ELEONORA The woman from Kombinat’s one million “hostages” Her real name is Eleonora Bregu. Later, many came to know her by the title “Lady of the Spirit.” But who, in fact, is the woman who receives and sees off thousands of believers at the “Holy Vakëf” of Selita? What really happens within the 16,000 square meters enclosed on the outskirts of the capital... On pages 2–3 Eleonora, “Lady of the Spirit”

paradox Edmond TUPJA For years, we have been talking, talking too much and talking endlessly about emigration and emigrants, especially undocumented migrants. You need only glance at the newspapers and listen to the news on the radio or television, and you will be convinced of this to the point of nausea, pain and disgust. Yet there is a tiny detail that does not escape the attentive eye of someone who knows at least one Western language: whenever Albania is being discussed, the words emigration and emigrant are used, never immigration and immigrant. A Western thing. So, there are no immigrants in Albania, and there cannot be any, for reasons by now quite well known. I was convinced of this until yesterday afternoon, but late last night, as I sat on the balcony chatting with my old neighbor Aqif Qifa, I learned with surprise that this rule or apparently quite absolute law also had an exception. My friend had heard it with his own infallible ears on one of the best-known foreign radio stations: it was about an Australian or New Zealand billionaire who had apparently officially arrived in Alb- ...violent, eye: are used, never immigration and immigrant. It is easy to understand why this happens: a person is called an emigrant by their compatriots when they leave their own country; foreigners call someone who comes to their country an immigrant. The fact is that only Albanians leave Albania to settle elsewhere (with valid documents or as undocumented migrants), while foreigners (undocumented migrants, of course) merely pass through our country to go further ... in Albania, not to pass through as an undocumented migrant on the way to Italy, France, England or Germany, but to settle in the land of the proud Albanians with his modest family, including his granddaughter’s little dog. But why on earth had he done this? I found out the next day, when I went to interview him, introducing myself as a journalist. Continued on page 21