(Janie Abernethy’s report appeared 7/29 for CBS News.)
U.S. college graduates are in war-torn Bosnia to bring together Muslims and Catholics trying to erase the scars of their country's bloody civil war. Former Dartmouth students with Professor Andrew Garrod lead young Bosnian actors to perform Shakespeare's The Tempest, a story about revenge and forgiveness.
Over a decade after the end of its civil war, Bosnia is still divided by race and religion. The production offers one of the few opportunities for young Bosniak Muslims and young Croat Catholics to come together. The multiethnic actors range from ages 14 to 24.
"Theater is an extraordinary medium for people to work cooperatively on a group project that demands selflessness, preparation, and trust," explains Professor Garrod, who is the director of the Bosnia program and an education professor at Dartmouth College. "If these young people really work hard…ethnicity will become redundant in the process. They will care so much about each other's success that they won't care who is Muslim and who is Catholic."