BREAD FOR DRENICA WOMEN’S MARCH
March 1998 was marked by a wave of protests in Kosovo, with a total of eighteen peaceful demonstrations held throughout the month. Of these, eight were organized by the women’s informal network in response to the escalating violence carried out by the Milošević regime in Drenica.
One of the most significant of these actions was the Bread for Drenica Women’s March, held on March 16, 1998. It was a show of solidarity with the people of Drenica, who were under siege and cut off from access to food and medical aid. The march was stopped by Serbian police in Fushë Kosovë before reaching its destination. Still, the protest carried a strong political and humanitarian message that resonated widely.
The women-led protests of March 1998 played a crucial role in drawing international attention to the violence in Drenica and demonstrated the power of grassroots activism in the face of state oppression.
The interview excerpts presented here reflect the diverse experiences and personal recollections of the women who organized and participated in the Bread for Drenica Women’s March. These oral history interviews were conducted between 2012 and 2023.
Project Team
Elton Ferati, Donjet Behluli, Erëmirë Krasniqi and Renea Begolli.
Visuals
Nita Salihu Hoxha – Studio Permanent
“‘Do you really want to go to Drenica? Can you? Do you dare to?’ There were doubts. […] So, we were going to go at all costs. And why, what was the motive? Because a terror against Albanian people began; they would take women and separate them from the men, they would put women and children at schools without food, without medical service, there were pregnant women among them and it was a very agitating atmosphere which encouraged us to do that.”
– Flora Brovina