Prishtina, 17 July, 2024
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, accompanied by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Donika Gërvalla-Schwarz, participated in the memorial academy dedicated to the work and life of academician Eshref Ademaj, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the separation from life.
In his speech, Prime Minister Kurti recalled that Professor Ademaj spent all his potential in the advancement of scientific work at the University of Pristina and in the protection of its autonomy, where in addition to being a professor, he was a devoted human rights activist and of our national issue.
“His contribution was very important at the time when the occupying Serbian state, with all its power, had decided to undo the Albanian school in general and the University of Pristina in particular. After the application of violent administrative measures at the university, Professor Eshrefi was among the main initiators of the institutional and legal continuation of the university’s work through private facilities, and he even made his house available,” said the prime minister.
Thus, he added that the professor’s preparation and exceptional organizational skills brought him to the forefront of any organization that was in the interest of the Albanian school and the Albanian people of Kosovo.
“In the profile of Prof. Furthermore, one can read such a balanced commitment and activism from the mathematician and the researcher, from the professor and the lecturer, from the vice-dean, dean and vice-rector, but also from a human rights activist, a mediator and reconciler of blood and conflicts and from an engaged intellectual until the last day of his life”.
The Prime Minister also mentioned the scientific results of Professor Ademaj published in serious international journals. He distinguished the fact that he founded the first scientific journal in the field of mathematics, entitled “Mathematical Papers”, where scientific articles of mathematicians and scientists from all over the world were published. Meanwhile, within a few years he managed to index the journal in the two most credible international scientific institutions: Mathematical Reviews and Zentralblatt.
“His contribution was made concrete, as was said earlier, with the publication of the book “Kosova Victim” in co-authorship with Zvonimir Sheparoviqi, an internationally known victimologist. Meanwhile, as a member of the KMDLNJ in Prishtina, he contributed to the protection of individual rights and freedoms, as well as the national and human rights of Albanians”, Prime Minister Kurti concluded, adding that the memory of Academician Eshref Ademaj will be eternal and his role in the history of Kosovo will always remain visible and honored.
Prime Minister Kurti’s complete speech:
Dear Ms. Donika Gërvalla-Schwarz, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora,
Dear Ms. Rexhbije Ademaj and members of the Ademaj family,
Dear President, Mr. Fatmir Sejdiu,
The honorable Mr. Elver Bajrami, Head of the Mathematics Department,
Dear attendees,
Dear professors, teachers, students, lovers of mathematics and Professor Eshref,
Ladies and gentleman,
We have gathered to honor the figure of the outstanding academic intellectual Eshref Ademaj, who spent all his potential in the advancement of scientific work at the University of Pristina and in the protection of its autonomy. His professional preparation and exceptional organizational skills brought him to the forefront of any organization that was in the interest of the Albanian school and the Albanian people of Kosovo.
His contribution was very important at the time when the occupying Serbian state, with all its power, had decided to undo the Albanian school in general and the University of Pristina in particular. After the application of violent administrative measures at the university, Professor Eshrefi was among the main initiators of the institutional and legal continuation of the university’s work in private facilities, and he even made his house available.
So ubiquitous is mathematics in the universe, in nature, and everywhere in our daily lives, that it goes unnoticed. Omnipresence makes mathematics invisible. Mathematics is like air, the air also has puffs and coolness, there are also storms and storms, but in the case of mathematics, these coolnesses and storms are felt more strongly in the natural sciences around than in mathematics itself.
Those who have mathematics as a profession but also an academic interest like Professor Eshref Ademaj, naturally and inevitably transform it into a kind of perspective towards the world and an approach towards life; they turn mathematics into a kind of logic of action but also into a philosophy of living. And this is observed in the life and public works of Prof. Eshref Ademajt.
As a researcher, in addition to being a lecturer in the fields of algebra, Professor Eshref Ademaj knew it very well, which is why he apparently applied the rules of algebra in his daily life. This can be understood from his public profile, which he raised sparingly, without reserve in every situation and all the time, and which exceeds the proportions of a university professor and a mathematical scientist. The profile of Prof. Furthermore, one can read such a balanced commitment and activism from the mathematician and the researcher, from the professor and the lecturer, from the vice-dean, dean and vice-rector, but also from a human rights activist, a mediator and reconciler of blood and conflicts and from an engaged intellectual until the last day of his life.
His scientific results were numerous and published in serious international journals. He collaborated with prominent names of the time producing important scientific works which affirmed the University of Pristina through Kosovo and Kosovo through the University of Pristina. He founded the first scientific journal in the field of mathematics, entitled “Mathematical Papers”. Mathematicians and scientists from all over the world wrote scientific articles in this magazine. Within a few years, he managed to index the journal in the two most credible international scientific institutions: Mathematical Reviews and Zentralblatt.
Great scientists seem to continue to write scientific articles even after their death, because of the wide network of collaborators. Among the most famous is the Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős, who had over 500 scientific collaborators and after his death in 1996 he published over 150 scientific articles which were concretized by his collaborators.
For curiosity’s sake, the last paper of Professor Eshref Ademaj turns out to be from 2004, i.e. 10 years after his death, published in the Croatian journal Mathematical Communications in co-authorship with Croatian Professor Mario Essert.
In addition to his contribution as a scientist and professor at the University of Pristina, he was a devoted activist of human rights and our national cause. During his participation in international scientific symposia as well as political and social ones, he boldly presented Serbian violence and genocide against Kosovo Albanians.
So, even in politics, he was a scientist, but he never separated science from the sociopolitical context, where a people live and survives.
His contribution was made concrete, as was said earlier, with the publication of the book “Kosova Victim” co-authored with Zvonimir Sheparoviqi, an internationally known victimologist. Meanwhile, as a member of the KMDLNJ in Prishtina, he contributed to the protection of individual rights and freedoms, as well as the national and human rights of Albanians.
I would have liked very much to have known him and had a conversation with him because in my life I too have been formed a lot, let’s say, by mathematics and maybe especially by algebra, which I believe has two legs, it has real-life equations and formulas and problems are transformed into mathematical equations that are then solved. It is interesting that real problems and mathematical equations have different names, but their antidote has the same word which is the solution. So, solutions to real problems and solutions to mathematical equations. And this is very important for a person, how he breathes in life because, as I said earlier, mathematics is like air.
I am concluding my speech by quoting the late professor Rector Ejup Statovci, who at the commemorative meeting dedicated to academician Eshref Ademaj, on August 7, 1994, said, among other things, I am quoting: “The entire work of Eshref Ademaj is great and as such it will always give light to the thought of the University and our national issue”.
May the memory of Academician Eshref Ademaj be eternal and may his role in the history of Kosovo always remain visible and honored.
Thank you!
Last modified: July 23, 2024