A Coffee in the Accursed Mountains

Croatia’s first female journalist had to work behind a curtain to avoid offending her male colleagues, the start of a 150-year struggle for the region’s women. We explore their realities in a (2024) conversation with pioneering Kosovan journalist Jeta Xharra

Musine Kokalari (1917 - 1983) was Albania's first published woman, created a political party, and dared to speak out for pluralism when her country was falling to communism. She spent nearly 40 years in imprisonment and internment, writing alone. Nashi Brooker, who herself experienced the dictatorship, tells us why Musine still matters.

Shote Galica (1895 - 1927) took up a gun and fought tradition as well as oppression. We hear her story and talk to designer Ilire Lepaja - owner of a Kosovan business whose products celebrate Shote – about why Shote inspires women today.

Sabile Gashi is a many-times medal-winning karateist from Kosovo's Ashkali community. We hear about the inspiration of Kosovo’s Olympian women and Sabile’s motivation in paying forward the opportunities she's had, being told 'you can't; you're a girl' and deciding she can.

We clank through beautiful countryside and through time on one of Prishtina’s two daily trains: an adventure for Edith Durham 120 years ago, a horror in the 1999 war, and now part of Kosovo’s European future – if you have a visa.

Montenegro’s Princess Xenia (1881 – 1960) was a bold and talented photographer and a crucial aide to her father’s efforts to build a new kingdom. On a trip through Cetinje’s mountain landscape, we enjoy her photographs - and gallons of blueberry juice.

This episode introduces some beautifully-named Albanians narrating the meaning of their names, and offers a glimpse of Communist Albania through its list of approved names. And who is honoured in the names Villson, Tonibler and Marenglen? And why?

Kosovo's most popular attraction is also one of its oldest. Meet Bekim and hear the story of how his team of young professionals created the unique Ethnological Museum, a cultural treasure trove and an important site of collective memory.

Our first Coffee In the Accursed Mountains is not in fact an episode about coffee. From the countries bordering the mountains we take another signature hot drink - mountain tea. Marjoram or sideritis - we talk about what your choice of mountain tea says about you. Includes this month's Albanian Word (çaj mali) as well as some of our favourite memories of drinking it, and its alleged health benefits - from flu recovery to hormonal balance. Elizabeth gets excited about her statistic on the contribution to the Albanian economy of this and other medicinal and aromatic plants; Rob gets excited by what to do with your spoon when you're done drinking.