"Self-forgetting" calls for the voice of women violated in the war

Fatmira has remained alive and is in constant struggle with herself to confess what happened to her two decades ago. Her fate is similar to that of 20 survivors of sexual violence during the last war in Kosovo. The aestheticization of her narrative through an artistic vision aims to use art to express revolt against the lack of proper treatment of survivors of sexual violence and to emphasize the necessity for them to confess their experiences

"Forgetfulness" is a monodrama with a strong documentary basis, written by playwright Besim Rexhaj. Under the direction of Fadil Hysaj, the play of the actress Sheqerie Buqaj and the performance on the cello of Gresa Broqi, the show that was premiered on Monday night in the theater of the city of Pristina "Dodona" came as a mirror of reality colored with theatrical elements.

As for the irony of her name, Fatmira's life is ghastly. She is a survivor of sexual violence during the war, a victim of physical but also psychological violence, having seen with her own eyes the murder of her daughter. She is also a victim of spiritual pain, as the traumas do not allow her to live peacefully with the family she has left: her other daughter and her husband.

Playwright Arian Krasniqi, who had the opportunity to read the text as a manuscript, said that director Fadil Hysaj, through this performance, has strongly demonstrated his skill.

"The character treated by Professor Besim Rexhaj is a woman, who appears to us in several dimensions, both emotional, psychological and sociological, bringing us information about the horrors experienced. I see it as a text and as a show of revolt for the lack of treatment of this category of society, but also as a necessity to speak openly, in the sense that all those who have been violated speak about what happened, since through the truth we we serve the cause of protecting their rights", he said.

According to him, the text communicates well with the public and shows the pain experienced 20 years ago, the consequences of which society suffers even today - especially the survivors of sexual violence during the war.

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"As a show, it is realized with a very interesting conceptual and scenographic finding. Even the musical element has been incorporated very naturally within the show, doubling the main character - dividing her into two - and enabling her to communicate with herself," he said.

Fatmira has remained alive and is in constant struggle with herself to confess what happened to her two decades ago. Her fate is similar to that of 20 survivors of sexual violence during the last war in Kosovo. Her life is divided into three parts: in the period before the war, during the war and after the war.

According to director Zana Hoxha, actress Sheqerie Buqaj has proven that she has the ability to express certain situations through the character she has built, as we see a woman broken in many dimensions.

"Of course, some issues were raised, not only in terms of personal experience, but above all in the spectrum of lack of justice. I saw it as a call to use art as a medium where justice is sought, not only to talk about the rapes, but also for the perpetrators of the macabre acts, to come to justice and be punished", she said.

He added that once and for all this society must stop the stigma and support women who have experienced brutal violence.

At the height of her grief, Fatmira says that the rulers who wave the flag in honor of the fallen heroes for freedom have forgotten to support and boast of the power of survivors of sexual violence during the war.

The character, during the play, highlights the many personalities he carries in himself, as a result of the game his mind plays. Fatmira, whose name is not revealed during the play but appears only in the text of the playwright Rexhaj, is diagnosed with a serious mental illness.

The dramatic work "Self-forgetting" marks the fourth work of the dramatic genre in Rexhajt's creative opus, following the drama "Vorbulla" and the monodramas "Loja e pafund" and "Unfinished portrait".

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Playwright Besim Rexhaj has said that the drama has a documentary dimension, since in dealing with topics of this nature, one cannot avoid documentary and there is no reason to do so.

"But, the idea is to - as much as possible, what is a documentary layer or dimension - functionalize it for artistic purposes. Because by aestheticizing what is documentary, we have the possibility to create the artistic vision and through it to exert a certain influence on the public, to win their hearts", he said.

When Fatmira, the character of this play, does not have the strength to tell her story, Gresa Broqi's cello playing and her cry are enough to prove that the story does not have a flow of happiness. It is the cellist who is wonderfully integrated into the performance. For a moment, she takes on the role of an actress, when she says in a low voice: "Life? What life are you talking about? I'm not alive."

And when Broçi stops the game and hides his head behind her instrument that acts as a shield, it is the actress Sheqerie Buqaj who encourages him. It does this by taking on the role of the narrator, the psychologist, or even by showing the voice that echoes inside the character's own head. She encourages him to speak and this very thing, according to the actress Buqaj, reveals the main message of the play.

"I think this show should have this message, that those women should speak up, otherwise you can't break free from something that's holding you back. As it is said in the text, it is not important how, but you just have to speak", she said.

The fact that not all women survivors of sexual violence during the war have decided to speak is also highlighted through the scenography. The stage is built from several hanging windows. Only three are open. The other windows have their blinds closed. The director, who also took care of the scenography, wanted to show through them that other stories still remain unheard.

The director Fadil Hysaj said that the institutional oblivion that has been done to this crime, which the show also talks about, is the most criminal alliance that has happened between criminals and those who had the duty to denounce them.

"It's not that someone has deprived these women of speaking, but the climate that has been created around them, the social and political environment, the lack of state support for this category have been reasons for them to shut up and seek salvation in oblivion", he said. he said, emphasizing that these events cannot be forgotten.

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The play ends with the actress calling for her character to speak and tell what happened to her.

"Speak, because you are alive! Enough to prove to the world that 20 years ago, here a terrible hand of crime grabbed everything", says the actress Sheqerie Buqaj at the end of the show. And, the applause that followed as if it was the approval of her request. Soft enough to let her decide and strong enough to let her know she will find support if she decides to speak up. The replay of the show "Self-forgetting" is given on Wednesday night.