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Bust of Llazar Fundo in Korça/ Filo: We will remember this important figure forever

2025-09-25 15:30:00, Aktualitet CNA

Bust of Llazar Fundo in Korça/ Filo: We will remember this important

Korça Municipal Council Meeting

In Korça, the honoring of important historical figures continues, this time focusing on Zai Fundo, a name that has left a strong mark on the intellectual and political life of the country. After naming a square near the Korça Municipality after him last year, the Municipal Council has also approved the installation of a bust in honor of this complex personality.

The mayor, Sotiraq Filo, noted that for many decades the figure of Zai Fundo has remained in the shadows, left aside by the historical circumstances of the post-World War II period.

Sotiraq Filo, Mayor of Korça Municipality

He described Fundo as an intellectual with broad training, passionate about philosophy, literature, and progressive thought, who did not hesitate to embrace the new ideas of the time.

"Now we are bringing back another proposal, to place another bust in honor of this figure. Zai Fundo is a very complex figure, who due to the historical circumstances of the years after World War II is not widely known, or almost unknown, to the Korçë and Albanian public.

Those who have been able to read more about this figure, in my opinion, would define Zai Fundo with some very important qualities for all times. Llazar Fundo was an intellectual, a man with extensive knowledge, in fields such as philosophy, literature, etc.

"He was a progressive man, so open to welcoming and incorporating the progressive ideas of the time. He was a courageous man, who had the courage to oppose something that didn't work, or injustice, the moment he saw that the theory didn't match reality, and he was an idealistic person," said Filo.

Filo underlined that the courage to oppose injustices and discrepancies between theory and reality transformed him into a rare figure, from one of the first supporters of communist ideas in the country, he also became one of their earliest critics, especially after experiencing the dictatorship of the Soviet Union firsthand.

Sotiraq Filo, Mayor of Korça Municipality

In addition, Zai Fundo remained an idealist and staunch anti-fascist, being exiled by the Italian fascist regime to the island of Ventotene due to his patriotic stances.

"All these qualities, including patriotism, made Llazar Fundo one of the first supporters of communist ideas in Albania, but also one of the first opponents of these ideas at the moment when, during his time living in the Soviet Union, he saw that there was a huge discrepancy between what communism represented as a theory, and what communism was implemented in a reality of terror of those years. So, he was the first communist and anti-communist, an anti-fascist, who for his patriotic convictions was exiled by the Italian fascists to the island of Ventotene.

"I believe that for these qualities and for what this historical figure represents, the placement of a bust in this square, named by the decision of this council, with the name of the patriot Zai Fundo, will be an element that will remember this important figure forever. It would also make our community aware of what this figure represents, especially the younger generation, which, due to the circumstances of that time, has not had the opportunity to recognize the work and what this historical figure represents," the mayor said.

The Chairman of the Korça District Council, Erjon Nexhipi, in a statement to CNA, recalled that efforts to restore the figure of Fundo to civic memory began last year, with a scientific symposium organized in collaboration with the University of Korça.

Chairman of the Korça District Council, Erjon Nexhipi

He emphasized that the appreciation of such personalities should not be limited to commemorative activities, naming squares or erecting monuments, but should be accompanied by continuous work to convey their values ??to society and the new generations.

According to him, Zai Fundo has not only contributed to Albania, but also to the European thought of the time, transforming into a multifaceted figure who deserves wider recognition and respect.

"Following the evaluation of the figure of Zai Fundo, where last year we approved the naming of a square near the Municipality of Korça, with the name Llazar Zai Fundo, we have developed with the University of Korça a scientific symposium to further highlight the activity of this multifaceted figure of Albanian culture and patriotic activity. In continuation of them, today we decided in the Municipal Council to determine the square and the decision-making for this other evaluation with a monumental bust of Zai Fundo. I think that the evaluation of such figures who have contributed not only to Albania, but to European thought, is not enough only with activities, naming squares, or placing monuments, but our society must know them more, understand their activity and the work they have left, and transmit them as added values ??of our society for generations to come", declared Nexhipi.

Placing his bust in one of the city's main squares will serve as a permanent reminder for the Korça community, giving a new dimension to the history and cultural heritage of Korça. This tribute aims to give a missing voice to a personality who, due to political conjunctures, remained in oblivion for decades, but who is today taking his rightful place in the history of the city and the country./ CNA