Arlinda Muqa: Knocking Out Gender Stereotypes
This is the story of Arlinda Muqa, a young member of the Kosovo Roma community. The story is part of a series of OSCE Mission in Kosovo articles on the struggles and achievements of successful individuals belonging to the Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities in Kosovo. The OSCE Mission works with all communities in Kosovo to protect, promote and advance their rights.
Before our conversation took place, we had already met Arlinda Muqa during the OSCE Regional Employment Fair for Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptians in Pejë/Peć in June last year.
Arlinda is a young Roma amateur boxer and we recall, when we first met, that she had mentioned applying for a small grant to receive additional equipment for the boxing club where she trained. Back then, we could not have imagined that the young woman standing in front of us was a multiple medal-winning champion and a true fighter. In addition to breaking gender stereotypes in sports, Arlinda is in her final year of Law at Haxhi Zeka University in Pejë/Peć and a volunteer for different non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in her hometown.
Sporting career
After first exploring basketball at the age of 15, Arlinda decided to go solo and experiment with boxing. This choice did not come as a surprise since Arlinda is the daughter of Bekim Muqa, once a renowned boxer and now coach as well as owner of the boxing club ‘Fighter’ in Pejë/Peć, where young men and women from all communities train together.
After having trained for only six months, Arlinda won the Kosovo female boxing championship. Moreover, she successfully defended her title the following year. Despite a lack of opponents within Kosovo, she kept training in preparation for international competitions.
Her hard work paid off in October 2016 when she returned from the Queens Cup, an international competition held in Stralsund, Germany, with a silver medal.
A coach and mentor in disguise
“I have a message to other girls: you can box too and go beyond gender stereotypes!” says Arlinda. She chose to don the fighting gloves and enter the ring in order to urge other girls to be brave. “Many of them start boxing and then quit without a true fight – both literally and metaphorically,” she explains.
One thing is certain: Arlinda does not intend to quit any time soon; in fact, she is working towards a professional career in boxing.
Arlinda has always dreamed of supporting young men and women from the Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities in their personal development. Ever since high school, she has been volunteering for the NGOs Roma Versitas and Forumi per Integrim dhe Zhvillim (‘Forum for Integration and Development’).
Volunteering at Roma Versitas – an NGO working with students from the Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities – allows her to not only take part in educational programmes targeting school drop-outs, but also to make her story known to her peers. Girls especially are very curious about her choice to become a boxer and her persistence in practicing a sport that is still commonly considered men’s turf.
“Last year I was selected as volunteer of the year by the Youth Centre Pejë/Peć,” she says with a proud yet humble smile on her face.
Juggling sport and education
At only 21, Arlinda has a high school diploma in Applicative Arts and is about to obtain her Bachelor’s degree in Law.
“I would have loved to study Art at the University of Prishtinё/Priština but I could not cover all the necessary expenses,” she says.
The Kosovo Education Strategic Plan 2017-2021 and the Strategy for Inclusion of Roma and Ashkali Communities in Kosovo Society 2017-2021, identify four priority fields that need to be addressed to improve the overall situation of these communities: education, employment and social welfare, health, and housing. However, according to Implementation of the Strategy for Inclusion of Roma and Ashkali Communities in Kosovo Society – Evaluation Report 2017, many young members of these communities still face difficulties when pursuing higher education. Even more so when they have to move to other cities or commute, despite the quota system for registration in public universities of students from communities.
Arlinda is one of them, but she did not let any barriers stop her. She enrolled in her hometown’s university and continued volunteering for her community. She will soon graduate and begin her legal traineeship, without losing sight of her prospective career as a professional boxer. She has become an inspiration and motivator for young women from the Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities around her, at the same time receiving enormous praise from her peers.
A true fighter and a model to many.