Banner that changed everything: “In Sisterhood with Albanian Women”
-Third story of the February monthly chapter-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Written by Dejana Cvetkovi\u0107 Belgrade feminists during the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 90s did not have projects or their own offices, and rarely did any of them have their own apartment. They mostly made arrangements in cafes. Tensions were rising in Kosovo, and women wanted to stop this war. Despite the obstacles, the activists not only maintained constant contacts and solidarity visits, but also initiated joint actions against the war, building networks of solidarity and mutual support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Women in Black (\u017dene u crnom – \u017dUC) protested against the war during the nineties under the slogan “Better a pact than war”. Together with women from Kosovo, they demanded inclusion in the peace negotiations. \u017dUC supported protests against the expulsion of Albanians from institutions, which were also supported by individuals from Serbia, the region, as well as parts of Europe and the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “At the international gathering of the \u017dUC network in 1998, almost 28 women from Pristina came, and some of them did not know the Serbian language. The level of that trust was incredible, especially considering that since 1996 we had been constantly going to Kosovo for the demonstrations of the Independent Students’ Union,” states Sta\u0161a Zajovi\u0107, co-founder of \u017dUC, who was then an activist of the Yugoslav Feminist Network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There were also various forms of resistance to mobilization in smaller towns in Serbia, as well as in Vojvodina. \u017dUC supported these initiatives and joined them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u017dUC activists stood in Republic Square for one hour every Wednesday, dressed in black, protesting against the wars in the territory of the former Yugoslavia. They were exposed to sporadic attacks, spitting, and physical assaults. The women, as they state, developed various methods over time on how to “deal with thugs” and “nationalists.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The moment when we became inextricably linked with the women in Kosovo was the action for March 8, 1995. We decided to display the banner ‘In Sisterhood with Albanian Women’. It caused shock, anger, and violence on the street. Igo Rogova, Nora Ahmetaj, Marta Prekpalaj, and others came to that protest,” says Zajovi\u0107.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zajovi\u0107 points out that the deepest contempt is felt towards \u017dUC’s activities related to Kosovo, while the state and mainstream media, due to their inter-ethnic engagement, consider them unworthy of dealing with Serbian victims. This is the reason why their work on these issues is almost never mentioned in the media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “We became visible through demonization, repression, and unpunished attacks and crimes against us. In a state of unpunished crimes, out of hundreds of attacks, accountability happened only once; all others were acquitted. Such impunity for war crimes cannot exist, it cannot fail to return home\u2014this is what we call ‘the war came home’. And no responsible person in Serbia can fail to connect wartime violence with post-war violence; it is an unbroken thread,” states Zajovi\u0107.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Women in Black consisted of three groups of women: feminists, mothers of soldiers who were against all types of military engagement of their sons and husbands, as well as female citizens without formal engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Being in \u017dUC for many women from Pristina and Belgrade was “a kind of therapy,” a place of solidarity, debates, occasional disagreements, laughter, tears, but also support. For some, it was also a second home and a “window to the world,” as women from Kosovo used to say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They constantly met, worked together on documents, declarations, and platforms for peace negotiations, and participated in panels. They tried to show the different positions in which they found themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “A deeply rooted patriarchal culture of discrimination against women at all levels dominates. The authoritarian and undemocratic culture is maintained through conservatism, customary law, and the glorification of war criminals. We, as women from both communities, have an obligation to raise our voices against it. We did not decide on the war; we want to decide on peace. It is impossible to create any kind of democratic culture or conduct peace negotiations without the participation of women\u2014not women as a decoration, not women as a number, but women who have gained their legitimacy through serious fieldwork in both communities,” says Zajovi\u0107.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Voiceover by Marija Drndi\u0107<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n