The Italian magazine “Gente” has dedicated an article to the Albanian presenter Alketa Vejsiu who was recently announced as one of the 11 women presenters of Sanremo, the iconic Italian music festival.
“I’ve watched Sanremo since I was a kid. When my participation [as Sanremo host] was confirmed, I let out a scream of joy and then I cried,” Alketa Vejsiu told the “Gente”. She spoke of her career, dire economic situation when she started work, and her first job.
“I gave my first salary to my family, when I was 14 and worked for a private radio in Albania. At the same time I was studying very hard and I was ambitious. We were poor, and I wanted to help my mom, dad and brother,” Vejsiu said.
She dedicated her participation as Sanremo Music Festival host to Albanians living in Italy, who amount to more than half a million people. “They’ve made sacrifices and live in another country with dignity and pride for what they represent,” Vejsiu said about Albanians who have left the country throughout the last 30 years in search of a better life.
Alketa Vejsiu will co-host the 70th edition of Sanremo besides the main host Amadeus. The festival will take place from 4 to 8 February 2020.
Vejsiu has a long career as a TV/radio host and producer in Albania. Last month she hosted the latest edition of Festivali i Këngës, the main annual song contest in Albania, and was its artistic director.
