Prominent Serbian women about whom we know nothing

National women's day is becoming more and more a holiday dedicated to gifting roses and chocolates and less about the celebration of women's struggle for their rights lately. Primary and secondary school students have been collecting money to buy gifts for their teachers (which represents a nice sign of attention), without knowing anything about the history of the holiday itself. This is something that cannot be changed overnight, but it is up to us to influence a better practice. Therefore, as our little sign of attention for this holiday, in this article we will present some notable Serbian women who are not talked about enough, so much so, that we don't know anything about them. , as well as many other famous Serbian women, in encyclopedia by the Dalamber publishing house "Serbian women-flowers of freedom", with whose support we compiled this article.

Anica Savić Rebac (1892-1953) - writer, translator, historian of philosophy, professor
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Having been surrounded by prominent figures of Serbian culture (her father was the editor of Letopis Matice srpkse, 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 when she was thirteen, as well as original plays inspired by characters from ancient literature (Nija, Iphigenia and The last priestess of Pallas Athena). She began her studies at the Faculty of Philosophy in Vienna, and got her PhD at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade. Like most influential people, her environment had little understanding for her work and she had a limited source of literature for her research. Despite that, 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 woman doctor, suffragette and feminist

She was the first woman to graduate medical school from the University of Zurich, making her the first Serbian woman doctor. She participated in the Serbian-Turkish, Serbian-Bulgarian wars in the 19th century, the Balkan wars and the First World War. She was a philanthropist and protector of children. Draga Ljočić vigorously advocated for the opening of children's hospitals and 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 had the same salary and pension as her male colleagues. All her life she advocated for equal rights of women in the workplace, as well as for women's suffrage. With her work, she made it possible for women to become doctors today.

Danica Tomić (1905-1961) - the first female aviator from Yugoslavia
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The lack of information about our first female aviator tells us a lot about how much we value our influential 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. "Illustrovani list" published a two page article about the first woman pilot in the Kingdom. Danica was flying over a 2500 m deep chasm meters, and according to the records of the commission, she was the best in her class. "Are you satisfied with the success and what have you achieved in the six years since you became a pilot?", he modestly answers: "No - because I amconvinced that I would have succeeded much more if I hadn't been Danica Tomić!" After receiving the permit, Danica fell into oblivion.

Jelisaveta Načić (1878-1955) - the first Serbian woman architect

Jelisaveta Načić graduated in 1900, thus becoming the first woman architect in Serbia, in a period when only seven percent of women in Serbia were literate. As per the end of her studies, she faced the same problem of gender discrimination that the first Serbian doctor, Dr. Draga Ljočić had. She was very active professionally and she 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 students of the architecture department and the first female graduate architect in the country, one of the first women employed in the public sector, designed the first modern school building (Primary the "King Peter the First" school in Belgrade), the first tuberculosis hospital, the first circular kiln for manufacturing brick, the first planned residential building in the Balkans.

Radojka Živković (1923-2002) - accordion player, composer and soloist

Her father Tika "Globoderac", a famous accordion player and teacher, did not want his child to play - "To do a men's job" - as he used to say, although the girl showed an exceptional inclination to music. Radojka Živković was also a composer of folk dances and songs. Her folk dance compositions (kolo) stand out especially for their originality and immediacy, which, in Serbian to contemporary folk creativity, they represent musical masterpieces. During 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