Jefimija Reaches Top Awards Through the Voice of Her Ancestors

Jefimija Stojković is a sixth-grade student at the Sveti Sava Primary School in Klokot. Whenever she returns to her village from singing and recitation competitions, she brings home awards.

I love singing. I love singing more than reciting poetry.

She speaks simply about her achievements, and travelling, lessons, and practice never feel like a burden. Instead, she looks forward to them. She lives about 20 kilometres from the music school, and twice a week her father drives her to lessons, as well as her older sister, Ikonija. They also have a younger brother.

Her parents do everything they can to ensure their children never have to miss a competition or an activity they love. Unfortunately, they have to cover all the expenses themselves. For a family living on two modest salaries, this requires tremendous effort and many sacrifices. Jefimija’s mother is still afraid of losing her job because she does not have permanent employment.

Nevertheless, her parents say they are proud to see how hard their children work and how much of themselves they devote to education and the arts.

It doesn’t feel like hard work because I love what I do.

Jefimija

A Family Story of Suffering and Struggle

Behind this gentle yet determined voice is a family that has endured suffering, illness, and years of uncertainty. Jefimija knows her family’s story well. She sings about it and recites poetry about it, carrying that story with her and sharing it with a smile.

Jefimija’s great-grandfather was kidnapped and killed in a field in the years following the war. Her grandfather and father found his body, his head severed, nearby, beside a river. From that moment on, her father took responsibility for the family. He worked, completed his university studies, and later married.

The young parents are raising their children in uncertain times, living on an income that is never guaranteed from one month to the next. When Ikonija and Jefimija were little, their father was diagnosed with cancer. At the same time, their mother lost her job following a political decision made by Serbs in power.

Only I know what it is like to have cancer while living in Kosovo. You go to Gračanica for scans, have your tests done in Vranje, and then travel to Niš for follow-up appointments. And all of this on a single salary, while your children are still small. Thank God, that is behind us now. We survived, and we were even blessed with a son afterwards. But it was difficult. We don’t even like talking about it.

Jefimija’s father recalls those difficult years.

Awards and Dedication Built on Generations of Struggle

There is hardly a literary, art, or singing competition in Serbia in which Jefimija has not taken part. She is especially proud of winning first prize at a singing competition in Novi Sad. She is equally proud of taking first place at an international poetry recitation competition in Knjaževac.

Her recitation of Desanka Maksimović’s poem Gračanica brought tears to the eyes of both the judges and the audience. Her performance also offered them a source of comfort: despite the harsh realities of life, so many talented children continue to be born in Kosovo and Metohija.

I took part in a competition in Knjaževac and won first place in poetry recitation. I recited Gračanica by Desanka Maksimović.

When asked whether she is proud of herself, she gives a short answer:

I am.

She also wins awards for her singing.

I won first place in Novi Sad with the song The Fairy of Košare. At first, I practised on my own, but since last year, I’ve been taking singing lessons at a music school in Stanišor. I also play the guitar.

She still finds time to spend with friends, but most of her time is devoted to studying and practising.

I manage to play when I don’t have too many things to do. For example, if I have studying to do, I don’t go out. But when I don’t have much to study, I go out for a little while with my sister. Just not very often.

Jefimija Stojković on Freedom and Growing Up

What do you notice when you visit other places that you don’t have here, where you live?

Children have much more freedom than we do here. I’m sure they can go anywhere and feel that everything belongs to them. Here, we only have school, and that’s about it.

Even the little free time she has does not seem entirely free. As Jefimija explains, her opportunities are largely limited to school and church.

We go out and walk around the school playground a little because that’s our place. Sometimes we go to church on Sundays if there is a liturgy at our church. Other times, we go to a monastery with Mum and Dad.

Support for Achievement and Dedication

The humanitarian organisation Кosovsko Pomoravlje awarded Jefimija Stojković €200 and a book in recognition of her achievements and dedication.

The support Jefimija needs to pursue her interests and ambitions is often lacking or falls short of what it should be. Sometimes, she is even reprimanded for missing a lesson because she is attending a competition. When it comes to getting to music school, she can rely only on her father to drive her there.

The family, however, proudly preserves the memory of all the sacrifices made across generations. It keeps joy and gratitude alive in the hearts of its children and continues to fight, so that even today, in some distant place, in Serbia, a song by a girl from Kosovska Vitina was heard.

The award for Jefimija Stojković was made possible by your regular donations, which help us identify urgent needs, support positive values, and be present where we are needed most. Thank you!

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