From the Ruins of War to Resilience: “Women of Troy” Calls for Peace
Wars have disfigured humanity throughout the centuries. The weight of loss and pain haunts victims long after the battles have ended. While the nature of war has changed, its agony echoes through time. These consequences were brought to life in the Artpolis production Women of Troy, premiering on November 5 and 6, 2024, at Dodona Theater in Prishtina, with additional performances in Belgrade on December 22 and 23, 2024, at the Center for Cultural Decontamination (CZKD).
ased on Euripides’ classic play, Women of Troy is co-directed by Zana Hoxha and Maja Mitić, with a contemporary script by Shpëtim Selmani. This bold reinterpretation transcends time and space, bridging the Trojan War to Gaza and Palestine, Ukraine to Kosovo, Somalia to Congo—a relentless cycle of human tragedy. Through a feminist lens, Women of Troy illuminates the sensitivity and resilience of women confronting the terror of war.
The characters of Hecuba, Cassandra, and Andromache are not merely figures from an ancient tragedy; they embody the suffering of modern women in war zones. These women bear the unimaginable burdens of loss—of families, homes, and dignity—displaced and vulnerable in a world that too often reduces them to spoils of war.
Every day, they endure cruelty, violence, and inequality while holding onto hope for a future where their voices are heard, and their suffering is not ignored. This cyclical tragedy reminds us that war does not end with the silencing of weapons; its wounds remain alive in the hearts of survivors who seek justice amidst the ruins.
With a poignant call for peace, this bilingual production—performed in Albanian and Serbian—unites artists from Kosovo and Serbia in a two-year collaborative artistic endeavor. The cast includes Maja Mitić, Shpëtim Selmani, Semira Latifi, Branka Stojković, Qëndresa Kajtazi, Labinot Raci, and Aleksandar Stoimenovski, delivering a powerful message of solidarity and resilience through art.
Below you can read media reports on “Women of Troy”.
(AFP) – Maja Mitic is Serbian. Zana Hoxha is Kosovar. Their adaptation of an ancient Greek tragedy highlights not so much the devastation war inflicts on women but women’s capacity to heal and resist.
(Balkan Insight) – Conceived over two years, the production aims to bridge historical and national divides, instead inviting audiences to engage with the universal experiences of suffering and survival in times of conflict.
