São Tomé artist René Tavares
CENTURIES-OLD and mixing the dramatisations of Golden Age political strife with African culture, the Tchiloli theatre company of São Tomé and Príncipe continues a tradition that has existed on the islands since the 19th Century.
In August, Miguel Rato, a student on LCC’s MA Documentary Film course, will film this year’s rendition of the performance after winning a £1,000 One World Media Award to fund the expedition.
The play, called Tragedy of Emperor Charlemagne and the Marquis of Mantua, is an exploration of the problems that arise when political and private lives clash.
Written in the 16th Century by Portuguese poet Baltazar Dias, the text was imported to the islands by colonists.
“I first came across this practice after seeing very striking images of African performers wearing European clothes and looking like royalty. So then I started investigating and made contact with Amancio Carvaltto, the director of the Tchiloli Theatre Company,” Miguel said.
The purpose of One World Media is to support the production of film, radio and print articles that present a different perspective on developing world countries.
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