A Coffee in the Accursed Mountains

Elizabeth Gowing and Rob Wilton
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  • PLACES & TRAVEL

Stories of Balkan life and culture from the countries bordered by the Accursed Mountains - Kosovo, Albania and Montenegro

Episodes

  1. 06/15/2025

    Out from behind the curtain? Magazinović, Zagorka, and the enduring challenge for women journalists in the Balkans

    Croatia’s first female journalist had to work behind a curtain to avoid offending her male colleagues, the start of a 150-year struggle for the region’s women. We explore their realities in a (2024) conversation with pioneering Kosovan journalist Jeta Xharra

    33 min

  2. 09/14/2023

    Write to protest: Musine Kokalari of Albania

    Musine Kokalari (1917 - 1983) was Albania's first published woman, created a political party, and dared to speak out for pluralism when her country was falling to communism. She spent nearly 40 years in imprisonment and internment, writing alone. Nashi Brooker, who herself experienced the dictatorship, tells us why Musine still matters.

    17 min

  3. 04/24/2023

    The bandit woman and the businesswomen: Shote Galica of Kosovo

    Shote Galica (1895 - 1927) took up a gun and fought tradition as well as oppression. We hear her story and talk to designer Ilire Lepaja - owner of a Kosovan business whose products celebrate Shote – about why Shote inspires women today.

    28 min

  4. 01/05/2022

    The one with the Ashkali karateist who can

    Sabile Gashi is a many-times medal-winning karateist from Kosovo's Ashkali community. We hear about the inspiration of Kosovo’s Olympian women and Sabile’s motivation in paying forward the opportunities she's had, being told 'you can't; you're a girl' and deciding she can.

    14 min

  5. 09/29/2021

    The one with the Kosovan train

    We clank through beautiful countryside and through time on one of Prishtina’s two daily trains: an adventure for Edith Durham 120 years ago, a horror in the 1999 war, and now part of Kosovo’s European future – if you have a visa.

    21 min

  6. 06/27/2021

    The one with the pioneering princess

    Montenegro’s Princess Xenia (1881 – 1960) was a bold and talented photographer and a crucial aide to her father’s efforts to build a new kingdom. On a trip through Cetinje’s mountain landscape, we enjoy her photographs - and gallons of blueberry juice.

    21 min

  7. 03/22/2021

    The one with Pomegranate and Steel: a taste of Albanian names

    This episode introduces some beautifully-named Albanians narrating the meaning of their names, and offers a glimpse of Communist Albania through its list of approved names. And who is honoured in the names Villson, Tonibler and Marenglen? And why?

    16 min

  8. 02/07/2021

    Old-style Kosovo hospitality; new TripAdvisor triumph

    Kosovo's most popular attraction is also one of its oldest. Meet Bekim and hear the story of how his team of young professionals created the unique Ethnological Museum, a cultural treasure trove and an important site of collective memory.

    26 min
  9. The one with... mountain tea

    10/11/2020

    The one with... mountain tea

    Our first Coffee In the Accursed Mountains is not in fact an episode about coffee. From the countries bordering the mountains we take another signature hot drink - mountain tea. Marjoram or sideritis - we talk about what your choice of mountain tea says about you. Includes this month's Albanian Word (çaj mali) as well as some of our favourite memories of drinking it, and its alleged health benefits - from flu recovery to hormonal balance. Elizabeth gets excited about her statistic on the contribution to the Albanian economy of this and other medicinal and aromatic plants; Rob gets excited by what to do with your spoon when you're done drinking.

    15 min
  • 9 Episodes

About

Stories of Balkan life and culture from the countries bordered by the Accursed Mountains - Kosovo, Albania and Montenegro

Information

  • Creator
    Elizabeth Gowing and Rob Wilton
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    9
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 A Coffee in the Accursed Mountains
  • Show Website
    A Coffee in the Accursed Mountains