"Sacrifice" by Edi Rama published in Serbia

Samizdat has published a book “Sacrifice“ by Edi Rama, who was one of the protagonists of bringing down communist regime.
Source: B92 Friday, October 7, 2016 | 19:22

Rama was first appointed Minister of Culture, and afterwards he ran a race for mayor of Tirana.
He was elected Tirana Mayor by a convincing majority as he based his program on the clear vision that the city can and have to solve massive usurpations and devastations.
He fulfilled his promise: Rama will tear down, often by being personally engaged, several hundreds of ugly and scrappy facilities that hindered normal city development. He reconstructed dilapidated facades in the main city arteries, painting them in bright Mediterranean optimistic color shades.

His success with Tirana had nominated him for a leader that will bring urban order, esthetics and human dimension in the development of the whole Albania. In 2005, he was elected President of the Socialist Party, when it lost on the elections and became oppositional party. It turned out, however, that in 2009 and 2011 he had faced with two successive disappointing defeats, both on the general and local elections that were also the results of election frauds, manipulations and change of the election results on the green table. In summer 2011, with respect to these circumstances, Rama decided, deeply disappointed to make a deep reflection on the political situation and perspective of Albania.

The book Sacrifice is the result of that reflection. In its introduction, he underlined the intention “to leave authentic trace in the dramatic moment” that will result in “completely free and subjective testimony… without anesthetics or censorship”. In the book, he speaks about the businesses he had dealt with, or commenced, but failed to see through, in the manner of open accountability, so rare among politicians, especially those who have the ambition to return to power.

Although Rama deals with inner contradictions, often very specific for Albanian context, I believe that readers of the Serbian edition of the book will find in his experiences and reflections lots of matching points with the situation in Serbia and in the region on the whole, meaning that they will find the book rather interesting. Even more so given that Rama is an outstanding thinker and an accomplished stylist.

The book Sacrifice is the result of that reflection. In its introduction, he underlined the intention “to leave authentic trace in the dramatic moment” that will result in “completely free and subjective testimony… without anesthetics or censorship”. In the book, he speaks about the businesses he had dealt with, or commenced, but failed to see through, in the manner of open accountability, so rare among politicians, especially those who have the ambition to return to power.

Although Rama deals with inner contradictions, often very specific for Albanian context, I believe that readers of the Serbian edition of the book will find in his experiences and reflections lots of matching points with the situation in Serbia and in the region on the whole, meaning that they will find the book rather interesting. Even more so given that Rama is an outstanding thinker and an accomplished stylist.