André Pipa 2
THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING
Took this one during a Tchiloli presentation in the african island of São Tomé. The most obvious cultural expression of the amalgamation of peoples on São Tomé e Príncipe can be found in the island's recreation of the Portuguese play «The Tragedy of the Marquis of Mantua and the Emperor Charlemagne». Written in the 16th century by the blind Madeiran poet Baltazar Dias, the play now exists in various adaptations in the Santomean socio-cultural environment; in Creole it takes on the title Tchiloli. The most distinctive aspect of the play is the stark contrasts that it elicits. The male actors narrate the Renaissance text while being dressed in European women’s clothing and wearing unique masks. The whole highly charged experience is an extravagant spectacle of music and dance, becoming what many describe as a symbolic meeting between African and European heritage. As well as enacting the play every year within the country, Tchiloli groups perform at local festivals both in Sao Tome and Principe and abroad.
There have been many attempts to classify and analyze the Tchiloli. As Angela Barros states in an article in BUALA, «Tchiloli, ‘is an example of the strength of the popular imagination and has found a solution in which the African cultural heritage has not been negated and other influences have been assimilated to create a spectacle with real African roots»
THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING
Took this one during a Tchiloli presentation in the african island of São Tomé. The most obvious cultural expression of the amalgamation of peoples on São Tomé e Príncipe can be found in the island's recreation of the Portuguese play «The Tragedy of the Marquis of Mantua and the Emperor Charlemagne». Written in the 16th century by the blind Madeiran poet Baltazar Dias, the play now exists in various adaptations in the Santomean socio-cultural environment; in Creole it takes on the title Tchiloli. The most distinctive aspect of the play is the stark contrasts that it elicits. The male actors narrate the Renaissance text while being dressed in European women’s clothing and wearing unique masks. The whole highly charged experience is an extravagant spectacle of music and dance, becoming what many describe as a symbolic meeting between African and European heritage. As well as enacting the play every year within the country, Tchiloli groups perform at local festivals both in Sao Tome and Principe and abroad.
There have been many attempts to classify and analyze the Tchiloli. As Angela Barros states in an article in BUALA, «Tchiloli, ‘is an example of the strength of the popular imagination and has found a solution in which the African cultural heritage has not been negated and other influences have been assimilated to create a spectacle with real African roots»