ABOUT THE PROJECT

YOUTH BULGES AND SECURITY FORCE ENLARGEMENT

      Youth bulges, or large portions of the population between the ages of 18-24, are most susceptible to conscription by security forces of a state (Nordås, Ragnhild, and Christian Davenport. “Fight the Youth: Youth Bulges and State Repression.” AJPS. 2013). Kosovo’s total population falls below the age of 25 (Kosovo Agency of Statistics) and 17.22% of it between the ages of 15 and 24 (CIA World Fact Book, 2018). This is demonstrative of a youth bulge.

     In December of 2018, Kosovo proposed the creation of its own national army, an example of security force enlargement that would be made possible with the youth population. This growth of forces could incite conflict with neighboring states, who perceive the enlargement as a threat. Further, the process would arm the youth population of the country, perpetuating the possibility of increased violence.

     This project intended to give youth (aged 16-24) the chance to engage in creative work instead, option for expression to state armament and violence. By integrating local artists and introducing students to creative work and other Kosovar creatives, a community was formed in which an alternative to violence could be pursued.

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COSMOPOLITANISM ON THE STAGE

     Cosmopolitanism is a theory which relies on our seeing one another as fundamentally like ourselves; differences in our identities are not to disrupt the fact of our shared humanness. The best platform on which to practice this cosmopolitan thinking is on the stage, where in reading and performing the written stories of others, we find ourselves sharing the emotions expressed across all languages, ethnicities, and regions.

     In his writing on the theory, scholar Kwame Anthony Appiah tells of the importance of storytelling: “We wouldn’t recognize a community as human if it had no stories, if its people had no narrative imagination… evaluating stories together is one of the central human ways of learning” (Appiah 2007, pg 29). 

     Our program sought to provide tools for storytelling so as to enrich the spread of these young people’s narratives, not only to build understanding across their differences, but to enhance their ability to recognize sharedness in their experiences and the experiences of anyone in the world.

DETERRENT OF COMMUNAL VIOLENCE

     As playwrights, we know the theatre to be a place for humanizing and empathizing with people unlike ourselves. By providing this outlet for creative expression, young people facing a history of violence and daunted by its potential return can begin to build understanding across their differences. When people see one another as equally human, they are less likely to commit violence against them in the future (see WWI Christmas Eve ceasefire). 

     Our program provided a practical way to build this sense of togetherness, devoid of otherizing, among members of the post-conflict society where institutional factors could otherwise condone hostility and competition among groups.         As outlined by contemporary peace scholars, programs, institutions, and organizations are critical to providing opportunities for “individuals from respective groups… to envision themselves as part of a shared community” (Davenport, Christian. The Peace Continuum, Oxford University Press, 2018). By providing these opportunities for reflecting on one’s identity in a broader global context, we hoped to provide a preventive measure against recidivism into violence.