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Enver's personal photo and the story of the last photo: Nexhmija told me 'give it to me'

2022-06-01 19:14:34Histori SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Enver's personal photo and the story of the last photo: Nexhmija told me
Petrit Kumi and Enver's last photo

Petrit Kumi is an old photographer from those who were among the first to photograph Albania before the '90s. Often photographed as he should be and not as he really was, he has traveled almost all over the country and for more than 15 years has been the personal photographer of the former dictator, Enver Hoxha.

Today, although an old man, he has not abandoned the tool that writes in the light (camera), but with one difference: Now he uses it for fun. Now it is not people in focus, but nature. The Kumi family has been surrounded by cameras, his wife has also been a photographer and the Kumi couple has inherited this profession from their children. Today he lives in the heart of the former Bloc, in an area where in his youth he entered only with a camera in his bag to photograph the family of the leader of that time, Enver Hoxha.

The photographer of thousands of photos in an interview for journalist Entela Resuli shows how he was photographed under dictatorship and a story about the last portrait of former dictator Hoxha.

What has been the most embarrassing moment for you?

The visits had great physical fatigue. I wanted to capture a special point and no one could imitate me. My wish was for my photograph to be taken and placed at home. The embarrassing moment was the last photo of Enver Hoxha, because I received an order when I was the director of photography at ATSH in 1984. I had to go to Enver Hoxha's house and take a picture of him. I was given a special order and one of the rooms was turned into a studio.

Why did you make the studio room?

I did not know the reason at the time. That's what I did, me and my brother-in-law, who is no longer alive and who has given me a great experience. I got him to adjust my lighting because he specialized in this part. What I remember is that I waited 13 days in a row for Enver Hoxha to come and take the picture.

Why did it take 13 days?

I could not find out at that time. Someone said he was too busy with work, someone else said another reason. Yes I was alone in that room. I went at 9am and stayed up until 2pm, every day. I would go in the morning and the guards would tell me, "do not worry that today it seems to me that it will come out". On the 13th day he came with his wife and companion Sulo Gradeci. I had prepared the studio by testing two employees who were as tall as Enver because I had to calculate the lighting for a tall man. I had taken some pictures with other people to calculate the lighting according to the schedule. After that I could not do with the same lighting as at 10 o'clock or and at 14.00. Nexhmija used to say to me: "Give it to your hands". But it was absurd that it took me 13 days to have a beautiful picture and in the end he said to me: "Give it to me".

How did you manage to take that picture?

Some of the lessons I had learned helped me. I had previously paid a visit to China where Mao Zedong's photographer showed me some tricks he did with Mao to photograph him. He first gave him a conversation, talked about economic growth or what the weather would be like, and whether he was doing well. This brought him into the mood and brought him a more hilarious look and thus freed him from the thought that he would take pictures. Even when I was in front of Enver in those moments, I saw that he was a little contracted and I said to him: "My wife Nexhmije, what if we take those children and put them around" - this is how I remembered the Chinese photographer. I could not talk about agriculture and economics because no one left me, but I thought better of those words. Nexhmija's answer was nervous: "What are you talking about", he said, "I say give it to me, you are looking for children". Someone else around was listening and acting. After 10 minutes the children came. I took the smallest one and placed it on his lap. Nexhmija says to me: "What do you do like that?". Enver was somewhat liberated and I was telling him to position himself a little. I usually grabbed it by the shoulders to set it where it needed to be better for the light, but this time they did not let me touch it. There I realized that he was ill. And from the right side no one let him touch. As soon as I took the picture, I signaled to them to remove the children and they removed them immediately. At that time I also made the famous portrait that was used a lot in those years. The fear was how these movies would come out. Color film solutions were delicate because they left no stone unturned. When it came out first, I was happy because it turned out well. There I was liberated. All this was done in their laboratory so that they would not let you go to another place. His companion then took them and fled to Paris to stamp them. That photograph (portrait) was used when he died, on April 11, 1985. When Enver Hoxha passed away, family members came to my house and said: "Where are you?". I told them they all have them. We went there and chose what was best and the whole front page of "Zeri i Popullit" came out. The last photo was taken by me. Even on the album I have tagged the last photo. In five or six months he died. The last photo was taken by me. Even on the album I have tagged the last photo. In five or six months he died. The last photo was taken by me. Even on the album I have tagged the last photo. In five or six months he died.

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