The Shahiqi family leaves its mark on the Gjilan theater

There are families that inherit a surname, but there are also those that inherit an entire art history along with it.

It is a story that is built across generations, a love for art and a passion that does not fade over the years.

In Gjilan, such a story is closely linked to the Shahiqi family. 

Muharrem Shahiqi, Sabedin Shahiqi and Jashar Shahiqi are among the early names of acting, belonging to a history that has left its mark on the world of theater. 

A journey that did not remain only in their time, but continued to live on in subsequent generations.

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Today, this artistic legacy is carried on by Albani, the son of Jashar Shahiqi, as the third generation of the family involved in acting. 

For him, the stage is not just a place where characters are performed, but a part of his family history, memories, and a love that has grown with him.

"The first in our family to start dealing with theater professionally was Muharrem Shahiqi, an actor of the Kosovar Albanian culture, he was in the 50s, that is, an actor and founder of nationalities in Skopje, after a while of his contribution there, he received an invitation to form a body here to create a theater to work here. Muharrem Shahiqi is one of the founders of the Gjilan Theater in 1975, that is, as a body as a theater, because as an object this has been there even before," said Alban Shahiqi, acting director of the Gjilan Theater. 

"Behind him is his father's uncle's son, Sabedin Shahiqi, he is from the first generation of the acting school in Pristina with Professor Faruk Begolli in 1970, meaning he was a student. After Sabedin Shahiqi, meaning my father is Jashar Shahiqi from 1975-78, who was also an acting student with Faruk Begolli, because it was Professor Faruk Begolli who led the acting school, which then became an academy of arts."

In the Shahiqi family, art extends beyond acting, including painting, design, and music, making creativity part of their family identity. 

"...It's not that I didn't have any push, but completely indirectly, meaning I was influenced to be an actor, because everything that was talked about in our family was talked about theater, about drama, I came as a child and visited dramas, performances, meaning indirectly it was imposed on me without me noticing it at all, except when I saw myself wanting to study drama. I also participated as a high school student in the organizations that were held, but now my father has been okay for me to continue like this. I am the third generation of acting in Gjilan, and I feel proud to be the third generation. In our family, there is art besides acting, we have a painter in the family, my sister is a designer, the daughter of another uncle is also a designer and the son of uncle Luan Shahiqi is a painter, my brother is from the music academy, meaning art and culture have been very important in our family, and we have done it with great pleasure and with great dedication to give our country that "our art, our culture," said Alban Shahiqi. 

On September 12, actor Jashar Shahiqi, Albani's father, passed away. 

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For him, accepting this loss remains difficult, as in addition to their family bond, they also shared a love for theater and the stage.

"After a slightly more serious illness, he passed away. It is difficult for us, because we were very close to him, we were friends and colleagues together all the time, both on stage and in the community, he had a good friend, a good colleague, and they respected him because he respected them, and he had a good authority in the city and wider Kosovo. It is difficult to accept, but we must find the strength to face it because the loss of a parent was a great loss," said Alban Shahiqi. 

Shahiqi remembers his first high school play, "Veroren," as well as his first professional play, "The Albanian Titanic."

"The first play I played was 'Verore', a dramatization of a novel by our great author Rexhep Hoxha. I was in my second year of high school. I had a role as a star, I could say, which was one of the main roles, directed by Muharrem Sylejmani... While my first professional play was in 1999, immediately after the war, it was 'Titaniku Shqiptar', a comedy that was quite successful with 175 reruns. We gave it all over Kosovo, and in Dodona we had about 140 with sold tickets," said Alban Shahiqi. 

He remembers the time when hundreds of young people showed interest in acting, while today, according to him, this enthusiasm has waned and the profession requires not only talent, but also dedication and the ability to promote oneself.
Alban Shahiqi is the acting director of the Gjilan Theater, shouldering not only an institutional responsibility, but also a special connection with the history of the theater and his family. 

He also shows what he will offer the public upon taking on this task. 

"...I have some goals that I aim to achieve, the goal is to quadruple the audience and participate in festivals as well as children's theater," he said. 

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The history of the Shahiqi family proves that art is not just a profession, but a legacy that is passed down through generations. 

For Albani, preserving this path and contributing to the theater of Gjilan remains the best way to keep alive the passion and memory of those who preceded him on stage.