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Erion Veliaj and the use of the artist as a moral alibi

2026-05-09 14:58:00, Aktualitet CNA

Erion Veliaj and the use of the artist as a moral alibi

There is something much sadder than a politician under corruption charges. This is the moment when he tries to cover himself with the moral authority of art. When he uses a great artist as emotional decor to clean up his own public image.

This is why the scene of Robert Ndrenika kissing Erion Veliaj's forehead and saying "what's left of prison, I'll do" cannot be simply a human moment. It was in fact a political scene.

A politician facing 13 charges of corruption and money laundering is apparently no longer satisfied with propaganda, conferences, or statements from lawyers. He seeks something stronger, the emotional legitimacy that a beloved figure in Albanian art provides.

And therein lies the problem. The government has always wanted artists close to it, not because it loves art, but because it loves the moral prestige that the artist gives to the public.

A great actor becomes a kind of "emotional guarantee": if he supports it, maybe it's not so bad.

If he embraces it, maybe the accusations will be forgotten. It's the oldest technique of power, to hide behind figures that the public trusts.

Great artists throughout history have often rejected this role.

Vaclav Havel did not become a decoration of the regime. Shostakovich refused to be the sentimental face of Soviet propaganda.

They understood that the moment art is used to mitigate political responsibility, art loses its dignity and power gains a moral alibi.

And that's exactly what makes that scene so difficult. Because it wasn't just the weakness of an elderly artist in the face of his proximity to power that was visible.

It seemed like the cynical cleverness of the government using the emotion, nostalgia, and respect the public has for a stage icon to create sympathy for itself at the height of criminal charges.

The paradox in all this is that the greatest damage is not done to politics. Politics is accustomed to theater. The damage is done to the figure of the artist. Because the public no longer sees the great master of the stage; it sees a cultural symbol used as a human backdrop for the troubles of power./ CNA





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