A play based on the testimonies of survivors of the genocide and war crimes that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina is to be performed at the New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
My Thousand Year Old Land (A Song for BiH) is written by Bosnian war survivor Aida Haughton MBE and New Vic Borderlines director Sue Moffat. It will feature traditional folk songs and poetry.
Moffat said, “I wanted to bring the beauty, stories, music and culture of Bosnia and Herzegovina to our audience so that they can feel they’ve got to know about a land and its people.
“The familiarity created through the play will breed a feeling of connectiveness. We’ll notice the way laughter sounds the same in every language and that the love we have for our mothers, sisters, fathers and brothers feels the same for every person wherever they’re born, whatever language they may speak or the beliefs they hold.
“The play is based on the experiences of real, ordinary people and how the everyday ordinariness of their lives, their hopes and dreams were devastated by deliberate brutal acts against them collectively. It’s about how we can stand with them in their ongoing fight for truth and justice.”
My Thousand Year Old Land (A Song for BiH) will be performed at the New Vic on Monday 11 and Tuesday 12 July.