After capturing the attention of young people in Tuzla, Lukavac, Kalesija, Živinice, and Kladanj, the play was performed at the Centre for Culture and Tourism Cazin and the Cultural Centre Bihać, where it was seen by more than 500 students and 20 teachers from secondary schools in Una-Sana Canton.

“Echo of Silence” addresses issues that are part of young people’s everyday lives, peer violence, mental health, the consequences of silence, and the risks associated with illegal possession and irresponsible use of firearms. This is why the play does not end when the curtain falls. Following the performances in Bihać and Cazin, round-table discussions were organized with students and teachers, providing space for young people to talk about the causes and consequences of violence, as well as ways to respond in time.

This approach shows why the play continues to live on even after the formal completion of the project. Rather than remaining a one-time performance, “Echo of Silence” has become a space for dialogue, learning, and recognizing situations in which silence can deepen the problem. Through the language of theatre, young people are not only members of the audience, they become active participants in a conversation about responsibility, empathy, and safety.

The play was produced by the Youth Theatre of Tuzla in cooperation with the Association “Youth of Tuzla”, the Secondary School of Contemporary Arts Tuzla, and local cultural centres. Young people were directly involved in its creation, taking part in drama workshops, working meetings, and educational sessions on the laws regulating firearm possession and use, from the initial concept to the stage performance.

To date, “Echo of Silence” has been seen by more than 3,300 persons, including students, teachers, and wider audiences in Tuzla Canton and Una-Sana Canton. Following strong audience interest and an invitation to participate in the International Festival “Theatre Weekend for Children and Youth” in Zadar, the performances in Bihać and Cazin further confirm that the play has the power to travel, reach new communities, and open important conversations with young people.

The project “Stage for the Prevention of Illegal Firearms Possession” was supported through the “Law Enforcement Agencies’ Development in Small Arms and Light Weapons Control” (LEAD) initiative, implemented by UNDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina with financial support from the Federal Republic of Germany, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Kingdom of Sweden, the French Republic, the United Kingdom, and the Kingdom of Norway, as well as general support from the European Union via the United Nations Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) for implementing the Roadmap for a sustainable solution to the illegal possession, misuse and trafficking of small arms and light weapons, their ammunition and explosives in the Western Balkans by 2030.

Originally published at undp.org