Performance of the play “Doghouse” as part of the Justice&Voices project
“Doghouse” Performance Held
As part of the project Justice&Voices: advocating Rights of War Violence Survivors through Law, Storytelling, and Art, on 31 May at 19:30 at the Arterarij theatre in Zagreb, the performance of the play “Doghouse” (“Kućica za pse”) was held.
Justice&Voices addresses the legal and institutional position of survivors of sexual violence in war, connecting three approaches to this topic: law, storytelling, and art.
The aim is to make survivors’ experiences more visible and to open space for their rights in public and institutional discussion. The performance was therefore prepared specifically for the circle of people who have the power to make changes in that space.
The evening was attended by a number of high-ranking guests: ambassadors and heads of mission, representatives of embassies, political parties, civil society organizations, legislative bodies, and the Ombudsperson’s Office.
“Doghouse” is a play by the artistic organization Arterarij, directed by Roman Nikolić, based on a text by Dorotea Šušak, Mario Mažić, and Roman Nikolić in collaboration with performers. After months of field research, the authors, through the story of two parallel families, speak about wartime rape in the last war in this region and its long-term consequences for victims, families, and communities.
The play does not focus only on violence itself, but on the life that follows: silence, unspoken trauma, and the way it accumulates and is passed on to the next generation. The cast includes Anita Matić Delić, Dušan Gojić, Jelena Graovac Lučev, Nikola Nedić, and Davor Tarbuk.
After the performance, a short panel discussion was held on the project, what it advocates for, and how the previous phases of work unfolded. Participants in the discussion included Mario Mažić, Marijana Senjak, a psychologist from the Women’s Room, as well as Erika Keliš and Lucija Papeša, two students who participated in the project.
The discussion brought together three perspectives: the authorial and activist perspective, the expert perspective of working with survivors, and the experience of young participants in the project. Marijana Senjak shared experiences from her work, particularly regarding psychological assistance and support for survivors of sexual violence. Lucija Papeša spoke about the legal framework and the current state of the system for exercising the right to financial compensation and assistance, while Erika Keliš conveyed the experiences from testimonies collected by activists in the previous phase of the project.
The combination of art, law, and personal experience shows why wartime sexual violence needs to be discussed openly, persistently, and repeatedly.
The authors of the text are our collaborator Jakov Vojta Žujo and activist Lucija Papeša.
Funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the Netherlands Helsinki Committee. Neither the European Union nor the NHC can be held responsible for them.
