Today I went to the theater. There has been so much talking about the theater for 1 dinar (less than 10 cents, translator) that I simply had to go. I saw the play "Majstor" by Ron Howard on small scene of National Theater. The hall was totally full. Offcourse, old Serbian tradition was once more seen in action - there were people who didn't want to pay 1 dinar for the ticket so they sneaked in... The show, although it can be critisized for poor performance especially of younger crew members, has hit correctly in both: right place and time. He who if familiar with Howard's work knows that he sticks constantly to one topic only, but just like a good photographer he always finds a new corner to look at it effectivelly. Once again it is about WWII crimes against the Jews. The willan is played by Ciga Jeremic (absolute genius, he didn't defend his role. Occasionally, behind his naive, innocent, senile character you could see a cunning and evil explosions in full strength). I won't retell you the show, I advise you to go out and see it instead. However, I'd like to mention a couple of impressions, in fact questions:
Where will in ten years time be the people who are today responsible for war crimes (from air, in the field)? Some will undoubtably be in prison, but I fear that others will receive medals, just like those who bombed Hamburg, or Hiroshima. Still, I fear the most of those who will, thanks to inactivity, ignorance conformism and stupidity of "ordinary" people, manage to include themselves in the new society, as gardeners, good and respectable people, and somewhere under three pillows they will keep their knifes ready to be pulled out. I hope that we are not such ordinary people. I hope that, if we survive, we will remember what happened to us and that we will once bring these people to justice. And there are many of them on all sides.
***************************************
From: Artmagazin (artmagazin at sezampro.yu )
The fascination with participation
Oh, how naive we have been. The audience in a war, as well as in the theater, always thinks the way the director has appointed. It has become crystal clear to us at the beginning of the decade when Yugoslavia was pulled out on the world TV stage and when the Serbs got the negative part. Bad guys once, bad guys always. We have fallen into a cliché promoted in movies about cowboys and Indians: the positive characters (whatever they do) are always right, negative characters (whatever the real truth is) are always wrong, the rescue "cavalry" has the right to treat the negative ones as they please - till extermination. Accompanied by music, fanfares and kisses from gorgeous blondes. If the concept shows wrong later (in the sense that there are some 10 million innocent people), well, what can you do, that/s life. Let/s get on with it.
***************************************
from: lepa mladjenovic, autonomous women's center against sexual violence, awcasv at eunet.yu
dear friends,
we have received many letters of support, calls from our friends from Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia, thank you. The situation: Many women are affraid more or less. last night some of us have worked in the Womens Center untill 9pm, and after that the town was calm and empty, and some citizens were around entrance of houses and some in the cellers. The parts of the town near the military bases felt hard detonations and saw the fire. Those in the center of town did not.The telephone lines have become difficult.
The worry of pacifists is the situation on Kosovo. First, most artillery the serbian army has concentrated in the region of Kosovo. Last night i finally caught the telephone lines with Pristina and talked to my friend, and she said that the biggest worry is the vengeance of serbian army against albanian population.The CNN and BBC TV stations are obviously very pro-violence oriented and they have inflicted much fear into people in Kosovo, on top of the facts that are fearfull in themselves. The serbian officials have cut electriciy in Pristina last night, and tuned in this morning. The cutting of electricity was clearly the act of producing more fear on the one already there. So you can imagine the mood in Pristina.This morning there is no bread and milk in most of the shops in Belgrade and Pristina. and it is a beautifull sunny day.
The fact that enrages is that serbian regime has totally and apsolutelly taken the control of all the media. Which means that only few words come in, and that language of hatred, production of enemies and vengeance politics is increasing every minute. Four TV stations fused in one and two others in the other one. The people who do not have satellite TV get few news per hour, about shelters and enemies, and nothing else. This is as well frightening. Many women did not sleep last night, and sirenas are on and off every couple of hours. So some of us are constatly on the phone with those who feel bad.
Once again feminists and pacifists from Belgrade are again this time sending sisterly tender words for our friends and Albanian women and their families in Kosovo.