BIRNPristinaBIRNFebruary 3, 202612:04BIRN has launched a ten-part podcast of its ‘Women’s Wars’ series, which profiles courageous women activists and journalists who worked for justice and freedom in the Yugoslav wars years.
Illustration. BIRN/ Igor Vujcic.
Women activists and journalists from across the former Yugoslavia tell their stories in BIRN’s new ‘Women’s Wars’ podcast series, launched on Tuesday.
In the ten episodes, ten women talk about how the wars of the 1990s galvanised their work, and explain how armed conflicts continue to have an impact on ordinary people long after they were fought.
The series highlights how, as Yugoslavia collapsed, women were inspired to take action by the suffering and injustices they saw happening in front of them, despite social and political pressures and the risk of persecution.
“This series is an important document of a time when courageous women across the region got involved in civic activism, human rights work and campaigning journalism despite the risks that they faced in a time of repression and armed conflict,” said Gentiana Murati, BIRN’s deputy regional director.
“These interviews also have lessons for today, showing how women’s activism is vital to combat injustice and authoritarianism,” Murati added.
Listen to the podcast via this link. The ten articles published by Balkan Insight prior to the launch of the podcast can be found on the Women’s Wars focus page.
The interviewees in brief:
Snezana Jakovljevic recalls how attending an anti-war protest in her hometown Krusevac after Serbian soldiers staged a mutiny was the turning point in her political awakening.
Midheta Kaloper explains how she survived sexual violence during the Bosnian war and now helps other survivors to fight for their rights – and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Katarina Kruhonja talks about how she quit working as a doctor to become a full-time activist and advocate for reconciliation in conflict-ravaged eastern Croatia.
Milka Tadic Mijovic from Montenegro says she was fired for her critical reporting about Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic – so she started her own magazine, committed to telling uncomfortable truths about the Yugoslav war years.
Veprore Shehu explains how, since meeting a girl who was raped during the Kosovo war, she has been seeking support and justice for survivors of wartime sexual violence, fighting societal stigma and official reluctance to act.
Jadranka Milicevic from Bosnia and Herzegovina recalls how her wartime work with the courageous peace activists of Women in Black while she was a refugee in Serbia taught her the importance of supporting others during tough times.
Ajna Jusic recounts how her own experience of societal stigma as a child born of sexual violence during the Bosnian war has inspired her advocacy work for fellow victims.
Dijana Toska, as an ethnic Albanian journalist in the 1980s and 1990s, speaks about threats, censorship and harassment she endured from authorities in Kosovo and what was then Macedonia.
Shukrije Gashi tells how she was jailed and tortured for organising protests demanding equal rights for Kosovo Albanians in the 1980s – and how she continues to campaign to this day.
Serbian historian and anti-war activist Dubravka Stojanovic compares her experiences of the 1990s student protests against Slobodan Milosevic with the anti-government demonstrations of today.
Source link: balkaninsight.com
