The country’s female defence and integration ministers appeared in the acclaimed play ‘Seven,’ based on interviews with seven women’s rights activists from around the world.

The play was performed in Tirana on Friday by an unusual cast which included the ministers of defence and integration, Mimi Kodheli and Klajda Gjosha, writer Fatos Lubonja, reporter Ben Andoni, Democratic Party MP Gerti Bogdani, former national football team goalkeeper Foto Strakosha and actress Ema Andrea.

The audience gave a standing ovation for the play about gender-based violence, which tells the story of seven women who have overcome extraordinary adversity in the fight for justice and dignity in their own societies.

The monologues of the seven women whose history is narrated in the play are weaved together to create a narrative which illuminates their inspiring journeys.

With the help of a Swedish NGO, Civil Rights Defenders, the play is also being performed in a similar way in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Serbia this month.

“This play is a testimony on the conditions of women’s rights worldwide and an insight into the minds of women who dedicate their lives to achieving gender equality,” Sumeja Tulic, programme officer for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia at Civil Rights Defenders, said in a statement.

“‘Seven’ opens a dialogue between the audience and the ensemble on extremely important issues, while men and women who read these texts are not mere members of the ensemble,” she added.

Since its premiere in 2008, ‘Seven’ has been seen by more than 20,000 people in 19 countries, and its text has been read by over 500 public figures including multiple Oscar winner Meryl Streep, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, various countries’ ministers and members of the European Parliament. balkaninsight