The September of Gjergj Kastrioti-Skënderbeu and Fregoli Syndrome

As a sign of gratitude and respect for the all-round contribution of the people of Arbëresh in Italy and especially for the unparalleled solidarity they showed by opening the doors of their homes and generous hearts for Albanians deported during the implementation of the genocide of Serbia in the war of 1998-1999, in September of In 2023, the Association "Hora e Skënderbeu" undertook the initiative, in the name of the Albanian emigrants, to donate to them the statue of Gjergj Kastriot-Skënderbeu.

Since Hora e Arbëreshëvet (Village of Arbëreshëvet), which today is known as Piana degli Albanesi, is one of the earliest settlements of Arbëreshëvet in Italy, which was founded on the 20th anniversary of the death of Gjergj Kastriot, in 1488, the Chairmanship of the Association "Hora e Skënderbeu" and the authorities of the Municipality of Hora e Arbëreshëvet had decided that the inauguration of the statue should take place on the day of the celebration of the establishment of this settlement of Arbëresh.

The publication of the image of the magnificent statue (over three meters high), skillfully crafted by the sculptor Gëzim Muriqi, excited a considerable number of Albanians from all over the world, who financially supported the realization of this work of great artistic value. .

During a full year that the project of this statue was public, no art critic made any remarks about the innovations brought by the sculptor Gëzim Muriqi to the appearance of the national emblematic figure of Gjergj Kastriot-Skënderbeu.

The Mayor of Hora e Arbëreshëvet, Rosario Petta, and other municipal authorities organized the welcome dinner for hundreds of guests who had come from Australia, the USA, Canada, the Scandinavian countries, various countries of Western Europe, Albania, Kosovo, the Valley of Preshevo, North Macedonia and Montenegro. In addition to the municipal authorities, the people of Arbëresh offered us an extraordinary hospitality wherever we went. Excited by the greatness of the statue, the local Arbëresh residents and those who had come from other Arbëresh settlements in Italy, kissed the hands of the great master, Gëzim Muriqi, and continuously blessed him for this wonderful work of art.

The political attacks that followed after the inauguration of the statue forced me to recall some magnificent moments that accompanied us during our stay of several days in Hora e Arbëreshëvet! Albanians as Albanians all the time sang, danced, assembled, had lunch and dinner and all had left the party, ideological and religious clothing in their homes! At our table where Enver Dugolli and Agim Morina sang as a duet, no one saw anyone as a representative of VV, PDK, LDK, AAK, Social Democratic Initiative, Socialist Party, Democratic Party; no one interpreted the presence of ministers, deputies and politicians from Kosovo as a presence in function of political goals; nobody saw anyone like Drenicak, Dukagjinas, Llapjan, Shaljan, Tetovar, Preshevar, Strugan, Dibran, Shkodran, Tirana, highlanders of Nikaj-Mërturi of Tropoja, etc. Everyone had come there as Albanians, who had been united by Gjergj Kastrioti-Skënderbeu!

Based on the fact that, in addition to the official invitations addressed to the officials of the Albanian state institutions in the Balkans, which the host of the statue's inauguration had made, there was a public invitation from the Hora e Arbëreshëvet Municipality and the "Hora e Skënderbeu" Association, addressed to them all Albanians without political, ideological, religious differences or the countries where they live. That's why I didn't think that the presence of the Speaker of the Assembly of Albania, Mrs. Elisa Spiropoli, in this inauguration, would provoke reactions, which aim to desecrate the wonderful artistic work of Gëzim Muriqi!

In order to manipulate people blinded by the ideological point of view, perverse authors created a montage, which removes the facial features of Edi Rama from the figure of the sculpture of Gjergj Kastrioti-Skënderbeu!

Different computer technology programs enable us to give the features of any politician to Nasradin Hoxha's donkey or the Trojan Horse. We should not even rule out the possibility that, with manipulations of this nature, we will see the distribution on social networks of Gjergj Kastriot sculpted by Gëzim Muriqi on Skenderbeu's horse with facial features of some Albanian politician! But manipulations of this nature cannot desecrate the indisputable values ??of the artistic work of Gjergj Kastriot-Skënderbeu, neatly realized by Gëzim Muriqi!

To see in the sculpture of Gjergj Kastrioti - Skenderbeu, made by Gëzim Muriqi, features of Edi Rama's face is nothing but a manifestation of Fregoli Syndrome. I am clarifying for the readers who do not know about this syndrome, that it is a mental disorder, which manifests in the patient as a belief that a person of his has been transformed from his physical appearance only to persecute him. "Ordinary" patients believe that the persecutor is someone close to them, while for "politicians" affected by this syndrome, their political opponent is the persecutor who builds the voice, the clothing, and even the matter in the artistic works,

to create another appearance, as the Italian actor Leopardo Fregoli, from whom this syndrome takes its name, did with extraordinary speed on the stage of the theater. The doctor knows that Fregoli Syndrome affects people with schizophrenia, epilepsy or dementia. The only way to help the patient affected by Fregoli Syndrome is not to join his paranoid world. On the contrary, joining his world, just to please him, risks his whole circle to be affected by this syndrome.

Therefore, all those who see in the sculpture of Skanderbeg by the artist Muriqi features of Edi Rama are affected, directly or indirectly, by this mental disorder.

Those affected by this syndrome are not enough. In addition to the aforementioned manipulation with computer technology, the wolf skin on the shoulder of the stature of Gjergj Kastriot-Skënderbeu looks like a fox skin to the ideologically blinded foxes.

The presence of the symbol of the wolf in the flayed skin on the statue sculpted by Gëzim Muriqi is one of the elements that present the originality of the artistic presentation of the national emblematic figure of Gjergj Kastriot-Skënderbeu!

Art critic Ilir Muharremi made an interesting and accurate approach to the historical and cultural aspect of the symbolism of the wolf in antiquity. However, to fully understand the meaning of a symbol, it must be seen in the context of the time to which the artist refers.

In this context I am mentioning two things:

First, I am emphasizing that in the Middle Ages, under the influence of the Church, the symbol of the wolf lost all the positive qualities that different societies had attributed to it during antiquity and turned into the most dangerous animal, with many negative traits. Figuratively, the wolf was used as a symbol, which constantly threatened the "flock of sheep", therefore the "shepherds" had to draw people's attention, so that they would be more alert to the dangers of those who pretend to be "lambs"!

Secondly, during several millennia, the Albanian highlanders, who were mainly engaged in animal husbandry, carried fur from the skin of rams!

If we consider these two facts, then the wolf skin on the shoulders of the statue of Gjergj Kastriot-Skënderbeu takes on a special symbolism: all those who can take Albanians for sheep and lambs should know that they will face that , who carries on his shoulder the skin of a flayed wolf.

Meanwhile, those who look for the hair in the egg, know very well that the cape and clothing of Gjergj Kastriot-Skënderbeu in the sculpture of the artist Gëzim Muriqi has nothing in common with the Vikings, but is an original finding of the artist, because nothing better than the position of the sides of the cape in this sculpture cannot reflect the storm that constantly threatened our homeland.

That is why the position of the National Emblem, Gjergj Kastriot-Skënderbeu, in a state of readiness, on the rock of the homeland that bears the wounds of hostile attempts to tear it apart, and steadfast in the face of the storms of time, which reflect the sides of the cape, was imprinted in our soul as a A masterpiece that will live on for millennia!

SP

During the last decades, the social perception of the wolf has changed significantly. It is possible that, over time, the symbolism of this animal in artistic works will also change.

Even the perception of foxes has changed. Today, the ability of this animal to find creative solutions to the problems that come before it and to adapt to new circumstances is appreciated.

Today there are still some ladies and gentlemen of the night brothels who, to hide their nudity, continue to wear furs with fox skin collars, and Balkan politicians who operate with the old phrase: when the fox's tail burns, let the whole village burns!