Sabri Godo immortalized in marble bust next to Parliament

TIRANA, May 10 – One and a half years after his death, historian and writer Sabri Godo, also one of the prominent figures of Albania’s political scene in the post 1990s known for his voice of reason and moderation, has been immortalized in a bust in the Tirana city centre. Located in the Murat Toptani pedestrian promenade next to the Parliament and Academy of Science buildings, the marble bust created by Italian sculptor Paolo Viaggi, was inaugurated on May 10 in a ceremony bringing together politicians, diplomats and family members.
“His absence and the void he left is felt by each of us but maybe the push and emergency to have him in this form among us shows something to every one of us, be us local or central government officials, majority of opposition MPs, writers, scientists, ambassadors, civil society members or ordinary citizens, and that is the need for rational balance, sound reason in every daily or strategic issue, personal, family, civic or state or national issues which the wise old man Sabri Godo always carried with him,” said Tirana Mayor Lulzim Basha speaking at the inauguration ceremony.
EU Ambassador to Albania, Ettore Sequi also hailed Godo as a friend everybody would like to have next to.
“He was the friend everybody would like to have next to, he was the example everybody aspired to, he was the wise man everybody liked to listen to. To me, he was a true friend who was close to me in every moment, he was close to a new diplomat who needed his advice and we have here a really great man, a great Albanian, a great friend,” said Sequi.
Culture Minister Visar Zhiti said Sabri Godo had returned back to Parliament and the temple of the country’s Constitution as one of his drafters.
“He is back to where he left. Now he is next to Parliament forever. Sabri Godo was a fighter of freedom, a Constitution drafter. He was also great writer and brought to Albanian readers Skanderbeg, Ali pashe Tepelena and the “Plaku i Butk쳢 (The old man of Butka),” said Zhiti.
Ermira Godo, one of Sabri Godo’s daughters described the inauguration of the bust as a day of rest in peace.
Godo, who passed away on Dec 3, at 82, following a lengthy fight with lung cancer, left behind a strong legacy in Albania’s history, politics and literature.
Godo got involved in his country’s fortunes early. At 14, he joined the Albanian partisans fighting to free Albania during World War II. After the war, his fortunes went up and down with the changes and purges of the communist regime נin the beginning he was favored by the communist establishment thanks to his war service, then threatened due to ties to dissidents. Through it all, Godo turned to literature. He wrote important books of a historical nature, focusing on important Albanian leaders like Scanderbeg, the country’s national hero, and Ali Pash롔epelana, an Albanian Ottoman ruler who created a virtual independent state within the Ottoman Empire in the midst of its rule of the Balkans. He also wrote sharp editorials for Hosteni, a satirical magazine and one of the few media outlets in communist Albania where sharp writing went unpunished.
Godo stepped into the Albanian political scene as communism crumbled. In 1991, he founded the Albanian Republican Party, leading it for several years. During that time, he served two terms in the Albanian Parliament, heading prestigious foreign affairs committee among other duties. But Godo is also known as one of the drafters of Albania’s constitution.
Although he was semi-retired from politics, in the last few years, Godo continued to be a go-to adviser for matters of national importance by both the country’s leadership and the media.