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Famous Serbian women about whom we know nothing

Famous Serbian women about whom we know nothing 3/8/2024 The eighth of March, as the years go by, is becoming more and more a holiday of giving flowers and chocolates, and less and less a celebration of women's fight for their...

Znamenite Srpkinje o kojima ništa ne znamo
The eighth of March, as the years go by, is becoming more and more a holiday of giving flowers and chocolates, and less and less a celebration of women's struggle for their rights. For years, primary and secondary school students have been collecting money to buy gifts for their teachers (which is a nice sign of attention), without knowing anything about the history of the holiday itself. This cannot be changed overnight, but it is up to us to influence it. Therefore, as our little sign of attention for this holiday, we will present some famous Serbian women who are not talked about enough, so much so that we know nothing about them. You can read about these, as well as many other famous Serbian women, in the encyclopedia Dalamber publishing house "Serbian women-flowers of freedom", with whose support we compiled this text.Anica Savić Rebac (1892-1953) - writer, translator, historian of philosophy, professor

As she was surrounded by prominent figures of Serbian culture (her father was an editor Chronicles of Matica Srpska, and she was in correspondence with Laza Kostić and Uroš Predić), it is not surprising that she developed a love for classical philology from an early age. She published her first translations at the age of thirteen, as well as plays inspired by characters from ancient literature (Nijova, Iphigenia i Last priestess of Pallas Athena). She began her studies at the Faculty of Philosophy in Vienna, and graduated and received her doctorate from the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade. Like most famous people, she was not accepted in her surroundings, and she had a limited source of literature for her research. Despite this, her studies, as well as her translations, represent one of the primary sources for the study of antiquity.

Draga Ljočić (1855-1926) – the first Serbian doctor, suffragette and feminist
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She was the first woman to graduate in medicine at the University of Zurich, making her the first Serbian doctor. It participated in the Serbian-Turkish, Serbian-Bulgarian wars in the 19th century, the Balkans and the First Serbian War. She was a great philanthropist and protector of children. She honestly and energetically advocated for the opening of children's hospitals, the construction of homes for neglected children. Despite all her achievements and sacrifices, she had a hard time getting a job in the civil service, and never the same salary and pension as her male colleagues. Throughout her life, she advocated for women's equal rights in the workplace, as well as women's right to vote. With her work, she made it possible for women to become doctors today.
Danica Tomić (1905-1961) – the first Yugoslav female aviator
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The lack of information about our first female aviator tells us a lot about how much we value famous women. We learn about Danica Tomić only on the basis of an article in Ilustrovani list. In 1928, Danica decided to pass the pilot's exam. "Ilustrovani list" published a two-page article about the first woman pilot in the Kingdom. Danica flew over a 2,500-meter-deep chasm, and according to the commission's records, she was the best in her class. "Are you satisfied with the success you have achieved in the six years since you became a pilot?", he modestly answers: "No - because I am convinced that I would have succeeded much more if I had not been Danica Tomić!" After receiving the permit, Danica fell into oblivion. 
Jelisaveta Načić (1878-1955) – the first Serbian woman architectJelisaveta Načić completed her studies very successfully and graduated in 1900, thus becoming the first female architect in Serbia, in a period when only seven percent of women in Serbia were literate. After completing her studies, she faced the same problem of gender discrimination as, several decades before her, the first Serbian doctor, Dr. Draga Ljočić. She was very active professionally and designed many capital buildings in pre-war Belgrade during her career. She died in Dubrovnik on May 6, 1955. She died poor and forgotten, and she was part of the first generation of architecture students and the first female graduate architect in the country, one of the first women employed in the public sector, she designed the first modern school building (King Petar Prvi Elementary School in Belgrade), the first tuberculosis hospital, the first circular kiln for making bricks, the first planned residential building in the Balkans.

Radojka Živković (1923-2002) – accordionist, composer and soloist

Her father, Tika "Globoderac", a well-known accordion player and teacher, did not want his child to play - "to do men's work" - as he said, although the girl showed an exceptional inclination towards music. Radojka Živković was also a composer of folk dances and songs. Especially her carols stand out for their originality and immediacy, which represent musical pearls in contemporary Serbian folk art. In her rich career alone, with her husband or with her renowned ensemble, Radojka gave over 11,500 concerts, 700 of which were abroad, starting from Bulgaria, France, Sweden, England, Switzerland and Austria to the USA. She also performed in many radio and TV stations. Her interpretation brought her great popularity among folk music lovers and recognition from music experts.

Author: Sofija Đurić