Hadži Staka Skenderova

Ja sam Hadži Staka Skenderova, pravoslavna kaluđerica, prva sarajevska književnica i učiteljica. Ispričat ću vam svoju posebnu i pomalo zaboravljenu priču. Rođena sam 1828.godine i u moje vrijeme, u Bosni, smatrali su me veoma neobičnom ženom.  Bila sam djevojka koja  je mnogo čitala, i  jedina žena koja je pjevala u crkvi u to vrijeme. Da bih ostvarila svoje ciljeve, morala sam se odreći „djevojaštva“ i obući ovo crno muško kaluđersko odijelo. Muško odijelo me oslobodilo zatvaranja u krug domaćinstva, omogućilo mi slobodan pristup u krug muškaraca i – čudno je to reći – u crkve, jer u Bosni djevojke i mlade žene posjećuju bogosluženje samo za vrijeme posta i ponekad za vrijeme najvećih praznika. Ovo muško odijelo na meni bio je očigledno jedan od načina da se osvoji i  sloboda kretanja i živi drugačije od propisanog. Išla sam svaki dan u crkvu, zahvaljujući meni podignuta su prvi put zvona na crkvama. Ali isto tako  zalazila sam i u kafane, pila rakiju i pušila duhan. To je bio samo mali dio ravnopravnosti za koju sam se izborila, ali najvažniji je bio moj društveni angažman.

Često sam pomagala ljudima, obilazila  zatvore, u svoju kuću primala sirotinju. U mojoj kući uvijek su živjele  2-3 siromašne djevojčice. Moja najveća želja  je bila da osnujem školu za žensku djecu. U oktobru 1858. godine  osnovala sam Djevojačku školu  u Sarajevu. Škola je u početku imala tri, a kasnije pet razreda, a ja kao prva učiteljica u Bosni, podučavala sam djevojčice čitanju, pisanju, računanju i ručnom radu. Ove djevojčice su kasnije postale prve bosanskohercegovačke učiteljice. Škola je bila otvorena za djevojčice pravoslavke, muslimanke, katolkinje, jevreke i sve koje su željele. A  školarinu su plaćala samo djeca bogatijih roditelja, dok je za ostale siromašne djevojčice školovanje bilo besplatno jer pravoslavlje kao moje iskreno i duboko određenje znači pomoganje drugima.

Bila sam prva žena koja je otišla  u Jerusalem na hadž. I tako su me prozvali hadži. A u Istanbulu me primio sultan Aziz, koji mi je na povratku kući poklonio 10.000 groša za školu. Rad škole pomagali su turska uprava, francuska vlada, a povremeno i ruska carica. Ipak, neki su bojkotirali moju školu jer su smatrali da to nije za žensku djecu. to me nikad nije zaustavljalo i uporno sam radila i govorila o važnosti obrazovanja za žene.

Moja  škola slobodno se može nazvati početkom opismenjavanja žena u Sarajevu, ali kako to obično biva, priznanje za moj rad, došlo je tek nakon moje tragične smrti.

English version:

I am Hadzi* Staka Skenderova, an Orthodox nun, the first woman writer and teacher from Sarajevo. I will tell you my special and somewhat forgotten story. I was born in 1828 and in my time, in Bosnia, I was considered a very unusual woman. I was a girl who read a lot, and the only woman who sang in church at the time. But in order to achieve my goals, I had to give up my feminine side, and wear this black male monk’s suit. Men’s suits helped me to be free from being locked in the house, gave me an access to a circle of men and – it is strange to say – to churches as well. In Bosnia, girls and young women attend worship only during the fast or the biggest holidays. But this men’s suit on me was obviously one of the ways to gain my freedom and live differently than women did at the time.

I went to church every day, and because of me, church bells were raised for the first time. But I also went to cafes, drank brandy and smoked cigarettes. Yet this was only a small part of the equality I fought for, but the most important one was my social engagement.

I often helped people, visited prisons, accepted the poor into my house. There were always 2-3 girls who lived in poverty, that I accepted into my house. And my biggest wish was to establish a school for women. In October 1858, I founded Women’s School in Sarajevo. The school initially had three and later five grades, and I, as the first teacher in Bosnia, taught the girls to read, write, count and do handicrafts. These girls later became the first teachers in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The school was open to all girls: Jewish, Muslim, Orthodox, Catholic and all who were interested. Only the wealthy paid the tuition, but for the poor, the school was free.

Because of my faith as an Orthodox, I had sincere and deep determination to help others. I was the first woman to go to Jerusalem on Hajj. When I stopped in Istanbul, I was welcomed and accommodated by Sultan Aziz, who on my way home gave me 10,000 groschen (currency at the time) for school. School was supported by the Turkish administration, the French government, and occasionally the Russian empress. However, some boycotted my school because they felt the school was not for women. But that never stopped me and I worked hard and talked about the importance of educating women. We can say that my school was the beginning of women’s literacy in Sarajevo, but as it usually happens, the recognition for my work came only after my tragic death.

* Hadzi, Haji (to make the pilgrimage), an honorific title which was originally given to a Muslim who had successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca. Christian-Orthodox also went to Hajj in Jerusalem to visit Jesus’ grave, therefore the prefix haji. Haji Staka Skenderova, Bosnian Orthodox, was given this same title having been the first woman to visit Hajj in Jerusalem.