Famous Vitebsk residents and diplomats acted in a play against domestic violence
The production has already been shown in a number of Belarusian cities, and this was the 8th screening in the northern capital. Prior to this, the production had been staged in 29 countries worldwide. For the Belarusian audience, the Swedish play was prepared with the participation of our compatriot, director Ivan Pinigin.
As noted by Elena Kasko, Deputy Representative of UNFPA in the Republic of Belarus, the uniqueness of the project lies in the fact that it primarily involves non-professional actors, but rather athletes, TV presenters, officials, and public figures who act as readers of seven real stories of women from different countries.
The global significance of the issue is also emphasized by the international composition of the production's participants. In particular, representatives of the Embassies of Sweden, Estonia, and the Republic of Lithuania in Belarus, as well as well-known people from our city, took to the small stage of the Vitebsk Concert Hall.
In particular, Viktor Glushin, Deputy Chairman of the City Executive Committee, took on an acting role. He was tasked with conveying, through his performance, the experiences and strength of character of Mukhtar Mai, a Pakistani woman. The woman was subjected to gang rape but did not commit suicide as dictated by her people's traditions. Instead, she brought her rapists to justice, built schools, and tried to improve the living conditions of women in her country.
– The role is female, but this once again emphasizes that the issue of domestic violence is a problem that concerns the entire society. It was more difficult to get into the role of a person of a different nationality, a completely different culture, religion. But it is even harder to imagine that in some countries everything can be exactly like this; for us, it is wild, – shares Viktor Glushin. By the way, his acting experience in the folk youth theater "Koleso" helped the civil servant cope with the unusual role.
And the chairperson of the regional organization of the Belarusian Red Cross Society, regional council deputy Galina Zhelanova, had to perform on stage for the first time. However, the role of the Russian woman Marina Piskalakova-Parker turned out to be close to her in its own way. In the 90s, despite difficulties and obstacles, the heroine opened the first "helpline" for victims of domestic violence. Communication with women in need of support, direct assistance to them – is also an important part of Galina Zhelanova's work, which is why her creative debut was successful.
FIGURES: In Belarus, almost every second woman has faced psychological violence from a partner, 17% have ever been subjected to sexual violence, about 30% to physical violence, and about 16% to economic violence.
Each performance is preceded by a round table where representatives of public organizations, services, government agencies, and the church, who directly work with victims of violence, discuss how to most effectively provide assistance to victims of domestic tyranny through joint efforts and how to make the family a safe place and a fortress, as it should be.