When Ahmet Spahiu was 18 years old: We used to take women as hostages, after the show we would take them home

- Article published in the Albanian Political Weekly "Zëri", in 2000, under the column "When I was 18 years old" -

Prepared by: Luljeta Tahiraj

Then, when I was almost 18 years old, almost all Albanians had very difficult conditions, I can say that 90 percent of them have struggled for existence. It was a very big crisis for bread, at that time when I was 18 years old. I know a case when my mother was knocked down while waiting for bread... - This is how the actor Ahmet Spahiu speaks, who, when he started talking about his mother, his eyes filled with tears and he could not finish the sentence...

I, first, would have added something about myself before the age of 18 ... My father died at the age of 42, leaving me at 17, when I was forced to stop schooling for reasons of existence. I had to work everything, so my life, as an 18-year-old, has been very difficult. To tell you the truth, I matured prematurely for work.

During the time of the former Yugoslavia, then of Krajli, after the First World War, there was a school with four classes - preschool, first, second and third classes. In the second grade, I became obsessed with the Second World War. I was very lucky to have the only Albanian teacher in Pejë, as well as to have a class full of Albanians. That teacher was Pavël Lumezi. We have had a condition that whoever can master the Albanian script within two or three months, then he can pass to the fourth grade.

I remember that once with my teacher's son we went to the Catholic Church of Peja and, for the first time, I saw the Ahqipe primer there.

My teacher was shot by the partisans in 1945, because he was very active then...

I worked everything...

To return to the age of 18. At this age, I never thought about anything other than how to support my family: my two brothers, my sister and my mother.

I worked as a craftsman, but I also dealt with trade, such as: tree seller, then tailor, and many, many other heavy jobs. I worked only to survive, because we were left without a father and without a home and I had to somehow secure my life... We also had land. I had to learn a lot of other things, which I was still new to. So I dropped out of high school.

So, the age of 18 has found me in a very difficult situation, but still that age has been the best age, because as an 18-year-old and as a young person, you think in stages, for example, one moment you think for love, after one or two hours he thinks about Albanianism, then about education... and, finally, he thinks about eating. I have been like that, and it has sometimes happened to me that I do not eat bread the whole day, running after other things, therefore the greatest pleasure has been at that time, even though there have been many people followed, disordered things, circumstances and completely different conditions. So, as a young man, even though I had problems, I still knew how to enjoy myself, even though, back then, in our time, we had neither radio nor TV, let alone computers and other things.

But, at that age, I was involved in drama, in the company of that time "Ramiz Sadiku". Later we formed the amateur theater, where I was also accepted as a professional.

He was one of the greatest joys that I was accepted into the drama, I don't know how to describe it. My father was a priest, an imam in the mosque, which the whole of Peja knew, and that is why they accepted me there.

Then, almost all Albanians have had very difficult conditions, I can say that 90 percent of them have struggled for existence. It was a very big crisis for bread, at that time, when I was 18 years old. I know a case when my mother was knocked down while waiting for bread... She, the desolate one, was left as a young woman without a husband and had to carry the burden of the whole family herself. I, as a young man, tried to help them, but still sometimes I left home and temporarily forgot about those problems, while she was always full of problems.

My peers started to continue their education later, that is, after I started, because no one then started as an 18-year-old.

The first shows were phenomenal

I remember the first shows, which were phenomenal, especially the show "Cubat" by Schiller. There was a situation of how people could have so much patience. The show started at 19:00 and lasted until 02:00, after midnight, but the audience didn't move at all until we finished the show completely. So, it was something extraordinary and from that time I began to love the theater very much. Then I had a special love for the theater that I can't even say or express.

At that time, we did not have such great opportunities to do who knows what, but everything was in order. In another show, Krista Berisha and I played as two merchants, which also left a great impression on me. We also went to the Festival of Amateur Theaters in Belgrade, where we won first place. I played an episodic role, but quite importantly, and then I continued the main role in that part, since one of them was transferred from there and I replaced him.

Winning the first place then was something indescribable for us, because it was a big fight for victory, since only two amateur theaters from Belgrade competed, let alone from other countries.

Then, in the beginning, we had a great lack of women, those of us who were in the theater, but not later. With our authority, we have managed to minimize or eliminate the problems with women, because we have taken the women from home, in trust, and always escorted them home after the show. In fact, we, at that most dangerous age, have run away from those loves, but we have been even more reluctant and we have known how to hide or suppress our feelings for love.

All the theaters, and even the one in Prishtina and Prizren, which was formed in 1946 as a professional theater, had a lack of women, even more than us.

We also went on various tours. We went to Macedonia several times, but I remember that once we went to give a play, which we later adapted and titled "Safete". Some women came with us there. They allowed their parents to come, which was very difficult then for women to go abroad. Some did not even allow them to go through Kosovo and leave it outside of Kosovo.

Sympathies existed even then. I can't say that I didn't have any sympathy, or that I didn't get close to any woman, and maybe she also had sympathy for me, but, as I said earlier, that time did not allow us to do such things .

In that collective I was the youngest, except for Shefqet Loc, who died very young.

My biggest preoccupation has been towards the theater, thanking Krista Berisha, who has done a lot for art. Of course, there are many others who have contributed greatly. But, of my generation, which we started together, we are still alive three men and two women.

The biggest entertainment was in the theater

Back then, we didn't have a cafe, but as a young man I also went out, but only when I had time. Even before the age of 18, before my father's death, I went to the Academy and to the theater, in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, whenever I had time, because we didn't have much time for entertainment, since we were oriented elsewhere .

The biggest entertainment was in the theater. Then I got a job there and connected with those people, with that society, with that circle... One or two concerts were given in ShKA, since then they have been very rare. The greatest pleasure of life at that time was in the afternoon, "Ora Gazmore", which was a small radio station with a few loudspeakers in the center of the city, when people gathered there around 18:00 pm to listen to that half-hour show.

My friends were older than me, 4-5 years or even more, but they never left me aside. They loved me and we were always together, as if I was their age, which left a big impression on me.

We have always celebrated national holidays. We used to go out on different picnics together with the whole group, such as: Ramiz Loxha (cousin of Ragip Loxha), the oldest Hamzë Begolli, Ragip Loxha, Kristë Berisha, Muharrem Dina who is still alive, Viktor Gashi still alive, Kadrush Bala... There were many others, but these are some of those who have been regulars everywhere.

I had another company with people who worked different jobs, where we also sang different songs together. During that time there was more or less some censorship. You couldn't raise your voice and sing a patriotic song. But that song that was in the Albanian language was a genuine Albanian song, not like now that some of our songs are mixed with Romani, Turkish, Arabic melodies...

We even sang...

That society that we called "Progress", I remember like today, that during Ramadan, to entertain the whole city of Peja, we cleaned a dilapidated house near the "Bakraq Mill" and we sang.

Even Qamili i Vogël came to sing for the citizens of Peja, where we had a great time. And even the citizens of Peja left quite satisfied praising us for doing a very good thing.

In the beginning, we formed that society as a football society, where we played football. We registered it in Pristina under the pretext of moving to another company. We also had the Bakraqi brothers there, all musicians, and we formed a pretty good orchestra.

Girls also came there wrapped in sheets and stayed until the time of Suhoor. At that time it was a very big attraction. Many girls were announced there and then got married, as they said that with this job we have won "hell". It is characteristic that even those, who are considered to be great religious people, did not prevent the girls, on the contrary, they also came and participated there.

Those days will always remain fresh in my memory, especially this age of 18...

Meanwhile, I have a great love for Peja, because I have spent most of my life there, and also my best age. Now there I have my two brothers and sister, mother and father buried, the company of that time. And, in Pristina, when I came for the first time, I remember that near where the Grand hotel is now, I had the heel of my shoe stuck in the mud, what I mean is that Pristina has changed a lot now.

But I had instructed the 18-year-olds not to neglect education, because we still need wise people. Our young people should be more engaged in terms of learning, profession and not fall under the influence of their parents or anyone else, but choose their own path. It is not important which profession they choose, what is important is that they find themselves there and that no one steps on them, that is, they are educated.

At the age of 18, education has always been in my heart. /Telegraph/