PREMIERE OF "GERMANY" PLAY, AS PART OF THE "ANTI-DISCRIMINATION CAMPAIGN"

26. February 2014.

The play was shown for the first time at the “Bora Stankovic” Grammar School in Vranje on February 9, 2014, as well as at the Belgrade-based Tenth Grammar School on February 15 and 16, 2014, while it will be performed in Bujanovac and Vranje Spa during the month of March.

The play is intended for those who are thinking about seeking political asylum abroad, as well as for those who don’t understand why a large number of families decide to take this step. In addition Vojislav Arsic and Ivana Stojiljkovic, the directing and the text of the play were done by Milena Bogavac.

The play was produced as part of the "anti-discrimination campaign," and is intended for young Roma and non-Roma persons from South Serbia. The campaign is aimed at reducing discrimination against Roma, while the goal of the performance is to approach the problem of discrimination as the main reason why the Roma from this part of the country request asylum from Germany, Sweden and other developed countries. "Germany" is a play about all the young people, who would gladly swap their address in Serbia for another, which seems a happier one to them. Discrimination, unemployment, poverty, lack of perspective, apathy, containment, degradation of culture and art and complete autism of our society for the rights and needs of young people, are just some of the issues that are raised in the play.

The play is performed on school premises. It is interactive, and its audience aren’t only spectators, but they are also participants in this cultural and educational program, which provides the answers to the questions related to the integration of, discrimination against and migration of Roma. The authors of the play are both boys and girls from Vranje, who are also the actors of the play and who share their personal stories related to the reason why they left or would like to leave Serbia. The play deals with the key problems of young people, both young Roma, who spent part of their lives as asylum seekers, and young Serbs, who believe that they will find a better life elsewhere.

The message of the play is simple: don’t flee to Germany, but learn from it and try to make your country a promised land. We might have Germany here if we could find a way to face our past and improve our present times.

The play was co-produced by the E8 Center and Bitef Theatre from Belgrade.

Source: Vranjske newspapers and Coordination Body