The Priština daily Jedinstvo was published in Serbian from 1945 as the official newspaper of the People’s Liberation Front and later the Socialist Alliance of the Working People of Kosovo. During the time of Yugoslav socialism, this newspaper in its reports tried to contribute to strengthening the unity between Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo. In this vain, it published a piece about Sabit Guši and Žarko Mladenović, who joining their strengths and helping each other out to improve their homes in the village of Žegra in Kosovsko Pomoravlje. We are citing this article from 1977 in its entirety:
The villagers of Žegra, in the municipality of Gnjilane, with about four hundred households, have always lived and worked together. Here working together is a tradition. This time we singled out Sabit Guši and Žarko Mladenović, who, it seems to us, deserve special attention.
We found the Žegre brothers, as they are called, working together. They were transporting hay. They stopped the ox-cart and the conversation began spontaneously.
– We do all the field work on our farms together, that was the deal we made. It’s easier and better that way, Sabit began. – Mowing, plowing, digging, harvesting, tending sheep, growing tobacco – all that we do together, we drink and eat together. We became like family.
– We inherited our brotherhood and friendship from our fathers. We work together. We trust each other and we both benefit, Žarko says in agreement.
– We heard about the Law on Associated Labor and the Association of Farmers, Žarko continues, replying to our questions. – We’ve been doing this for a long time. The law has confirmed that we are on the right track.
Here is what this looks like in their case.
Sabit owns 26 and Žarko 35 sheep. Different sized flocks do not prevent them to distribute the work. Sabit tends to this 61-head flock of sheep for five days and Žarko for seven days. And then they start over. They also do other types of work together, in some cases with both of their families helping. This is how work is done quickly. They agree beforehand on what is most important. Both families harvest Sabit’s tobacco, and the two of them mow Žarko’s clover plots. Half acre of Žarko’s tobacco is almost harvested, of course by working together.
Labor is not measured, and even if sometimes it is uneven, the difference is minimal because their properties are almost equal.
Sabit, by the way, spent ten years as a guest worker in Austria. His friend took care of Sabit’s property for the entire decade he was abroad.
Source: R. Stoiljković, „Rad je zbratimio Sabita i Žarka”, Jedinstvo br. 124, Priština, 29. 8. 1977, p. 9.