What is it like to be a Ukrainian refugee? We experienced it thanks to Svetlana

Svetlana never imagined she would face the fate of a refugee. But once it happened, she decided to face it with dignity. That is how the synopsis begins for a theatrical performance produced by the organization Slovo 21, which held several repeat performances late last year. As Slovo 21 coordinator Anastázie Slavíček explains, the story came together as it always does: "It depends on the people who come together." This is one of the unique aspects of the Theatre of the Oppressed method.

As part of our Prague for Ukraine project, we brought together a group of six women—non-actors—who, with the help of experts, created a theatrical performance based on their own stories. The form falls under the Theatre of the Oppressed, a concept born in Latin America in the 1970s and closely associated with Brazilian theater practitioner Augusto Boal, who focused on social and political issues, particularly themes of oppression and social injustice. Boal created a theater method designed for non-actors, giving them the opportunity to explore their life stories and real-life situations through the language of theater.

"We managed to bring together a group of women who really clicked and spoke openly about what they were going through," says Slovo 21 project coordinator Anastázie Slavíček.

In the case of the performance, Svetlana’s life is viewed by five Ukrainian women and one Czech woman, with one of the Ukrainians having lived in the Czech Republic for some time, while the other four arrived just before or after the start of the war. Each woman contributed her own story, many of which related to their wartime experiences. "We managed to bring together a group of women who really clicked and spoke openly about what they were going through," adds Anastázie Slavíček. The production was guided by Dana Moree and Líza Urbanová, who have long been dedicated to the concept of the Theatre of the Oppressed in the Czech Republic.

All the narratives were woven into a single theatrical story that allowed the non-actors to show the audience their life situations and subsequently discuss them. In the Theatre of the Oppressed, the audience plays a role just as important as the performers, as they are interactively involved in the show. Everyone present can share their perspective on the situation being addressed.

Svetlana premiered at the Scout Institute at the end of 2023, followed by two repeat performances: the first at the Cimburkova Elementary School and the second at the Faculty of Science at Charles University. This in itself suggests that each performance was met with a different audience, which shaped the subsequent discussion. The premiere was attended by many Ukrainians—friends of our non-actors—who participated extensively in the debate from the perspective of those with very similar experiences. At the Cimburkova school, the performance was met with reactions from many Ukrainian and Romani children who have their own experiences with oppression by the majority. And at the university, the performance was watched by students and faculty, who contributed entirely different and interesting insights to the discussion.

The performance Svetlana was created as part of the Prague for Ukraine 2023 project, funded by the City of Prague in cooperation with UNICEF.

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