theater show and then the book!

By Jeton Neziraj
CCTD- Kosovo

It was a really great opportunity to continue our cooperation with Jonathan, after his wonderful work last year. For 5 days we had chance to organize several art activities with different art groups around Kosova. The base of Jonathan's working visit was a workshop with young actors in Prishtina. Through “frozen” images and games actors could explore the concept beyond the project: recovery! How human beings recover after wars, traumas and/or different conflict situations! It was really interesting to see some of the images of Kosovan actors, in which they reflect their personal experiences during the war in Kosovo.
In generally, the whole project in Kosovo was as an mosaic that was completed from different ways of “viewing” the “problem”; by organizing this workshop with professional actors, workshop with young people in Kacanik, meeting several people who are involved in work with communities and by shooting a video with school kids!

I would like to say that the video film that Jonathan did with the school students was with the great interest, for kids and for “getting another view of the concept of ‘recovery”. Kids were so proud and they were fascinated by the idea that they played in a movie. I have got several compliments from them, especially from Yllka and Meridiana.

I have to say that the visit in Kacanik had another extra meaning, a symbolic one… Cultural life there is very poor and there are no cultural activities at all. Our visit and the work we did there was important for the group, and as Ahmet Krasniqi (Coordinator of the group) was saying: this workshop gave as a small hope that we are not forgotten and also helped me to keep the homogeneity of the group.

From all this work and from meeting several people I definitely ‘understood’ the complexity of the issue of recovery. It is definitely an complex issue. But, what I really liked from this project is that Jonathan did not simply seat on his working room to read books and try to ‘clarify’ things, instead, he went to work and meet people who past ore are passing through the recovery process.

Now, from my point of view, project should be oriented through organizing all collected materials into a theater piece that has to be followed by a book. I think it is important to collect all this Jonathan “dairy’s” across those countries he worked and publish a book. A book that expresses how the show transformed into a theater piece all this entire ideas and thoughts about recovery!!

And, it is also important to come back in Kosovo with the show! It is important for the participants in this workshops and for the general audience here in Kosovo to see a show that deals with the recovery! This would be like a collective therapy…!!!

Thanks Jonathan for this great project. I sincerely hope that the donors will support next stages of the project.