The Trepça Miners’ Strike began on February 20, 1989, and lasted for eight days. The miners demanded their constitutional rights and protested the abolition of Kosovo’s autonomy, as guaranteed by the 1974 Constitution of Socialist Yugoslavia. Miners and their labor culture were central to the ideology of Yugoslav socialism. Given mining’s crucial role in the country’s economy, the hunger strike brought economic life to a near standstill. The oral histories with miners aim to place this event within a broader historical context, while also capturing its human dimension—bringing to light lesser-known stories that unfolded in between the headlines.

The interviews were produced in partnership by ForumZFD Kosovo program and BMZ.