Among Cannibals

After almost 500 years of colonial history, what distinguishes the relationship between Europeans and Latin Americans? Have we finally closed the chapter on exploitation and forced dependence, or does the wealthy continent in the northern hemisphere still take advantage of the poor continent in the south? On the basis of these central questions, this four-part theatre project titled Among Cannibals examines what prejudices, complexes and taboos continue to exist in the post-colonial societies on both continents. The theatre project is directed by the German dramaturge Matthias Pees in cooperation with the Brazilian Ricardo Muniz Fernandes and involves the participation of German and Brazilian theatre artists.

Dimiter Gotscheff has developed a piece together with Brazilian writers and actors which tells the story in Portuguese of how the Latin American continent was conquered and how the Europeans got lost in the hinterland of the tropical rainforest. Following a series of performances in São Paulo, the piece "Rio da dúvida / Fluss des Zweifels" [River of Doubt] will premiere at the Thalia Theater in Hamburg.
Tilmann Köhler will direct a bilingual modern-day version of the Argonaut saga performed by actors from the Gorki Theater in Berlin and the Brazilian street theatre group Tablado de Arruar. As a new Brazilian version of Medea, the piece "Pele de ouro / Haut aus Gold" [Skin of Gold] written by Tine Rahel Völcker and the Brazilian playwright Alexandre Dal Farra sends their German Argonauts to Brazil. Brazilians and Germans exchange perspectives and slip into the each other's shoes. The piece will be performed in São Paulo and Berlin.
"Boca do inferno / Des Teufels große Klappe" [The Devil's Mouth] confronts the Baroque poet Gregório de Matos, who was a sharp critic of colonialism in his day, with the 21st-century reality in Bahia. How would he view his home town of Salvador today which is both a cultural metropolis and hotspot of social inequality? The Berlin puppet theatre group Das Helmi will perform the piece together with Bahian actors in Salvador, Hamburg and Berlin.
The German performance collective andcompany&Co. will collaborate with local theatre groups in São Paulo whose didactic performances address the reality of South American life. Together they will produce a play titled "Minikochbuch des Stadtguerrilleros / Mini-manual de culinária do guerrilhero urbano" [Mini Cookery Book for Urban Guerrillas] which cites Brecht, Heiner Müller and other playwrights whose works deal with major themes like war, distribution, resistance and survival. The performances will take place in São Paulo and Hamburg.

Artistic director: Matthias Pees
Dramaturgical assistant: Ricardo Muniz Fernandes (BR)
Director: Dimiter Gotscheff, Tilmann Köhler, Florian Loycke, Nicola Nord/Alexander Karschnia
Writers: Tina Rahel Völcker, Alexandre del Farra (BR) and others
Participating artists: Das Helmi, andcompany&Co., Centro de Pesquisa Teatral / Antunes Filho (BR), Grupo Tablado de Arruar (BR) and others

Venues and schedule:
Hebbel am Ufer Berlin, Kampnagel Hamburg, Forum Freies Theater Düsseldorf, Ringlokschuppen Mühlheim/Ruhr, Ballhaus Ost Berlin, Servigo Social do Comércio de São Paulo (BR), Festival Internacional de Artes Cênicas in Salvador de Bahia, 1 July 2009 - 31 December 2010