Cooperation between Belgrade and Pristina: Romeo and Juliet at the National Theatre Sarajevo

On Monday, March 21, the National Theatre in Sarajevo will host a play jointly staged by "Radionica integracije" from Belgrade and "Quendra Multimedia" from Pristina.

It is Shakespeare's play "Romeo and Juliet," but in the light and guise of the burdened relations between Pristina and Belgrade, as well as ways to overcome almost insurmountable borders and barriers. The guest performance in Sarajevo was supported by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), the "Sarajevo Winter" Festival, and the Robert Bosch Stiftung, reports the Patria News Agency.

According to director Miki Manojlović, this play "is not a reflection of political opinion, but a work of people who have talent, intelligence, and courage. Each of them loves their nation and does not hate others. It is a great thing that artists from Belgrade and Pristina have gathered and worked together with all their hearts.".

The play is performed in Albanian and Serbian, takes place in the present day, in Verona. It does not have a local flavor, and its key themes are hatred, love, and language as a bridge, a wall. The fact that the play was staged and was a hit in both Belgrade and Pristina, as well as elsewhere where it has performed, is a serious testament to the very certain and possible regional communication and cooperation, in this case, between Serbian and Albanian artists.

The play emphasizes the importance of overcoming prejudice, strengthening trust, and increasing the level of tolerance.

In the past fourteen months alone, the RCC has facilitated the performance of the play "Madam Minister" by the Belgrade theatre Boško Buha in Sarajevo, the guest performance of "The Balkan Spy in Sarajevo" performed by the Sarajevo National Theatre in Belgrade, as well as literary evenings by Vladimir Pištal in Sarajevo and Zijah Sokolović in Pristina.