Bread For Drenica Women’s March
The month of March of 1998 was a month of numerous protests. The women’s informal network organized eight out of eighteen peaceful protests held in that month. The protests were organized against the violence perpetrated by the Milosević regime in Drenica, Kosovo.
Bread For Drenica Women’s March was organized on March 16, 1998 to show solidarity with people under siege in Drenica, who had no access to food and medical supplies. Women’s march was interrupted by the Serbian police in Fushë Kosovë. Not reaching their final destination did not mean their political and humanitarian message did not come through. The protests organized by women activists throughout the month of March of 1998 had a major impact and brought international visibility to the violence taking place in Drenica.
The interview extracts bring forward different experiences and recollections of women who organized and participated in the Bread For Drenica Women’s March. The oral history interviews were conducted between 2012 and 2023.
Project Team
Elton Ferati, Donjet Behluli, Erëmirë Krasniqi and Renea Begolli. Visuals by Nita Salihu Hoxha - Studio Permanent
“The number of attendees was very high, there were so many women. I remember that in the first row there were, I mean at that time… We held the loaves of bread up high as a sign of protest, I mean, to communicate, ‘Allow us to proceed because children, mothers, families need food.’”~ Albertina Ajeti Binaku
