UNDP in Ukraine

According to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, today marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a single short document of 30 articles that has probably had more impact on mankind than any other document in modern history.

She called upon governments, institutions, organizations and world community to do everything possible to ensure human rights promotion and protection in the world.

Marking this occasion, the UNDP-led "Governance of HIV/AIDS" project and Kherson City Centre for Youth Initiatives "Totem" have teamed up with the National Transport University in Kyiv and staged a verbatim threatre performance "I - Want!".

The screenplay was based on specially taken interviews (monologues, dialogues) among general public and social leaders of Ukraine. In this play, the actors tell true stories of people about their views on Ukrainian democracy, constitutional order, human rights protection.

Actors played roles of ordinary people on stage, presented character's speech manners, emotional state as realistically as possible.

HIV/AIDS theme was presented in the unique way: interviews were taken from people living with HIV. A rather thought-provoking and moving show helped the viewers overcome a stereotype that "a life ends with HIV" and contributed to building up tolerant attitudes towards the HIV-positive people. After the performance, the audience engaged in a discussion.

The audience which consisted of young people, mainly students, was deeply involved into the performance.

"I live in Ukraine and care of destiny of my compatriots, their rights for a decent live, health care and tolerant attitude to people living with HIV", - shared her opinion Iryna Kucherenko, a student.

A young journalist from Mykolaiv Region Alyona believes that "amateur actors managed to capture attention of the spectators and made them feel with heroes of the performance, because they spoke live language, the language of our everyday life".

Play Directors of the performance are Andriy Mai and Mykola Homaniuk.

The event's organizers are "Governance of HIV/AIDS" project and Kherson City Centre for Youth Initiatives "Totem".

* Verbatim (from latin Verbatim - word for word), or documentary theatre - a type of scenic play, which became popular in the verge of XXI century. Typologically corresponds to the non-fiction literature. Verbatim plays completely consist of real monologues or dialogues of ordinary people, which are voiced by actors.

For more information please contact Oksana Skytalinska, Governance of HIV/AIDS project: (+38044) 280-20-11 or oksana.skytalinska@undp.org.ua