‘The children don’t want to see me in black,’ Edlira Çepani reveals Gerti Bogdani’s ‘last wish’

Touching and full of emotion are the words of Edlira Çepani, wife of former Democratic MP Gert Bogdani, who passed away in September 2024 at the age of 44.

In an emotional interview on the show “Mes’dritë”, Çepani spoke about the strength she found in her children and her decision not to view life in “black,” as she puts it, emphasizing that life goes on and that Gert would only want beautiful and fulfilling things for them.

Çepani said that her children often ask when she will remove her black clothes, and she emphasized that, for their sake, she will gradually make the decision to put away the black garments.

Edlira Çepani:

"This question comes from my children—they don’t like to see me in black. In my opinion, the color black represents a certain feeling, but because of them, little by little, not just I, but all mothers should decide to put it away, because it also gives them a message that not everything is black and life goes on for them. Gert would have wanted only good things, beautiful things, and things that give us more life."*

Çepani also spoke about how she and the late Gert Bogdani raised their children, highlighting the importance of emotional education and mutual respect in the family.

She explained that the relationship with her children has been built with care and love, treating them as equal individuals who deserve to be heard and included in important decisions.

Çepani emphasized that, for her, children are not “second-class citizens,” but the most valuable beings in the world, and parents should always treat them with respect and sensitivity.

Edlira Çepani:

"My children have very high emotional intelligence because we have educated them and invested in this. They understand situations intuitively. They don’t ask many questions about things that are clear. The relationship we have with our children as parents is one we’ve built with great care because we firmly believe that children should be treated with all attention, but above all with respect, as human beings who, for me, are the most important in the world. Not just minors, but children in general. Often we treat children as if they are second-class citizens, thinking, 'the child doesn’t understand,' or 'we’re not explaining it properly,' or 'do this because I said so and you don’t need to know why.' We have never treated them that way. We have always treated them as the most important in the family, and even important decisions we made together were consulted with the children."

“KORÇA BOOM”