On 23 November 2024, the Tolmin Cinema Theatre hosted the premiere of the concert performance Let There Be Peace, dedicated to Memorial Church of the Holy Spirit in Javorca, a unique cultural monument bearing the European Heritage Label. The event, produced by the Soča Valley Development Center and co-produced by the Slovenian Youth Theatre and the Cultural Association Narrating Variete, impressed many visitors with its deep message and artistic perfection.
Built in 1916 during the First World War, the Javorca is a symbol of the soldiers' longing for peace, as expressed by the inscription on its bell tower - PAX - peace. This strong symbolic meaning inspired the creators of the play to shed light on the universal values of peace and to draw attention to the consequences of wars that continue to leave deep wounds in societies around the world today.
The performance brought together the energy and creativity of young people. Members of the Mlado Mladinsko collective, students of the Tolmin Gymnasium, singer Vesna Zornik, keyboardist Polona Janežič from the Katalena group and Petra Rovšček from the Soča Valley Tourism brought messages of peace and hope through music, movement and words. The young people reflected on war and peace in an original way - by writing their thoughts on the floor, which the visitors watched on the screen, and through movement and musical interpretations.
Scenes from the Slovenian Youth Theatre's performance The Art of War / The Art of Peace were also screened, accompanied by intimately adapted songs by Katalena. On both sides of the stage, the names of the soldiers who died on the Soča Front, inscribed in the Memorial Church of the Holy Spirit in Javorca, which the Tolmin Museum has collected in the book The Memorial Church of the Holy Spirit in Javorca - One Hundred Years of the "Basilica of Peace", were lined up.
The performance is based on the concept by Zdravko Duša and the script and direction by Ana Duša. The artistic team was guided by the desire to intertwine history, art and reflection on the current times. The project aims to revive stories of the past that remind us of the importance of peace and mutual understanding.
Photo: Damjana Fortunat Černilogar (Tolmin Museum)
