Theatre as the machinery of political propaganda
Theatre as the machinery of political propaganda

Summary/Abstract: In this article I try to examine the role of the theatre in serving the political propaganda, using theexample of Lift: The Slobodan Show, produced by the People’s Theatre of Prishtina (Narodno Pozor-iste Pristina), “temporarily relocated in Belgrade”, an agit-prop show that attempts to revise history,and to rehabilitate Milošević’s criminal past. I also describe how difficult the cultural struggle inSerbia is for artists from the “other camp,” those who take a liberal approach and who are critical ofwar and chauvinist politics. I conclude that the social and political stability of the Balkan troubledregion relies on the intensification of cultural exchange, the installation of a critical mindset towardsthe past and the present, and eventually, the arrival of new, more open-minded, progressive, andemancipated political classes. But I argue that changing the future course of the region is still deeplylinked to Serbia. Because just as it has been a source and exporter of crises, Serbia is also the keypotential source for eventual peace and prosperity in the region.

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