Flora Brovina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Flora Brovina
Born	(1949-09-30) 30 September 1949 (age 75) Skenderaj
Occupation	poet, pediatrician and women’s rights activist
Language	Albanian
Nationality	Kosovar Albanian
Signature
Acting Chairwoman of the Assembly of Kosovo
In office 17 July 2014 – 8 December 2014
President	Atifete Jahjaga
Preceded by	Jakup Krasniqi
Succeeded by	Kadri Veseli

Flora Brovina (born 30 September 1949) is a Kosovar Albanian poet, a doctor for children (pediatrician), and an activist for women's rights. She was born in Skenderaj, a town in the Drenica Valley of Kosovo. She grew up in Pristina, where she went to school.

Flora Brovina studied medicine at university in Zagreb. She became a specialist in treating children. After her studies, she returned to Kosovo. For a short time, she worked as a journalist for an Albanian newspaper called Rilindja. Later, she went back to working in healthcare. She worked for many years in the children's ward at the Pristina General Hospital.

Helping Others During the Kosovo War

In the 1990s, the situation in Kosovo became very difficult. Fighting started in the region. During this time, Flora Brovina ran a health clinic in Pristina. She shared important health information with people. This included advice on things like snake bites, how to treat wounds, and how to help with childbirth.

She also used her clinic to help children who had lost their parents. Many of these children became orphans because of the fighting. Flora and her team cared for as many as 25 children at one time.

On April 20, 1999, during the Kosovo War, Flora Brovina was taken from her home. She was held captive in Serbia while NATO forces entered Pristina. News of her capture spread quickly. Many people around the world became worried about her.

She was moved to a prison in Požarevac, Serbia. There, she was questioned for many hours. In December 1999, she was put on trial. She was accused of "terrorist activities" and sentenced to 12 years in prison. However, in June 2000, the court ordered a new trial. Finally, in October 2001, she was released from prison. This happened because of strong pressure from international groups and people around the world.

Her Poetry and Writings

Flora Brovina is a talented writer. She has published three books of poems. Her first collection, Verma emrin tim (Call me by my name), came out in 1973. She was only 24 years old at the time.

Six years later, in 1979, she published Bimë e zë (Plant and voice). In this book, she wrote about important topics. She often focused on the lives of women in society. She also wrote about mothers, giving life, and caring for others. Her poems often use symbols like plants, births, and new life.

Her third book of poems, Mat e çmat (With the tape it measures), was published in 1995. This was a time when Kosovo was moving closer to war. While her poems are not mostly about politics, some show her concern for her people. They also reflect her thoughts on freedom and self-determination.

Flora Brovina has received several important awards for her work. In 1999, she won the Tucholsky Award from the Swedish PEN Club. She also received the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award. In addition, she was given the Human Rights Award by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Berlin.

Even with this international recognition, her poetry has not always been widely known in Kosovo. However, some of her poems have been translated into English. A collection called "Flora Brovina, Call me by my Name, Poetry from Kosova" was published in 2001. It includes both Albanian and English versions of her poems.

Her Role in Politics

After Kosovo declared its independence, Flora Brovina became involved in politics. In 2001, she ran for the President of Kosovo. She was a candidate for the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK).

Since then, she has been a member of the Assembly of Kosovo. She has served in the Assembly during every period of its work.

See also

In Spanish: Flora Brovina para niños

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