The 63^rd International Theatre Festival MESS opened this evening with Albert Camus’ Caligula, performed by the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theatre from Kyiv, Ukraine. The highly symbolic decision taken by the MESS Festival’s organisers to connect two capital cities tragically marked by war was supported by the European Union, which financed the costs for the 17 members of the Ukrainian company, as well as their theatre set, to travel to Sarajevo. Due to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the group from the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theatre were obliged to make a two-day journey to Sarajevo overland.

Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Adebayo Babajide, who attended the opening, said, “Art and artists have always played an important role in times of war. By creating art and cultural resistance, they encourage people and share valuable moments with their audiences. The organisers of MESS decided to open the Festival with a demonstration of solidarity with Ukraine by inviting a Ukrainian theatre company to perform ‘Caligula’, and I’m glad that the EU was able to support.”

The European Union is the largest provider of support for culture in Bosnia and Herzegovina as an expression of the EU’s motto ‘United in Diversity’ and the belief that culture is a universal value that asks important questions, stimulates reflection, bridges differences and encourages respect for diversity.