That's how Ismail Kadare comments on Skenderbeau coverage.

Invited to the Open Studio show, Kadare said he followed this debate, which he called disturbing, Kadare correctly named Tirana's mufti explanation. He said that some young scientists and history that they call themselves smarter than in reality have created this artificial debate.

INT ERVISTA

We stay a little bit on the European identity of Albanians, which is actually a topic that you've always been willing to intervene in and say yours. I'm linking this to a recent open debate on Skenderbe's image. Take advantage of a current event that was the prayer prayer of the Muslim Community in “Square. Skenderbej”, coverage or not of the monument of Gjergotit Kanderbeu was discussed, since several screens were practically set up during the ceremony before the monument. Have you followed this debate?

Yes, I did.

Have you been disturbed?

It's disturbing, yeah. But not on that scale of disaster. I heard the Muslim Community management statements, they were correct. For example, Tirana's mufti ruled out any insults of Muslims from Gjergj Kastriot's alleged Christian figure. Thao is ours. So it's correct to explain her official. Our country needs to make it possible for religious harmony to find its normal environment. He has to take precautions.

How do you see this debate, is it artistic?

Yeah, it's artificial. It's a misunderstanding of young Albanian historians and scientists, boys and girls “moderne”, who think they're smarter than they should be when they talk about such figures as Skenderbeu, or concepts such as the nation. In their calamity, because they don't know things well, they think they've come to an age when these things are constantly reevaluated and reevaluated, and there are no nations in their minds, or now there are nations but 200 years ago, there are no nations. That's not true. This original concept, the archeo-conception of the nation has existed in various forms. Such universal forms of humanity are altered from time to time, renewed, but it is not true that the homeland has not already been invented. The word of the country has many new languages, not too late to be invented, but otherwise called before. The word patriotism has also been called different.

Today, they are wise to say there were no Albanians in Skenderbe's time. They open history catalogues, seek out and do not find the Albanian word. Most of the countries in Europe don't mean today, for their nation and their country. Germany wasn't named Germany 330-40 years ago either. Greeks all know they're called helene. However, they learn these things late. Their brains cannot adapt to that natural development of human knowledge and make very serious mistakes.

For Skenderbe, I have heard, for example, say he was not Albanian at all. How was Skenderbeu not Albanian? Who was Albanian? But there were no Albanians. Neither was Italian back then. They were called Venetians, called Romans, Napolitans. The French were called Gala, the Germans were called glass.

Yes, is Skenderbeu in your view the prince of Christianity who fought for not spreading Islam in Albania, as is now known?

It primarily fought to free Albania from Turkey, for independent states. When Skenderbeu took the stage, Albania was the Ottoman province. He did not do it to remove Muslimism, he did it to remove all Albania from the Ottoman world.

So there wasn't a religious character whose resistance?

Vetevetu has had if he wants to pull Albania out of the Ottoman Empire and restore it to the European Empire. This, their souls have encompassed this; it will neither disgrace us nor us, but it will honour all of us.

The idea of religious harmony in Albania, respect for the other is already known. Are these the clashes for Skenderbe, coming and revising, or other issues, signs that something is moving in the opposite direction?

There's something disturbing. It shouldn't be. There is one thing Albania should have clarified a little earlier. It should not be forgotten that the Communist order was unnatural and that it prevented the fundamentals in nation history from being clarified.

So maybe this is it.

You have a dedicated publication of the European identity of Albanians. Today in 2017, do you think this identity is vulnerable or is there any danger of being violated?

I have a firm opinion. Albania is a European country, not artificially European as the product of a propaganda, or an emancipative cultural current, but it is literal European. European land, history, language, customs. We don't know a few basic things about Albania, and we don't know exactly how well, how European Albania is on the Balkan peninsula compared to other countries? We do not receive European forgiveness for boasting, it is an objective reality. Albania, when I say European- in the 15th century when Skenderbeu came few Balkan countries were designated Europeans, they were barely starting. Other countries were under Russian influence, Slav, Serbia, Bulgaria, etc; hence Albania is a natural European country. Europeanism, unfortunately, will say one thing that seems extravagant, has begun with war. The war of the harsh and cruel republic that was Rome, which filled all European states at the time, was what forged Europe.

How can a republic that is supposed to be the most advanced and liberal state be what promotes the most progressive continent in the world that was created, because Europe is the continent. But the coming of Communism confused all of this. Communism wanted Europe back, which is the worst of all. World history today does not have the courage to correct this Marxist idea, which is not the west of the world. It's not Russia Slavic hope of the world, no, Europe remains again. We have to respect this. Albania today can only be European. There is no Albania-Albania, there is European Albania. We must be convinced that it is. Neither is European narcissism, nor is it to despise other countries, but Albanians will soon become European fact, starts in the Balkans, first class. Add Serbs to find out because the Albanian-Serbian conflict is very strong. For example, Greece has long failed to have this epithet because Greece has kept Byzantine heritage, has been held hostagely behind it.

So the figure of Skenderbe, is it a figure that draws us to the West?

No, but it naturally embodys the figure of Skenderbea. It's no wonder the West didn't have any accounts it won by Skenderbeu. That we think that in Venice and the Vatican, there were some things the West takes. Nothing. Nothing took the west of Albania but to rein in and shake the Ottoman Empire. Nothing else - that he would have a burden on himself - he had it later.

In addition to the debate in early September, somewhere in mid-July, if not, there has been a debate about Skenderbeun again. It was Mustafa Nano who came up with the theme that Skenderbe's mother was a Serb. Was there controversy, does the idea of his mother being a Serb affect Skenderbei's figure?

Not at all. We forget we Albanians and our modern historians that all the great European royal dynasties and families were fucking each other. So queen princesses, the vast majority are mixed blood. That's what it was, kings were made of neighboring kings. As we forget about this, I can't understand. To make shit is to change blood, to mix with another. Being a foreign mother is normal, most queens are foreign. No one who makes children says that they belong to another people.

That is true, but at that time marriages between ethnicities, as you say, were common, but not perhaps among different religions. At least that's what Mustafa Nano says. What do you think Skenderbeu, Albanian or Christian is?

Skenderbeu is a Christian Albanian, or an Albanian Christian, but he is of all, and the fact is that 500 years of Albanian history did not divide his image. First time she gets divorced today.