Arbën Xhaferi was born on Janury 24, 1948. He completed primary and secondary school in Tetova, while his did philosophical studies in Belgrade.

Until 1990, he worked at Radio and Television of Prishtina as an editor responsible for the cultural program. In the mid-1990s, he was among the first to be expelled from Prishtina Radio and Television by the Milosevic regime. After this period, he works as an analyst in the weekly “Koha” /The Time/ with Veton Surroi as editor in chief, and in “Forum” which was directed by Adem Demaçi and in several other Albanian media including also many prestigious newspapers in the world.

In the year 1993 Arbën Xhaferi will return to his homeland, Tetova, (FYROM) present-day North Macedonia, no longer as an analyst, but as a politician where, together with Menduh Thaçi, he founded the Albanian Democratic Party of Macedonia, which he led for 12 years until 2007.

He was also a MP in the Parliament of Macedonia during this period.

He will be remembered as one of the thinkers who correctly read the calendar of the time he lived in and marked that calendar with his activity and thought that spread and gave orientation to processes throughout Albanian society.

Upon returning to Macedonia, in a way, Xhaferi returned the missing honor of Albanian political thought to the Albanians. That is why he soon became the most prominent political figure, who from day to day would take on the dimensions of a nationwide thinker.

He managed to contribute to the political factorization of Albanians in North Macedonia, but also to define their place as an important factor in that country and for all Albanians.

Acting in Macedonia where he had to face the arrogance of Macedonian politics of 1990s, and the inferiority of Albanian politics, Xhaferi had to walk towards the future as the one who must strike a balance between the irrational Macedonian dreams and the very earthly goals of the Albanians.

And what will make him immortal, maybe not the political decision-making, which does not lack anyway, but his mindset, a philosophy that always saw more clearly and further than many other politicians.

The road that connects Prishtina and Belgrade bears his name. This highway is gradually coming to life.

He passed away on August 15 1912, while he was the honorary chairman of the Albanian Democratic Party of Macedonia.

Arbën Xhaferi used to say: “In my youth, being Albanian was always associated with a sense of prestige”

His work is divided into three volumes:

• First volume: Nation, identity, state
• The second volume: The Albanian cause in Macedonia
• Third volume: Albanian-Serbian relations, the Kosova Issue

/a.p./