“The history they show us in books is something else; what we are going to present is between formal history and cultural history,” Chiziane stressed at a press conference.
The play is based on the work of poetry “The Song of the Slaves”, written six years ago by Paulina Chiziane.
Still, it took a long time to be transformed into material for an opera due to resistance to seeing a connection with classical music.
The writer also argued that the work is a way to demystify the taboo that Africa has no opera.
“All peoples, for me, have their opera; all cultures have their opera,” she argued.
The result that will be taken to the stage on Friday, she continued, will also be a contribution to the “cultural and language decolonization” through a form of African song and dance.
Paulina Chiziana pointed out that the show will also be a dialogue between various artistic expressions and generations because it brings together music, song, dance, poetry, and photography, as well as professionals and enthusiasts from different fields and of various ages.
Distinguished with the Camões Prize 2021, Paulina Chiziana is considered the first Mozambican novelist and one of the most renowned writers in the country, placing women at the core of most of her literary production.
With information from Lusa