Mapa Teatro

Music echoes over the water, a fantastically decorated boat lands at the shore. Men dressed in women’s clothes, a whip in their hand, walk up and down the streets. This equally fascinating and shocking festival called «Los Santos Inocentes» (Holy Innocents) takes place annually in the small Colombian town of Guapi. The phenomenon inspired Mapa Teatro to develop a festive ritual for the shores of Lake Zurich, realised with documentary material, accordion and a boat.

The troubling proximity of celebration and violence in Colombia is a central theme of the company’s artistic research. Originally a Christian tradition, «Los Santos Inocentes» harks back to a dance of the conquistadors and a local conflict between the FARC and the paramilitaries in the mid- 90s, which claimed the lives of 3000 farmers.

What seems poetic yet anarchic at first sight, has become a sad reality in recent weeks. The Cauca province, which Guapi belongs to, has become one of the hotspots of the current protests in Colombia. The strange proximity between celebration and violence is again striking. During the day, the roadblocks of mostly young protesters resemble a kind of carnival, whereas at night, the scene is transformed into a chaotic combat of all against all. (mvh)