Munganga celebrates 25 years with "Orixás..."

With the new performance “Orixás and the treasure chest of origin” Teatro Munganga takes its young public by the hand in order to look for our origin, our own identity together. The Brazilians artistic director of Teatro Munganga, Carlos Lagoeiro, has taken the initiative for this magical new performance. It is his wish to inspire children and to stimulate their interest into their roots and the history of their family. Lagoeiro travelled back to his own home country for research. He ended up in the miraculous world of the Orixás, gods from the African mythology. Inspired through his experiences, Lagoeiro wrote together with the Brazilian director and theatre maker Carlos Carvalho the script for a colourful, thrilling performance:”Orixás and the treasure chest of origin”. A performance for everyone from 7 years.

His name is João. He is a black boy of Brazilian origin, who has been adopted as a baby through a Dutch couple. João is a boy as many others. His parents are the owners of a theatre group with the name “Heaven and Earth”. João has never been busy with his Afro – Brazilian origin until the day that his parents have been giving him a treasure chest. With this treasure chest João is going back to Olinda, a town in the midlands of Brazil. During his journey our character will take the public to the fantastic world of the Orixás. This journey will bring João’s life totally upside down. This piece is an incitement for the young spectator to look himself curiously for the story of his own ancestors.

In order to create “Orixás and the treasure chest of origin”, director Carlos Lagoeiro travelled to Brazil, where he is working with domestic artists. In Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Olinda en Recife Lagoeiro visited a huge number of “terreiros” (locations, where still rituals are being performed in the honour of the Orixás.). He researched the power of the Candomblé, the religion of the Orixás.

The Candomblé and the whole culture of the Orixás where brought to Brazil through the enormous slave trade. Nearly four centuries around 8 millions of African slaves have been arriving to this South American country. Until recently the Candomblé has been seen as sort of “Black Magic”. This religion of the Orixás is only a very small part of the big influence which the Africans have been exerting on the Brazilian culture. Other cultural expressions of African origin, which have had even more influence on the Brazilian culture, are e.g. samba, capoeira, jongo, coco, maracatu and feijoada.

Lagoeiro has chosen to cooperate with Grupo Bongar for the Music. This group of musicians is connected with a unique terreiro, Terreiro Xambá Ilê Axé Oyá Meguê from Olinda, in the North Eastern province Pernambuco. Grupo Bongar is writing the Music for “Orixás and the treasure chest of origin” together with composer André Freitas. Carlos Lagoeiro: "Bongar is a group which is becoming more and more known in the rich Brazilian music world. They are creating a thorough and very swinging percussion music, which has its roots in the midlands of the North East of Brazil. André Freitas has developed himself towards an experienced and talented composer after his studies at the academy of music. The combination of these two musical worlds is fascinating to me."

Orixás: a theatre performance about stories from the Afro-Braziliaan mythology.

A familyperformance for everybody as of 7 years old. See agenda>>>

Credits “Orixás and the treasure chest of origin”

Concept & direction: Carlos Lagoeiro

Music: André Freitas & Grupo Bongar

Art Direction & Decor: Dantas Suassuna

Costumes: Andrea Monteiro

Puppets: Mestre De Vina

Genre: youth theatre