Jozi Journeys

“Sarajevo” on Stage in Johannesburg: A Gripping Tale of War, Memory, and Friendship

Published

3 months ago

May 22, 2025

Chiraag

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Theatre as a mirror – Sarajevo brings history, heart, and humanity to the Johannesburg stage

In a city rich with art and memory, Johannesburg welcomes a hauntingly intimate stage production that challenges the boundaries between observer and participant, love and war, and memory and forgetting.

Presented by the Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre, Sarajevo is not your typical war drama. Instead, it invites audiences into the emotional wreckage of conflict – not through politics or power, but through the fractured lives of three childhood friends.

Also read: Step Back in Time at the James Hall Museum of Transport in Johannesburg

A story born of war, rooted in love

Set against the backdrop of the Bosnian War, Sarajevo follows the intertwined lives of Mirela, Aleksander, and Slobo – childhood friends once bound by shared laughter, now torn apart by ideology, duty, and survival. Their story is not just historical; it’s human.

How does friendship endure when identity becomes a dividing line? How does love survive the logic of war?

The answers unfold not through spectacle, but through silence, tension, and aching performances that explore how easily friends can become strangers.

The outsider’s lens

Another thread runs through Sarajevo: the presence of Peter, a foreign conflict journalist. With his camera, Peter enters the lives of the three friends, intent on documenting a war he doesn’t fully understand. But as he captures their unraveling, the boundary between witnessing and interfering begins to blur.

What is the role of the outsider? When does documenting suffering become voyeurism? And can observation itself shape the story being told?

These questions make Sarajevo a compelling piece not just of storytelling, but of reflection – especially in a city like Johannesburg, with its own complex history of division and reconciliation.

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Image 1: Israelzin Oliveira (Pexels)

Theatre that remembers

At its core, Sarajevo is about remembering. About refusing the comfort of distance. It is a piece that insists theatre is not escape – it’s confrontation.

In an era of 24/7 headlines and short attention spans, this production reminds us why live performance matters. It forces us to slow down, to feel, and to sit in the silence of loss, memory, and humanity.

Event details

Venue: Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre
Dates: Sunday, 25 May – Tuesday, 27 May
Time: 17:30 – 21:30
Tickets: Free (No under 16s permitted)
More info: jhbholocaust.co.za

Why you should go

If you’re looking for a theatre experience that doesn’t just entertain but moves and transforms, Sarajevo is essential viewing. It’s a reminder that behind every headline is a story, and behind every story, a beating heart.

Whether you’re a lover of live performance, a student of history, or someone simply seeking to feel more deeply – this is a show that will stay with you long after the final breath on stage.