Farewell, Uncle Sami: A Memorial to an Idealist Albanian

By Grid Rroji

On Wednesday, November 27, 2024, the heart of Professor Sami Repishti, an intellectual humanist and one of the most prominent figures of the Albanian diaspora in America, stopped beating.

Prof. Repishti was a contemporary thinker, a central figure in promoting the Albanian National Cause in Washington and around the world, and an advocate for democratic values and freedom of thought across Albanian territories. His public life was entirely dedicated to the Albanian people and their progress.

Prof. Sami Repishti was my father’s cousin, and I had the honor of being called his nephew and calling him uncle. Thus, in these lines, I wish to remember Uncle Sami, as I always called him—not only through his public contributions, which future generations should know much more about, but also through moments of life I was fortunate and honored to share with him.

Sami Repishti’s work spans over five decades and encompasses numerous issues, but above all, he dedicated his public life to the Albanian National Cause and Kosova. Sami Repishti was a priceless treasure for the Albanian nation, and his passing impoverishes Albanian intellectual thought.

From a young age, Sami Repishti stood out for his idealism and love for his nation, a devotion he carried without condition until the very last day of his life.

A social democrat by conviction, he was an advocate of democracy, freedom of expression, and peace worldwide. But Sami Repishti never shied away from battles and challenges. On the contrary, he fought them with intellectual rigor, steadfastness against injustice, and unmatched humanism. The Albanian nation will undoubtedly produce worthy sons and daughters in the future, but none will surpass the merit of Sami Repishti.

An early antifascist, Sami Repishti participated in numerous demonstrations and activities against fascism during the occupation of Albania. In one of our conversations years ago, he told me about his involvement in the Antifascist Movement in Shkodra and the deep disappointment he felt when his former antifascist comrades turned into oppressors of their own people. “This is not what we fought and struggled for,” he had told a friend who sought to recruit him into the communist structures.

Due to his anti-communist convictions and his unyielding stance against wrongdoing, Enver Hoxha’s regime imprisoned him for 11 years. After his release, Sami Repishti made the difficult decision to leave his beloved homeland, where communists persecuted him, and he was convinced they would imprison him again under false pretenses.

In exile, despite not being in his youth, Sami Repishti dedicated himself to studies, earning his doctorate at the City University of New York and the Sorbonne in Paris.

His dissertation focused on the works of André Malraux, a French antifascist intellectual who fought the Nazis and later served as Minister of Culture under Charles de Gaulle. Malraux’s exploration of human nature in the face of injustice, oppression, and freedom—central themes in his books—resonated deeply with Professor Repishti. He himself had experienced the crushing weight of an unjust and tyrannical state, endured political imprisonment, and found freedom only after emigrating and settling in the democratic system of America.

Like Malraux, Sami Repishti viewed the Western democratic system as a beacon for democracy worldwide, dedicating himself fervently to strengthening the Albanian-American alliance.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Sami Repishti was one of the leaders who guided the activities of the Albanian-American community with wisdom and intelligence. He became a reference point for the Albanian National Cause in Washington and beyond. He became the beacon of knowledge and national action at a time when the community was rich in financial backers and well-wishers but had few visionaries and prepared individuals to tackle the era’s great challenges.

Sami Repishti’s vision for a free, united, prosperous, and above all, democratic Albania was, for decades, the guiding light for Albanians in America. He was a co-founder of the National Albanian American Council (NAAC) and the Albanian Youth in the Free World, turning them into key organizations for exposing Serbian crimes against Albanians in Kosova to American policymakers and international human rights organizations. Without Sami Repishti, the truth about Serbian terror would not have received the necessary attention, and the image of Albanians in the West—and thus the West’s approach to them—would have been far less favorable.

Thanks to his work and intellect, Sami Repishti successfully influenced policymakers in the U.S. and beyond, ensuring that the Albanian cause was addressed appropriately and based on real facts, not Serbian fabrications. To achieve this goal, he organized dozens of meetings, conferences, symposia, and seminars, where the Albanian issue was discussed based on historical facts, not the fabrications of anti-Albanian lobbies in Washington. For this, the Albanian nation will forever be grateful to its worthy son, Sami Repishti.

Among his many achievements, his most significant was representing Kosova’s case before the American public and government with a clear, well-argued, and just vision. This was a time when post-Tito Yugoslavia was the “darling” of the West, the Serbian lobby dominated the public scene, and Kosova’s cause was hindered by the negative image of the communist regime in Tirana in the West. The 1982 scientific conference, organized alongside Professor Arshi Pipa, produced a collection of Albanian thought in the West about the Albanian Issue and the relationship between Albanians and Serbs, serving as a guiding material for Western elites for a long time.

Sami Repishti and a few others successfully represented Albanians and Kosova with dignity. They revealed the truth about the suffering of Kosova’s people under Milosevic’s regime, reminded the world of the historical injustices faced by Albanians, and highlighted the systemic violations of fundamental rights in Kosova, countering Serbian efforts to denigrate Albanians as undeveloped and incapable of statehood. He always remained faithful to the truth and never fabricated facts for immediate gain. For this reason, he became a powerful and credible voice in Washington, without which much of what was achieved in Kosova and Albania would not have been possible.

His annual memoranda to the United Nations presented a clear picture of the massive human rights violations in Kosova and the historical discrimination of Albanians by Serbs. By presenting the truth to the world, he became a valuable source of information about the violations of Albanians’ rights in the former Yugoslavia.

The NATO intervention and international support for Kosova against Milosevic’s bloody regime would not have been possible without the foundations laid years earlier, and those foundations were laid by Sami Repishti and his friends. Kosova, the martyred land of the Albanian nation, will be eternally grateful to Sami Repishti for his contributions.

After the fall of communism in the 1990s and Kosova’s independence, Sami Repishti focused his attention on promoting democratic and humanist values in Albanian territories. Although he had endured political imprisonment under the communist regime, Sami Repishti never sought revenge. His immense love for Albania and its people prevented him from falling into such errors. Sami Repishti was a humanist, but above all, he loved the Albanian people and worked tirelessly to achieve their freedom and a democratic regime.

He remained steadfast in his belief that evil must be publicly acknowledged, and the crimes of communism documented and taught to future generations to prevent such tragedies from recurring. He left his memoirs written to document the hell of communist prisons and the loss of humanity among his tormentors. Pika Loti (A Drop of Tear) will stand as a testimony for future generations, a guide to the horrors of human oppression by a terrorist state. Meanwhile, Nën Hijen e Rozafës (Under the Shadow of Rozafa) is the work where, much like Malraux, he addressed the grand theme of the loss of human sensitivity by oppressors under the yoke of an oppressive ideology such as that of the communist regime. In both works, Sami Repishti displayed his humanist approach to oppression, his commitment to human freedom, and his love for his country and people.

Yet he never lost his humanity or sound reasoning, even when deeply disappointed by figures in post-communist politics, whom he had once regarded with hope. His writings in Tirana’s media revealed neither cynicism nor condescension. On the contrary, Sami Repishti offered concrete proposals to solve Albanian issues, remaining one of the few whose role as a national intellectual suited him perfectly.

In recent years, in conversations, he expressed deep disappointment with Albanian society’s failure to confront past evils, its inability to break with its dictatorial past, and, above all, the drift toward dictatorship that was once again engulfing Albania. Yet, he never ceased working to lift Albania out of its mire.

In a confidential letter sent to U.S. Ambassador Yuri Kim after her appointment but before her accreditation in Tirana, Prof. Repishti tactfully and thoughtfully laid out the political history of Albania’s transition. With great concern for democracy’s fate and the lack of a healthy opposition, he urged her to play her role as ambassador to strengthen Albania’s democratic institutions. Until his last day, Sami Repishti thought of the Albanian people, lived for them, and worked tirelessly on their behalf.

Sami Repishti was my uncle, but beyond that, he was the most humane and wise man I have ever known. Anyone who had heard the term zotnillëk (gentlemanliness) in Shkodra or beyond would understand its true definition upon meeting Sami Repishti.

When we had just arrived in the U.S. in 1995, he was the one who, with great tact and understanding of human psychology, guided me in selecting a university. I remember how proudly he introduced me to then-Mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani at Gracie Mansion, during his daughter Ava’s wedding: “This is my nephew; he graduated in Political Science.”

Later, after I completed my studies, he treated me as a colleague with his boundless humanity. When he politely asked me to present his political thought at a symposium for his 90th birthday held at Columbia University, it was the greatest honor I could have imagined. Yet, he acted as though I was doing him a favor. Thank you, Uncle Sami, for giving me the chance to contribute in some small way to highlighting your tremendous work for the Albanian nation.

In his later years, when we discussed Albania, Uncle Sami mostly listened and asked questions rather than lecturing. Ever the idealist but grounded in reality, he sought to understand political structures, relationships between parties, and the level of propaganda. Not infrequently, American statesmen—those whose opinions still carried weight even in retirement—sought his advice. Clear-minded until the end, Uncle Sami had the rare ability to deeply understand Albania while never exhausting his love for it. He never thought of narrow self-interest; Albania was always his first priority.

For me, his loss is both personal and spiritual. Therefore, in closing, I wish to say a few heartfelt words, unfiltered by professionalism, as he deserved and will always deserve.

Rest in God’s eternity, Uncle Sami. You loved Albania and Kosova more than anything else and dedicated the most important part of your being to them. You were the light of the Albanian-American community as a true intellectual, even if your true value was not always recognized. No one has contributed more to the Albanian cause during those times, especially for your beloved Kosova.

You never asked for anything, even though influential American senators and statesmen respected and supported you.
To me, you were much more than family; you were one of the few with whom I genuinely enjoyed conversing. I am honored that you called me nephew and allowed me to call you uncle.

You lived with honor and spread light wherever you went. You had a rare wife, a true lady, who remains the most dignified woman I have ever known. Darren and Ava, along with the grandchildren you left behind, are a priceless legacy that will uphold the Repishti name in America and beyond.

There are no words to express my gratitude to you. I was fortunate that our lives intersected and that I had the chance to know you closely. Thank you for enriching my life with your presence.

Rest in peace, Uncle Sami; you lived with honor and dignity. You left behind only light and goodness. May we all draw from your light, and may Albania become as you dreamed!
There could be no greater fortune for us.

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