Fast Forward

lack limousine, but in a white electric
car. Our first stop is a homeless shelter
on the outskirts of the city, which
will be opened today with the Italian
ambassador. Then it’s on to the town
hall, where Veliaj meets with students
who have completed an internship with
the city. A group of school children
that is also scheduled to meet with
the mayor, is already waiting loudly.
Our interview takes place during our
drive and between appointments. One
can sense both his great conviction
and his aversion towards his political
opponents.
In 2003 you were one of the co-founders of MJAFT!
What was your most important concern?
From 2002 to 2003 I lived in Rwanda, conducting research
for my final thesis in political science. A man I interviewed
and who was involved in the genocide there asked me
where I came from. When I answered “From Albania”, he
said “Oh, I’m sorry. It must be terrible there.” That was a
wake-up call. Why did he have such a negative impression
of my country? I decided to return to Albania.
MJAFT! started out as a youth movement. Our most
important goal was to fight against the apathy that was
ubiquitous at the time. We held street theatre performances
and mocked the prevailing conditions. The strong impact
we had led to concessions from the government. Some ministers
were dismissed, and prices for certain goods which
were monopolized by the state – such as energy – were
reduced. MJAFT! quickly became popular. But over the
years we increasingly felt like a placebo: ultimately, the
same politicians remained in office. We decided to run for
the Socialist Party of Albania (PS) ourselves and to cooperate
with Edi Rama, then Mayor of Tirana. After losing in
2009, we won the elections in 2013. Rama became prime
minister and I became one of his ministers.
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What aspects of the communist regime can still be felt
in the country today? Albania was more isolated than
East Germany.
It was a nanny state. This means the state knows
everything, takes care of everything, and this is not discussed.
The Communist Party decided whether you would
go to university, what you studied, where you worked, and