A visit to the “When women became citizens” exhibition

With International Women’s Day fast approaching, as we await the 8th of March, the more we think about the position of women in societies across the world and above all our own. In search for an answer to the inquiry, Savremena’s students visited the “When women became citizens” exhibition on Wednesday the 2nd of March and Thursday the 3rd of March. This exhibition was organised by the Serbian National Museum in Belgrade in cooperation with the Odbrana Media Centre.

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The transformation of women and their role in society

Slika_15The exhibition at the Central Military Club of Serbia is comprised of works by famous Serbian artists who captured the spirit of the transitional period as women moved towards equality. Famous paintings by Serbia’s distinguished masters including Paja Jovanović, Uroš Predić, Nadežda Petrović and many others were on display at the exhibition taking Savremena’s students back to the 19th and 20th century and right into the lives of the women they depict.

The sketches, drawings and graphics show women of various professions and from different social ranks; some are wives of wealthy aristocrats in Serbia’s ruling dynasties while others are modern and sophisticated citizens, either anonymous or well-known for their contributions to culture and the arts. As they walked through the exhibition, students could progress through the different stages of female emancipation ultimately leading to the recognition of their equality and citizenship. They were also able to recap some important milestones like when the first girls were allowed to attend a mixed school in the Principality of Serbia.

An exhibition that makes you thinkSlika_8

The paintings taught students about the roles of women as well as the historical backdrop and the rights they themselves enjoy today.

The paintings as well as art teacher Ana Manojlović who took the students to the exhibition as well as other teachers all inspired students to truly think about the different roles of women through history. Have they attained equality? What rights and freedoms do they enjoy today that they didn’t have in the past?

Raising awareness on gender equality

The goal of the visit was to teach students about the importance of gender equality and the detriments of sexism to society. Students agreed that there should be no gender-based discrimination, especially when it comes to basic rights and freedoms. Thus, any kind of discrimination not only reflects utter disrespect of a person’s integrity it also threatens their identity.

On this particular occasion, students explored gender-equality from the female perspective because the International Women’s day is just around the corner. The boys didn’t mind because they are true gentlemen. They agreed that they would make sure to always treat women and their female friends with the utmost respect and kindness, just as they deserve.

More pictures in our gallery.

I am extremely pleased and proud to be the parent of a Savremena student. During my first encounter with the school management, when I asked about my child’s potential enrolment, I saw how much love, enthusiasm and professionalism you put in your work. I was impressed by your approach, ideas and methods. I couldn’t believe something like this existed in our country! It doesn’t take long to realise that this is a school you would recommend to everyone. Creativity, modern technology, top-quality education, and most of all, the humaneness that can be seen throughout the school, make it truly different and worthy of its name – Savremena Gimnazija. With such an approach, the success of this school and, consequently, our children’s success, is unavoidable. Congratulations! Jelena Đorđević, Andrija’s mum
Contemporary in any sense of the word, our school offers functional knowledge and quality preparation for tertiary education in Serbia and abroad. Implementing modern and creative teaching in the classroom, where the teachers’ pedagogy and students’ performance are aligned with the highest academic standards for the high-school finals, our school develops linguistic, mathematical, scientific, artistic, cultural, technical and ICT competence, which is a prerequisite for further education and professional development. Teaching is supported by the interactive whiteboards and educational software, whereas practice exercises research and critical thinking.