Sehadete Mekuli (16 October 1928 – 12 November 2013), also spelled Sadete Mekuli, was a Yugoslavian-born Albanian
gynecologist
Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined area ...
, professor, and public figure. She became known for tending to the injured students of the
1981 protests in Kosovo
In March and April 1981, a student protest in Pristina, the capital of the then Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo, led to widespread protests by Kosovo Albanians demanding more autonomy within the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. ...
, when Albanians demanded more autonomy within the
Yugoslav federation. As a result of her actions, she was denied a full professorship at the
University of Pristina School of Medicine and was forced into early retirement in 1988. She is the inspiration for the character of ''Teuta Shkreli'' in
Ismail Kadare
Ismail Kadare (; spelled Ismaïl Kadaré in French; born on 28 January 1936) is an Albanian novelist, poet, essayist, screenwriter, and playwright. He is a leading international literary figure and intellectual. He focused on poetry until the pu ...
's 1985 novel ''The Wedding Procession Turned to Ice'' ( sq, Krushqit jane te ngrire).
Biography
She was born Sehadete Doko on 16 October 1928 in
Ohrid
Ohrid ( mk, Охрид ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the List of cities in North Macedonia, eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording ...
,
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 unt ...
(now in
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
). She pursued secondary studies in 1947 in her native city and then studied medicine in the
Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje
The Saints Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje ( mk, Универзитет „Св. Кирил и Методиј“ во Скопје) is the oldest and largest List of universities in North Macedonia, public university in North Macedonia. ...
, graduating on 7 January 1954. On 1 April 1954, she started to work in the Hospital of Pristina as a gynecologist and obstetrician. Mekuli specialized in gynecology in March 1960 in
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
. From 1960 until 1962 she was the Chief of the Gynecology and Obstetrics Pavilion of the Pristina Hospital. In 1963, for political reasons, she left the hospital and became Chief of the Dispensary (a
public dispensary
A public dispensary, charitable dispensary or free dispensary gives advice and medicines free-of-charge, or for a small charge.
Provident dispensary
In the 19th and early 20th centuries a provident dispensary was a clinic offering medical care ...
), within the House of Health of Pristina. In January 1968, she returned to her position as Chief of the Gynecology and Obstetrics Pavilion in the Pristina Hospital.
She also developed a lecture series for schools and dormitories to improve the health education of girls.
[
After the opening of the ]University of Pristina
The University of Pristina ( sq, Universiteti i Prishtinës) is a public university located in Pristina, Kosovo. It is the institution that emerged after the disestablishment of the University of Pristina (1969–99) as a result of the K ...
, Mekuli was elected primarius of the School of Medicine which opened in 1970. She earned her doctorate at the University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade ( sr, / ) is a public university in Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia.
Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-b ...
in 1973 and became an associate professor at the University of Pristina in 1976. Mekuli participated in the founding of the Association of Kosovo's Physicians and directed the publishing of ''Praxis medica'', a medicine journal. Beginning in 1972, she was director of the Gynecology Clinic within the School of Medicine of the University of Pristina. Mekuli published 31 articles in medical journals.
1981 protests in Kosovo
In 1981 Mekuli tended to the Albanian students injured by the police during the 1981 protests in Kosovo
In March and April 1981, a student protest in Pristina, the capital of the then Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo, led to widespread protests by Kosovo Albanians demanding more autonomy within the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. ...
, when the Albanians were demanding more autonomy within Yugoslavia. She was accused of "showing too much zeal" in treating the wounded[ (note 16)] and siding with the students in their demands as well. Because of her actions, the University of Pristina refused to promote her to full professor, and she was forced into early retirement in October 1988. Following the dissolution of Kosovo in 1989, all health workers in the clinic were expelled. In 1996 Mekuli opened a gynecology and obstetrics clinic in conjunction with the Mother Teresa charity organization, which brought in gynecologists from around Kosovo to treat women.[
Her work and figure inspired the character of ''Teuta Shkreli'' in ]Ismail Kadare
Ismail Kadare (; spelled Ismaïl Kadaré in French; born on 28 January 1936) is an Albanian novelist, poet, essayist, screenwriter, and playwright. He is a leading international literary figure and intellectual. He focused on poetry until the pu ...
's novel ''The Wedding Procession Turned to Ice'' ( sq, Krushqit jane te ngrire).
Personal life
Mekuli was the wife of Albanian poet Esad Mekuli
Esad Mekuli ( sr-cyrl, Есад Мекули; 17 December 1916, – 6 August 1993) was an Albanian poet, critic and translator. He was the first president of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kosovo. Robert Elsie considered him the father o ...
(1916–1993). She died in Pristina
Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians and ...
in November 12, 2013 and was survived by her two children.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mekuli, Sehadete
1928 births
2013 deaths
People from Ohrid
Albanian gynecologists
University of Pristina faculty
Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje alumni
University of Belgrade alumni
Women gynaecologists
Albanian educators
Albanian academics