Theatre
- Theater
Theatre in Cape Verde was promoted by the bishops and the religious orders of the Catholic church during the initial process of evangelisation as a way of teaching the scriptures by representing biblical scenes. It soon developed into popular theatre, both in the form of rituais de trabalho (work rituals) and comédia popular (popular comedy).
Together with the formation of the Creole language, and with its help, theatrical performances were a powerful stimulus for the construction of the Creole identity in those first days of the nation of Cape Verde.
In fact during the prosperous phase of Ribeira Grande, theatre was more popular than many people realise, as it reached a notable intensity with the “teatro dos pobres”(poormen’s theater), in which the “forros” (freed slaves) organised the forum (the grey), the kingdom (with the appropriate costumes, characters and hierarchies), with processions suggesting a parallel with the tabanca, and the zambunas, which were loud nocturnal dances, where people said there were lascivious naked women, indicating quite permissive customs despite the rigidly monitored morality present at the time in the city.
Another theatrical form in Cape Verde in the golden age of the city of Ribeira Grande during the 16th and 17 th Centuries was linked to the death of powerful people, from the heirs to the nobility to the large merchants and governors. It consisted of performances intended to engrave the deeds and prestige of the deceased on the memories of those who remained “for as long as the world should last”.
In the 19 th Century came reforms in Europe that launched the first democratisation of education, the social press and the bureaucratic organisation of the state. In Cape Verde these changes brought the rise of the sociedades recreativas e culturais (recreational and cultural societies), in a sort of democratisation of the theatre, at the same time as state schools appeared, first in Brava, then in Praia, later in S. Nicolau and S. Vicente, then more in Praia, and finally across the country.
On the wake of Independence there was an enthusiastic wave of all types of initiatives, and there was also a dynamism in the theatre, including António Lima’s Kaugiamo group, and Franscisco Fragoso’s Korda Kaoberdi group, both in Praia.
Modern theatre in Cape Verde is represented by the Mindelact group, created in Mindelo in 1995, originating from the Theatre Group of the Portuguese Cultural Centre, lead by the director, João Branco. Every year this group brings to stage the increasingly important International Mindelact Festival.
Recently a theatre course was started in Praia, also linked to the Portuguese Cultural Centre, and led by João Paulo Brito.
Theatre in Cape Verde was promoted by the bishops and the religious orders of the Catholic church during the initial process of evangelisation as a way of teaching the scriptures by representing biblical scenes. It soon developed into popular theatre, both in the form of rituais de trabalho (work rituals) and comédia popular (popular comedy).
Together with the formation of the Creole language, and with its help, theatrical performances were a powerful stimulus for the construction of the Creole identity in those first days of the nation of Cape Verde.
In fact during the prosperous phase of Ribeira Grande, theatre was more popular than many people realise, as it reached a notable intensity with the “teatro dos pobres”(poormen’s theater), in which the “forros” (freed slaves) organised the forum (the grey), the kingdom (with the appropriate costumes, characters and hierarchies), with processions suggesting a parallel with the tabanca, and the zambunas, which were loud nocturnal dances, where people said there were lascivious naked women, indicating quite permissive customs despite the rigidly monitored morality present at the time in the city.
Another theatrical form in Cape Verde in the golden age of the city of Ribeira Grande during the 16th and 17 th Centuries was linked to the death of powerful people, from the heirs to the nobility to the large merchants and governors. It consisted of performances intended to engrave the deeds and prestige of the deceased on the memories of those who remained “for as long as the world should last”.
In the 19 th Century came reforms in Europe that launched the first democratisation of education, the social press and the bureaucratic organisation of the state. In Cape Verde these changes brought the rise of the sociedades recreativas e culturais (recreational and cultural societies), in a sort of democratisation of the theatre, at the same time as state schools appeared, first in Brava, then in Praia, later in S. Nicolau and S. Vicente, then more in Praia, and finally across the country.
On the wake of Independence there was an enthusiastic wave of all types of initiatives, and there was also a dynamism in the theatre, including António Lima’s Kaugiamo group, and Franscisco Fragoso’s Korda Kaoberdi group, both in Praia.
Modern theatre in Cape Verde is represented by the Mindelact group, created in Mindelo in 1995, originating from the Theatre Group of the Portuguese Cultural Centre, lead by the director, João Branco. Every year this group brings to stage the increasingly important International Mindelact Festival.
Recently a theatre course was started in Praia, also linked to the Portuguese Cultural Centre, and led by João Paulo Brito.
