The show, which will be staged over the weekend, explores European dictatorships.
Hotel Europa company is returning to the island to present the show Portugal no es un país pequeño (Portugal is not a small country), which can be seen at La Salita of the Auditorio de Tenerife on Saturday, 12 April, at 7.30 p.m., and on Sunday, 13 April, at noon. The Portuguese performance will be presented with Spanish and English subtitles.
Portugal no es un país pequeño focuses on Portugal, which holds the dubious honours of having endured 48 years of fascist rule -the longest such dictatorship in Europe- and maintaining a colonial empire that stood for nearly 500 years. These facts underlie the show’s testimonies of former Portuguese colonists who were among the exodus of African refugees between 1974 and 1976.
The show is meant to shed light on factual accounts that have become memories that have been handed from one generation to another. Hotel Europa is interested in situations in which real people have contributed to the scrutiny and reconstruction of cultural identities, as well as contributing to the rewriting of history through theatre. Their work focuses on giving voice to silenced groups and fostering the transmission of memory across generations.
During their stay in Tenerife, the members of this company have undertaken the residency Terra do fogo (Land of fire), a project aimed at exploring the condition of Portuguese forests, documenting the experiences of both people and forests affected by recent years’ wildfires, as well as examining similar situations in other southern European countries to gain a comparative understanding of these realities.
The members of Hotel Europa are André Amálio (Portugal) and Tereza Havlíčková (Czech Republic), receiving financial support from the Portuguese Republic’s Direção-Geral das Artes, Directorate-General for the Arts. They are the creators of theatrical documentaries that explore the limits between theatre, dance and performance. Their works are constructed in layers consisting of autobiographical material, family stories, national lore, testimonies, interviews and historiographic research. They shine a light on matters of the recent past, such as colonialism, fascism and communism, to bridge the gap between past and present.
Their shows also include debates on current issues, such as migration, environmental problems and gentrification. In addition to Portugal, Hotel Europa has performed in Brazil, France, Germany, Spain, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Cape Verde, Colombia, Italy and Uruguay.
The tickets are available on the website www.auditoriodetenerife.com, at the auditorium’s box office or by dialling the phone number 902 317 327 from Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There are discounts for the audience under 30 years of age, the subscription holders of Ópera de Tenerife and wheelchair users.