New drama, Torba, tells Balkan refugees' stories

Mennonite Central Committee
Saturday, 21 October 2000

Amy Gopp left for Croatia in 1995, determined to bring along as many books about peace as possible. She would be living and working with people deeply divided by religious and ethnic differences, in the aftermath of the Bosnian war. The decade of wars in the Balkans left an estimated 1 million people without homes. Gopp was to work for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) at a peace center among displaced Serbs, Croats and Muslims.

When she returned to the United States four years later, Gopp brought back a wealth of stories in her journals and in her memories about the life and struggles of people in the former Yugoslavia.

Gopp shared her stories with long-time friend Ingrid DeSanctis, playwright and associate professor of drama at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) in Harrisonburg, Va.

"When Amy visited Virginia, we stayed up late at night and I typed while she talked," says DeSanctis. "I was especially intrigued by the items refugees packed in their suitcases -- what each item was and what it said about that person."

Coffee grinders, photographs, diapers, makeup and books were all part of the mix. Some would later burn their books for warmth, along with floorboards and pieces of rubber tire.

DeSanctis developed the stories into a play, "Torba," meaning "bag." This new play follows Gopp's experience in the Balkans, focusing on friendships she formed with displaced people. EMU students performed "Torba" in October, directed by DeSanctis.

"This play raises awareness," says Gopp, who was present at the first performance. "It's entertaining on one level, but my hope is that the audience leaves the play feeling they know something about the former Yugoslavia."

The audience may learn, for example, that the conflict tore friends, neighbors and families apart, that the tradition of making and drinking coffee brought communities together, that names are often the only distinguishing features between Serbs, Croats and Muslims in the Balkans.

The play makes little distinction between these different groups of people, though the war was centered around ethnic differences.

"We wanted to show that everyone suffered," explains Gopp.

The audience learns that the Serbian people did not understand NATO bombing, having no outside news source. The audience also learns about some North American relief efforts. Refugees received truckloads of microwave dinners, worn-out shoes and clothing and "foreign potatoes" called kiwis, says Gopp.

For more information, or to contact Mennonite Central Committee, see their website at: www.mcc.org