Serbia: Attacks against the Dah Theater

Dear friends and colleagues,

We are writing to you today with sad and extremely upsetting news, Dah Theater recently suffered the theft of their office computers, office equipment and all their paperwork on the 16th of November and a fire in their offices on the 11th of December, 2008.

Dah Theater is a professional theater group that has worked very closely with Women in Black -- Belgrade for the past fifteen years. Together we have crafted street performances and theatrical plays protesting militarism, nationalism, gender inequality, and the clericalization of Serbian society.

The Dah Theater and Women in Black - Belgrade collaborated in the production of the 2004 street performance “Don’t Forget Srebrenica” at which both performers and activists were brutally attacked by Serbian clero-fascists. We collaborated on a 2005 play about self-determination for women and we worked extremely closely on the 2007 street performance “Neither Whores nor Saints but Women”, which dealt with the issue of a growing clericalization in Serbia and a increased fundamentalism within the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Since 2007 Dah Theater has been performing the play “Crossing the Line”, based upon Women in Black -- Belgrade’s book “Women’s Side of War”, which presents 220 first person testimonies of women’s experiences during the wars in former Yugoslavia. In 2008 Dah Theater and Women in Black -- Belgrade have organized performances of “Crossing the Line” in Serbia (spring 2009), Bosnia (five towns during October), and Croatia. The Croatian performances culminated in four days of activities in Zagreb between the 5th and the 9th of November. The performances allow communities, victims, artists, and women civil society activists to come together in recognition and discussion of war crimes.

Most recently, on the 10th of December in celebration and commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, Dah Theater performed a piece titled “(In)Visible City”. The performers recited parts of the Declaration of Human Rights in ten different languages and engaged spectators with songs and questions. The piece was performed on a public city bus, thereby engaging individuals within the patterns of their daily life. During the performance Dah Theater commemorated activists: Zarana Papic, Dejan Nebrigic, Jelena Santic, Jelka Kljajic-Imsirovic, Stojan Cerovic, and Biljana Jovanovic; all of whom worked tirelessly and sacrificed willingly for the cause of human rights.

Women in Black -- Belgrade is extremely concerned about the recent theft and fire at the Dah Theater offices. Women human rights defenders and women who call for the accountability of those responsible for war crimes, are demonized in Serbia. Lately such attacks against human rights defenders have been undertaken by known state actors. Women in Black has suffered under this demonization and attacks and we now fear for Dah Theater, our partners and inspirations in the fight for change in Serbia. Through their work and their close collaboration with Women in Black -- Belgrade, Dah Theater, and its performers, has become a visible and important member of Serbian civil society’s fight for change. We fear what may be behind these incidents of destruction.

If you have any questions about Dah Theater or would like more information about their important work, please do not hesitate to contact Women in Black -- Belgrade.

www.zeneucrnom.org