One of the most moving testimonies of the period of the breakdown of relations between Albania and the Soviet Union is the letter of Roza Kazakova Koçi, wife of the Albanian filmmaker Mandi Koçi. Written on July 26, 1961 and personally addressed to Enver Hoxha, this letter summarizes the human drama of a foreign woman unjustly expelled, who leaves “with a broken heart, but an open face” after false accusations that destroyed her family and the fate of one of the most important names in Albanian cinema.
On July 26, 1961, Roza Kazakova Koçi, a Soviet citizen of Russian origin and wife of Albanian filmmaker Mandi Koçi, addressed a personal letter to Enver Hoxha. In her document, preserved in the archives of the Central Committee of the Albanian People's Party, she stated that she was leaving Albania after accusations of "anti-Albanian activities," which she considered unfounded.
In the text of the letter, she emphasized that the accusations were “the result of a terrible misunderstanding and misinterpretation,” which had brought about “the destruction of our family.” The letter ends with the sentence:
"To dispel your doubts, I am leaving, with a broken heart, but an open mind."
The departure of Roza Kazakova Koçi occurred in the context of political tensions that accompanied the breakdown of Albanian-Soviet relations during the years 1960–1961, when many foreign citizens of socialist countries, married to Albanian citizens, were accused of connections with the “Soviet agency” and were deported or imprisoned. Dozens of families were destroyed and dozens of children were raised in families divided in two.
Roza Kazakova's husband, filmmaker Mandi Koçi, was one of the first operators of Albanian cinema and the author of numerous documentary films during and after the war. He is known as the filmmaker of the first feature film, "Tana" (1958). But after the deportation of his Russian wife, he was accused of "connections with the Soviet agent", was fired from his job and then sentenced to many years in prison. He spent his last years in isolation in Tirana, unable to reunite with his family living in Moscow.
Text of the letter:
Comrade Enver Hoxha, first secretary of the CPSU Central Committee
I am leaving Albania accused of anti-Albanian activities.
I strongly deny such a serious accusation – the result of a terrible misunderstanding and misinterpretation, which led to the destruction of our family.
To dispel your doubts, I am leaving,
with a broken heart but an open mind.
Roza Koçi (Kazakov)
Tirana
26/VII – 61
