Kosovo Feminist Festival Highlights Sisterhood in Times of War and Peace

The Barcelona Flamenco Ballet’s performance of “Carmen,” which conveys a “message of freedom and courage in the face of an unequal world where women still fight for their rights,”  opened the 12th edition of the FemArt Festival in Kosovo on Wednesday. The festival elaborates on the notion of ‘Sisterhood’ as a unifying force for women in times of war and peace and will be open until September 30. 

“Sisterhood in times of war makes us victorious, while in times of peace it ensures progress,”  Zana Hoxha, the festival’s organiser told BIRN, explaining that “sisterhood transcends the ordinary— it is an artistic movement that binds us through our shared humanity, urging us to stand together in both turbulent and calm times. In times of conflict, art becomes a call for resilience and revolution, while in times of peace, it lays the foundations for collective growth and enlightenment.”

“In Kosovo and the entire Balkans, where women face threats and systematic violence, the call for change is deep and urgent,” she added.

The Barcelona Flamenco Ballet’s performance, Carmen, is based on the 1845 novella by French writer Prosper Mérimée about the love affair of  ethnic Romani Carmen with the matador (bullfighter) Escamillo. Carmen represents the women who do not survive male violence,  as she is murdered by her jealous husband in the novella. 

The opening performance started on the right foot as it transmitted exactly what Hoxha and the organisers expected. Edina Kasabaqi, a student from Kosovo attending the festival with her younger sister, told BIRN that looking at the performance was very empowering for her as a young woman because “it’s like they’re saying, ‘Hey, look at me now, I took over’.”

Kasabaqi explained that “it’s also a lesson for my younger sister on how to be confident,” and grow into a strong woman. 

The Struggle for Equal Representation

Since its inception in 2013, FemArt has focused on the role of activist women and their contributions to women’s representation in society.

The plat “World Without Women,” performed by Olga Dimitrijevic and Maja Pelevic on Thursday at the Dodona Theatre, highlighted the low quotas for women’s representation in society.

Throughout the performance, which began with two artists dressed in sports jerseys and a football, the two lead actors ironically discussed gender inequality, unequal pay, and patriarchal oppression within Serbian theatre and beyond.

This performance highlighted the challenges women face in the workplace, raising questions about who has the right to work, under what conditions, and the role of art in reinforcing or challenging these structures.

The performers changed costumes several times during the show to demonstrate how much is expected from a woman and how she is controlled by a patriarchal society, raising the question of whether theatre could become a space for union struggles and strikes against sexism and exploitation.

Femicide Prevention through Punishment for Domestic Violence Recidivists

In a panel on Thursday, public officials and civil society representatives agreed that in most cases, the women killed by their male partners had previously reported domestic violence, and the institutions responsible for security and law enforcement had failed to detain and punish the perpetrators.

Albulena Haxhiu, the Minister of Justice, said that the government aims to have “a specific law for femicide that can change the way it is interpreted,” explaining that currently femicide is not a legally familiar concept in Kosovo.

What worries her the most is that first-instance decisions often get overturned by higher courts. 

“I have publicly criticised this and I’ve been accused of interfering with the judiciary,” she said, adding that under the new laws, those convicted of domestic violence will not be able to hold certain jobs for a set period.

Donjeta Pajazitaj was murdered in 2015, and her cousin, Naser Pajazitaj, was accused of committing the crime. The Basic Court in Peja initially acquitted him of the charges, but after the case was sent for retrial, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. However, after an appeal by the defence, the Court of Appeals reduced the sentence to 35 years in prison. In April 2023, the Supreme Court acquitted Pajazitaj of all charges related to the murder.

According to the Ministry of Justice,  29 women have been killed in Kosovo over the past five years, 11 of them in the Prishtina region alone.

Police Colonel Afërdita Mikullovci agrees on the need for stricter measures. He said that “recidivists should be punished so we don’t have to wait for more cases from them.”

Adelina Berisha, the program manager for gender-based violence at the NGO Kosovo Women’s Network, KWN, pointed out that every murder of a woman is preceded by previously reported violence.

“It’s unfortunate that murders happen despite institutions being aware of the violence these victims endured. There’s a lack of risk assessment in domestic violence cases,” she said.

In September, the Ferizaj/Urosevac prosecution filed an indictment against Valon Aliu for aggravated murder, threat, and illegal possession of a weapon.

Aliu is a 36 year old man who was arrested in April 2024 as the main suspect for murdering his ex wife, Erona Cokli, and wounding her brother at the Social Welfare Center in Ferizaj. As a result of shooting “inside the Social Welfare Center, on the first floor, in the direction of two people, 21 year old E.C. (F/K) died on the scene… and 15 year old D.C (M/K) suffered bodily injuries,” the Kosovo police announced. According to their custody agreement with the Social Welfare Center, Aliu was supposed to return their son to his ex wife when he shot her dead.

In December 2022, a pregnant woman was killed in the courtyard of the Gynecology Clinic of the University Clinical Center of Kosovo in Prishtina. It was later reported that she was under a protection order.

Berisha from KWN also added that in cases of domestic violence there is a tendency of victim blaming and “there’s no privacy even at police stations to talk about domestic violence. It’s also a challenge that violence is taking on new forms, especially online violence.”

According to police data, over 2,000 cases of domestic violence are reported each year, with the victims primarily being women. In 2023, 286 women and 335 children were sheltered in safe houses across the country.

“In many cases, even in shelters, they don’t find safety, as their husbands track them down and threaten them, often leading them to return to their abusers,” Zana Hamiti, director at women shelter in Prishtina stated.

Women Contribution During the Past and Present

A special space in this edition is also dedicated to activists and artists on their activism for peace in the region, focusing on the 1990s wars in former Yugoslavia, the fragile peace that followed in the Balkans, and the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Palestine.

“This conference aims to foster dialogue, share experiences, and strengthen the bonds of sisterhood among women activists who have played and continue to play crucial roles in peacebuilding,” the festival announced.

According to the festival’s announcement, a special evening will feature the publication of the monograph “FemArt Festival: 10 Years and Growing, 2013 – 2022,” accompanied by a panel discussion and a photography exhibition highlighting ten years of feminist engagement in Kosovo.

FemArt organisers have explained in the festival’s official website that “for over a decade, FemArt has served as a platform for giving a voice to women and everyone, regardless of identity, celebrating resilience and advocating for our rights. Art, activism, and dialogue are our freedom, courage, and resistance against oppression and systemic violence.”