Living Library and Forum Theatre workshops in BiH

As part of the project “Better social inclusion through strengthened IRIS network of civil society organizations”, LIR Civil Society and ASB SEE have been organizing Living Library and Forum Theatre workshops in an effort to initiate a dialogue on prejudices that result in discrimination of individuals or groups on the grounds of gender identity, ethnicity, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.

The living library is an interactive concept that functions like any normal library. Participants/visitors choose the book they are interested in, borrow it and return once they finish reading it. However, in the living library, books are real people with specific experiences and perspectives on above issues, and reading is consisted of conversation and understanding between different groups and individuals for the purpose of challenging stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination.

In these workshops, participants are encouraged to freely and openly discuss the importance of human rights for the sake of promoting more tolerance and acceptance, and at the same time reducing prejudices and discrimination of minorities.

Two separate workshop sessions on the Living Library and Forum Theatre were held during the current month. The first one was organized in Kakanj (June 5-6, 2023) at the premises of the Club of Friends of Muharem Berbić Foundation, and it was attended by members of the Foundation and teachers from several elementary schools in Kakanj.

The second was held in Rogatica, and hosted by the Association for Providing Help to Children and Youth with Special Needs „Let’s Grow Together“. Their members participated in the workshop together with representatives of the local Center for Social Work.

Participants had an opportunity to exchange their experiences, adopt new and increase existing skills that help them recognize and support awareness on human and social rights, different types of violence within their communities, as well as social exclusion of minorities.

Living Libraries had already been held in Banja Luka, S. Most, Srebrenica, Bratunac and Tuzla, while our next destination will be Teslic, with the help of our friends from the Association “Srce na dlanu”.

The project „Better social inclusion through the strengthened IRIS network of civil society organization“ is implemented by LIR Civil Society and ASB SEE, with the financial support of the European Union in BiH.