Geography: Europe > Southern Europe > Portugal
Year: 2020
Produced by: Hotel Europa
Creative Team: Created by André Amálio; co-created and choreographed by Tereza Havlíčková; developed with a Portuguese and African ensemble
Synopsis: Os Filhos do Colonialismo examines how people born after Portugal’s 1974 revolution inherit the country’s colonial history. Testimony from descendants of settlers and African families shows that the end of the formal empire did not remove the racial assumptions that it produced. Participants describe family stories and school education to show the differences between national commemoration and private personal relationships. The production considers migration between former colonies and Portugal as part of a continuing postcolonial relationship. Descendants may inherit emotional attachments to places they never lived, while African Portuguese citizens encounter demands to explain origins repeatedly. The work asks whether a generation without direct experience of the empire can remain politically innocent of its consequences.
Source: Teatro Municipal do Porto, production page: https://www.teatromunicipaldoporto.pt/pt/programa/hotel-europa-os-filhos-do-colonialismo/ Teatro Municipal do Porto, calendar and event information: https://www.teatromunicipaldoporto.pt/pt/calendario/hotel-europa-os-filhos-do-colonialismo/ EASTERN EUROPE – NA WESTERN EUROPE WESTERN EUROPE GERMANY