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Rama speaks about "The Albanian Files": The letter to the "king" was satire, the book is being attacked with "inquisition"

2026-06-28 09:50:10Politikë SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Rama speaks about "The Albanian Files": The letter to the

Prime Minister Edi Rama has reacted to the controversy surrounding the book "The Albanian Files", focusing on the letter from architect Reinier de Graaf, in which, ironically, he is suggested to become "king" instead of holding elections.

In the podcast "Flasim", Rama said that the text has been misinterpreted and used as part of an "inquisition" against the publication. According to the head of government, the letter is not a political appeal, but a text of a satirical and self-ironic nature, in line with the author's well-known style.

Rama also emphasized that "The Albanian Files" is an independent editorial project, where each architect has had complete freedom to choose his texts and materials, without interference or censorship.

“This book is called “The Albanian Files”. It is one of the most important publications that have come out in recent years in light of the architectural and urban development scene in Europe and the world.

It is a recent new publication and contains the works, projects, ideas and notes of 60 architects and studios with an undisputed international reputation, which Albania connects together throughout the pages of the book.

Now I don't want to talk about the book, but I want to talk about an inquisition that has begun regarding the book, an inquisition that stems from the spirit of the boulevard, where the protest that began for nature has created many other branches and one of the branches is precisely the inquisitorial branch, which persecutes, in quotation marks of course, but not because it doesn't persecute, but because it persecutes in the literal sense, with accusations, with slander, one of the most important things and groups that has happened and that has approached Albania in these 30 years, as well as the history of Albania.

People who, I said, have made their name and history on the world architecture scene and who have gathered, independently of each other, in Albania, as they once gathered in New York, in the 1930s, making contributions that, among other things, will make this country and the boys and girls of this country, architects, urban planners, tomorrow bring out from their bosom one or more names of Albanians who will shine on the world stage.

Because, meanwhile, here in Albania, in the capital and beyond, we have the largest and most prestigious open-air university of architecture and urban development, where all young Albanian professionals are attached to these studios and work together, learn from them and develop their talent, knowledge; they increase, without question, their expertise, thanks to this cooperation.

Now, “The Albanian Files” has been targeted by the inquisition, because I cannot call it intellectual, because it is not intellectual, but by the revolutionary inquisition of protest, while it is not my book and it is not a publication controlled by me.

I simply made a contribution there with a preface text, a preface text that I, as Prime Minister of Albania, am certainly proud to have been invited to write and that, together with this entire "army" of extraordinary architects and professionals, who are lecturers at the best universities in the world, among others; who are called to give conferences on architecture for young people, for the interested, and are paid handsomely in other countries, has come as a completely independent editorial project.

It's conceived, it's curated by Anneke Abhelakh and, as I said, it's contributions from studios that have been working in Albania for the last two decades. It's something phenomenal.

Of course there are controversial things, of course there are debatable, criticizable things, whatever you want, but to tailor such a publication, as if it were the time of the Chinese Cultural Revolution and, above all, then to be caught with a text, which is a self-ironic text by an architect who represents one of the greatest studios in the history of contemporary architecture, the "OMA" studio, founded and led by the legendary Rem Koolhaas, this is the pinnacle.

The first thing that this text puts there, which is self-ironic in a way, is a letter addressed to me, which of course is a letter that did not reach me, because it did not even need to reach me, is a note in the architect's file, where he tells me: "Why do elections have to be held? You can become a king and do what kingdoms did for architecture..." and others, and others.

Issues of dilemmas and problems that have nothing to do with any real calling to become king are turned upside down, but it shows that, in fact, the book is completely free, uncontrolled.

All authors, that is, all participants, have had complete independence in their dossier. They have chosen their own projects, they have written their own texts, they have determined the reflections and materials they wanted to publish. And it is a principle that is clearly expressed in the introduction to the book, where the editor states that the autonomy of the authors has been deliberately preserved throughout the editorial process and the inclusion of Reinier de Graaf's open letter is a testament to this autonomy.

The letter is part of the author's personal file; even the "files" themselves are an ironic reference to an Albania that comes from a time of files, while here the files are all open to the public.

He put it there, there is no editing, there is no censorship, and if it were a propaganda or politically controlled publication, this text would not have remained there, perhaps.

I have neither seen it nor have I thought of looking for it, nor have I thought of looking for the book before it was published.

And what Reinier de Graaf's letter really tells us is that, first, we need to know the author. He is not only an internationally renowned architect. He is the author of books and essays on the relationship between architecture, power, capital, and politics.

He has a world-renowned ironic, satirical, paradoxical, hyperbolic style, tools that he uses in his work, but they are not linear political statements and he writes the same way, in the same way, about London, Dubai, Russia, the Soviet Union, the European Union, China; a free man.

"And, once again, all of this turns into one of the many texts of the accusation, the inquisitorial accusation that is being made against me by all sorts of characters," Rama said.


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