After six years of traveling around the world, the play Seven is coming to Croatia. It is a documentary drama whose text is based on interviews with seven women's rights activists from all over the world, whose difficult life stories and struggles have been an incredible source of inspiration.
- This play comes at the right time, at a time when topics related to human rights have been discussed for months. It is very important to constantly work on this issue of gender equality and remind people that there are those among us whose rights are threatened. It is important to constantly warn about this - Zvonimir Dobrović from the Domino Association, which is the producer of this play for Croatia.
The main roles in the domestic version are played by some of the most famous Croatian figures. They are former Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, current Minister of Culture Andrea Zlatar Violić, president of the Babe association Sanja Sarnavka, journalist Aleksandar Stanković, actress Ksenija Pajić and Prince Wale Soniyki, an asylum seeker from Nigeria.
- We wanted to get people who are known for their work in the field of human rights. At the beginning, we were thinking about who to call, and when we started with the list, there were literally 77 people on it who could all equally well carry this story. I believe that our actors are extremely honored to be able to participate in this project - concluded Dobrović.
Among the chosen actors, there was also a Nigerian asylum seeker. He is Prince Wale Soniyki, a member of the Nigerian royal family, who had to flee his native country due to his social activism. At home, he was very active in educating women and children, which did not go down well in an extremely patriarchal, traditional country. He is delighted with his involvement in the documentary play Seven because he knows the story he will read better than anyone. It is about the Nigerian woman Hafsat Abiola.
- In Nigeria, time seems to have stood still. Unfortunately, the country is still extremely traditional and women have an incredibly difficult life. The parents of the woman whose role I will be reading have worked for years to change that. And she has done a lot for that. Every word I say in the play will be from the heart, I don't need paper at all because I know everything about them. They are like gods to me and I am immensely grateful to them – Prince Wale Soniyiki told us.
Seven has already been read by more than 500 politicians, activists and actors around the world, including Oscar winner Meryl Streep, as well as members of the European Parliament. Over the past six years, the play has been performed in 13 countries and has gathered around 20,000 people from Sweden to Afghanistan. All proceeds from ticket sales for the play Seven, which will be held on November 23 at the Museum of Contemporary Art, will be donated by the Domino Association to women's safe houses.
