor all three with our utmost respect,” added Acting President Haxhiu.
She further noted that Afrim Maliqi’s memory and legacy have been honored over the years.
“On November 28, 2012, President Atifete Jahjaga awarded him the Order of Freedom. In Podujevë, the ‘Afrim Maliqi’ literary award bears his name. This exhibition adds something else to this remembrance: the trace of his own hand,” she emphasized.
Regarding this, the Acting President Haxhiu expressed gratitude to the National Library of Kosovo and its staff for handling these documents with the care that such a legacy demands.
“I extend special thanks to Sevdije Maliqi, Afrim’s wife, who—together with Munish Hyseni—compiled his writings into two volumes in 2007. Owing to that work, today we have more of Afrim’s writing to read. Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” said Acting President Haxhiu.
She further noted that a portion of what Afrim left behind has not yet been collected.
“It remains preserved in notebooks and on loose sheets of paper, in the homes of his friends and relatives. Therefore, I support the idea of consolidating everything into an ‘Afrim Maliqi’ Personal Collection here at the National Library of Kosovo. Preserving this legacy is the responsibility of our institutions. It is a responsibility toward Afrim Maliqi, toward his generation, and toward those who will come after us,” she emphasized.
Acting President Haxhiu remarked that Afrim wrote during years when the space for the Albanian word was shrinking day by day. “Today, his manuscripts have their place in the National Library. But his work also belongs to the reader. The best way to remember him is to read him,” stated Acting President Haxhiu.
