In order to promote the cause of peace, there continues to remain a great sense of need to rekindle the hopes of victims and help them survive the brutal consequences of war. Successful peace-oriented efforts can not ignore victims and survivors of conflicts. Since its establishment, Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy Organization (AHRDO)  has pioneered in holding participatory events in the country to provide opportunity for the truths to be told and heard and exploring new ways of living for the victims and survivors of thirty years of conflict in the country. Participatory theater functions as an effective tool for deeper understanding of sufferings and consequences of war, which help figure out effective solutions to the problems, transform conflict and promote peace. On Thursday, May 08, 2010, after a six-day workshop, which was conducted for a group of female and male victims of war by Social Association of Afghan Justice Seekers (SAAJS), a theater festival was held at the office of Foundation of Solidarity for Justice (FSFJ).

The event was attended by representatives of different civil society organizations that mainly included: a group of female victims from FSFJ, Mr. Yusaf from Foundation for Open Society Institute (FOSI), Ms. Weeda and Engineer Noory from SAAJS, Engineer Yunas Akhtar from Ertabad Organization and members of FSFJ themselves. The program began with opening remarks by Mr. Khudadad Bisharat from AHRDO. Welcoming the participants and thanking FSFJ for providing venue for the program, Mr. Bisharat briefed on AHRDO, its performance and accomplishments. He then gave a short introduction of participatory theater, which is an effective tool employed by AHRDO to listen to victims and survivors of war. Following him, Ms. Zahra explained how participatory theater is performed, as well as the difference between participatory theater and classic theater. She then asked the participants to follow the performance carefully so that they could find solutions to the problems reflected in the plays. The play was about a family that fell victim to warfare and suffered tremendously as different phases of the conflict unfolded  

 The plays depict a family grappling with implications of conflict. Leg of father of the family is paralyzed as a result of a rocket that hit their house and razed it to the ground and the daughter in the family loses her mind in the explosion. The mother tells the memories of these bitter and horrific days to her son who was then small, and now because of illiteracy can not find out any job to feed his disabled family.  The father takes the hand of his disabled daughter and starts begging from shop to shop. 

 In the second play, the son who was pressured by his father to find a source of income gets out of home and comes across a drug-addicted person who introduces him to a drug-trafficker. The drug-addicted shares his own account of sufferings from war. He recalls how the warlords broke into their house, tied his hands behind his back and killed all his family members. The addicted says that he was about to go crazy before he found solace in drug.  The trafficker promises the boy to buy him anything he wants such as house and car provided that he takes the stuff across the border. In order to escape the excruciating unemployment, the boy is led into drug-trafficking activities.  

The third show reflects and focuses Reconciliation Bill and its repercussions. The play portrays a commander and his bodyguards standing at the border. One of his bodyguards says to the commander that they are not finding any prey nowadays. But the other says that they should relinquish such criminal activities. The third bodyguard says furiously: who held those who have looted people’s houses, expropriated people’s land and killed innocent people to account. He continues, asking the Commander! Do you know they have passed reconciliation bill, which grants impunity to all perpetrators. The commander says, yes, they do. The bodyguard interrupts and says: I have lost my family, I will nowise forgive anyone. Other bodyguard says: you are not important enough to forgive. They suddenly see a person trying to take packages of drugs across the border. This is the same person who was led into this activity by another drug-trafficker. These Forum and Debate Theaters were well received by the audiences and spectators answered the questions raised by facilitator, Zahra. The three plays generated space for dialogue and to find out concrete solution to crises / problems reflected in the play through interaction and active participation of present audience. The performances then were followed by identification of problems and finding of solutions by spectators. The spectators replaced actors, coming to the state and presenting their solutions.

  Sakina, Farida and Arif from FSJ replaced the actors in play one. Mr. Yusaf from Foundation for Open Society Institute (FOSI) and Maryam substituted actors in the second show and presented their solutions to the problems. Mr. Yusaf from FOSI, Arif from FSJ, Hamida, one of the victims, Arzo, one of the female victims, Engieer Noory from SAAJS and Engineer Yunas Akhtar from Ertabad Organization replaced actors in third show and put forth their solutions to the problems reflected therein.  

A round table was then conducted to create opportunity for Q&A so that human rights and transitional justice activists directly answer the questions raised by victims and brief on bill of impunity and transitional justice and talk about solutions to these problems. Engineer Yonas Akhtar from Ertibat and Engineer Noory and Weeda from SAAJS were the panel members. Following are some of the questions and answers, which began with a question raised by a female victim.  

  Question: we have lost both our home and our dears. Will all these crimes be covered by this law and we will not achieve our rights? Younas Akhtar answers the question: This law was passed for security purposes, the government passed the law secretly and then published in official gazette of ministry of justice because of security and that if the people understand will rebel. Now that the law is public, we should not accept it least anyone’s right is trampled. 

 Question: What should we do?Secod round of parliamentary elections is ahead of us, we must be careful in voting. 

 Question: We trusted the MPs and trusted Karzai but they have done nothing? Weeda from SAAJS answers: There is racialism. Both deputies of Karzai are perpetrators and this is the people’s own choice. The parliamentary elections are ahead of us, we must raise our voice. 

 Question: the perpetrators go from one position to another and we can not do anything?Answer: history of Afghanistan is a history of war and it is we now that make the history. So we must be awake. If we raise our voice, someone will eventually hear it. 

 Question: how will the crimes end? Answer: if you vote for someone who does not believe in defense of homeland and continue war and injustice and follow their own interests, the crimes will never be ended. In fact, you will be accomplice of the crimes that may occur. Vote for a desrving and well-serving personality regardless of their ethnic background.