On the 2nd of November Yanka Kupala National Academic Theater hosted for the first time the internationally renowned play Seven.
Play Seven is the part of the project Seven on Tour. Being started in Sweden Seven on Tour visited different parts of the planet. As of today the play Seven was staged in 27 countries with Belarus becoming the 28th. In Minsk the reading of the play was done in two languages, Russian and Belarusian.
The idea of the play was born in 2001, when seven American female playwrights decided to write a documentary play about women rights. Before that each of them had taken an interview with female human rights activists from Nigeria, Afghanistan, Guatemala, Northern Ireland, Pakistan and Russia, who made part of the Vital Voices Global Leadership Network.
Hedda Krausz Sjögren, now a producer of the Project Seven, suggested her own concept of Seven, making it flexible to stage and inviting female and male non-actors to read it publicly. Usually the play is read by politicians, journalists, celebrities and NGO representatives.
In such a way, still remaining its artistic value, the play Seven became a powerful instrument of advocacy for women rights and a call for ending any kind of violence and discrimination based on gender.
Seven stories told by real women, who had suffered from gender-based violence, persecution, intimidation, humiliation and undergone different social constraints found their way to the hearts of people with different cultural and religious backgrounds, resonated with women as well as with men. The reason of success of Seven lies in the real-life stories and a human perspective of gender-based violence, which proves that these problems concern each of us, regardless of sex and country.
The demonstration of Seven in Belarus with participation of State officials as readers became possible in the result of cooperation of the United Nations Population Fund in Belarus, the Embassy of Kingdom of Sweden and Hedda Production.
In Belarus Seven was curated by UNFPA country office team, who invited Kupalovsky Theater producer Ivan Pinihin and Kupalovsly Theater actor Ihor Petrov to direct the play and train the actors.
Counteraction to domestic violence in Belarus is one of the priorities of the United Nations Population Fund in Belarus. Many women, as well as elderly people, more than others become victims of domestic violence. Belarus is not an exception.
This is why it was important that the stories of seven female human right activists were presented in Belarus as well.
Belarusian officials from ministries, state agencies and diplomats as people, who take decisions and can influence opinions, were invited to read the play.
UNFPA in Belarus believes that the reading of Seven will help to attract public attention to the problem of domestic violence and initiate discussion on this topic among decision-makers, experts, human rights activists and media.
On Monday November the 2nd 2015, Hafsat Abiola (Nigeria), Farida Azizi (Afghanistan), Anabella De Lion (Guatemala), Inez McCormack (Northern Ireland), Mukhtaran Mai (Pakistan), Mu Sochua (Cambodia), Marina Pisklakova-Parker (Russia) were speaking to the audience of Kupalovsky Theater through the Ambassador of Sweden in the Republic of Belarus Mr. Oberg, the Head of Central Board on organization of medical care of the Ministry of Health Ms. Bogdan, the Assistant to the President for Economic Affairs Mr. Cyril Rudy, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Belarus Ms. Kupchina, Central Department for Law and Order Ensuring and Prevention of Crimes of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of BelarusMr. Karasei, Head of the Youth Affairs Office of the Belarusian Education Ministry Mr. Pshenichnaya, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Protection Mr. Rumak.
The play has gathered in a theater hall more than 90 representatives from the ministries, state agencies, parliament, civil society and religious organizations as well as from UN agencies in Belarus.
