TIRANA, December 31 – Director Rita Shkurtaj said she sent a request to the Ministry of Culture. The goal is to declare 2026 as the “year of the lahuta.”

She spoke on RTSH1’s program “Në Kohë Reale” [In Real Time]. She explained that UNESCO recently recognized the instrument. Therefore, the next step is to dedicate the coming year to it.

Shkurtaj said the lahuta represents the oldest cultural values of Albanian folklore. These traditions are rooted in the Albanian Alps. They have remained unchanged over time.

The UNESCO recognition created enthusiasm. As a result, a festive celebration was organized in Hoti. This is where Gjergj Fishta, known as the “Homer of the Albanian nation,” first popularized the instrument.

“The Ministry of Culture organized the first celebration. Its purpose was to give visibility and acknowledge this achievement,” she said.

Shkurtaj added that the lahuta embodies thousands of years of traditional art. Albanians can experience it firsthand today.

During the concert in Hot, where Fishta wrote Lahuta e Malcisë [Lahuta of the Mountains], Shkurtaj formally submitted the request to the Ministry. The appeal is friendly, social, and fraternal. It asks for 2026 to be the year of the lahuta.

She also highlighted the instrument’s link to kreshniks and mountain towers. “No tower was complete without a lahuta,” she said. Fishta recognized this combination. He gave the instrument its name.

/a.p./