In Abela's history, there have always been families from the rural bourgeoisie and the poorest who “only” work the land and barely know how to read. It is a land of contrasts, so well reflected in the imposing Igreja Matriz that stands out in a typical Alentejo village of low houses. It is in Abela that Mr. Jorge, Maria Joaquina and many others live, who are the inspiration for a dance, word and music show that opens this Friday, May 6th.
At the beginning of a Tuesday afternoon, there are few people on the streets of this village in the municipality of Santiago do Cacém, which has about 400 inhabitants.
In the Largo 5 de Outubro area, there are two or three groups, with a little more than three, four people, scattered around the cafes.
Madalena Victorino knows them all and passes out greetings: «good afternoon, Mr. António!», «Hello! Are you okay?”, she asks.
Since April 6, living «day and night» in Abela, the choreographer and cultural programmer of the project “Lavrar o Mira e a Lagoa” already knows the inhabitants by name.
«I came as available as possible to be able to meet people, listen to them: or rather, listen to them, which is different from just listening», he tells the Sul Informação.
After the initial distrust, came complicity.
“I think at first they thought I was from the Judiciary because we were asking so many questions. Due to the short hair I don't know, the air a little austere. But the questions are meant to be transformed into an artistic object », she says, laughing.
The stories he was hearing – always with people inside – are now the engine of “Povoado”, a cultural spectacle that promises to shake Abela, a very special land. The sessions will be on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 6th, 7th and 8th of May, starting at 18:00.
Everything will start next to the Igreja Matriz, with the descent of the actors and actresses towards Largo 5 de Outubro, an image that was common during the Festas da Aldeia.
From Largo, which is, let's say, the nerve center of this town, people will follow, in a «walking tour», passing by the Pardelha and Matos cafes, the restaurant “Cantinho do Petisco” or the headquarters of Sporting Clube Futebol Abelense, the sports association oldest in the municipality of Santiago do Cacém.
This entity has given «great support» to this cultural initiative because, defends President Ricardo Passos, it is a «great asset» for the village.
«I believe that the show will leave a mark on Abela for the next few years», he says.
The main story, which will be told over about two hours, has the boy António as the main character and is summarized for us by Madalena Victorino.
«António was the son of a wealthy family, who wanted him to study and become an engineer. But António just wanted to go to the countryside, be with the sheep, with the goats. Sometimes he even ran away and slept in the field with the animals making a circle around him », says the choreographer.
António does not exist, the plot is fictional, but there are also flesh and blood characters in this story.
This is the case of Maria Joaquina, a former shepherdess who Sul Informação would eventually find her at the window of her house, preparing knitted towels to be used in the show.
Her life was hard: in times of greater cold, she slept in the fields, only protected by the heat of the animals. As told in the history of this show.
«Part of the tales are true, but then we advance them to a zone of the imagination, to a fable at times, and that is what we want to offer the people of Abela: come to recognize aspects of themselves», explains Madalena Victorino, who escapes a comment from Maria Joaquina.
«Madalena is the one who got me into this! I'm enjoying it a lot, a lot: it's a way to be entertained too», he tells us.
At a certain point, at the height of her 86 years, the inhabitant of Abela, but born in Beja, will also enter the scene, in a performance in which she will teach how to knit.
«In what I can help, you can count on me, Dona Madalena», he shoots, already in a farewell tone.
Jorge Pereira is one of the villagers who will also make his contribution. He is, in the words of Madalena Victorino, one of «the most special people we know».
The show will begin with a kind of carousel based on a handicraft made by Mr. Jorge.
«I have a lot for there: it is not quite perfect, but ready», he tells our newspaper.
Jorge Pereira paints a portrait of a parish where «there were always very rich people and others not so much». But, he emphasizes, “there has never been a very, very accentuated type of poverty”.
As for the show, it is “something totally new” for the village.
The anxiety that he talks about below is also echoed in the words of Madalena Victorino.
“People are curious, interested, because they also see us rehearsing. We don't hide anything and that has always been one of the premises: to show what we are doing”, she says.
Leaving the restaurant “Cantinho do Petisco”, Madalena Victorino is approached by a lady. Her name is Maria da Saudade and, in one of the brochures announcing the show, she recognized herself in a photograph, still in school days.
“As soon as I looked, I noticed right away”, he says. Madalena smiles and takes the opportunity to remind her of the dates of the “Povoado”.
"Do not forget. It's Friday, Saturday and Sunday."
And entry is free.
Artistic sheet
MADALENA VICTORINO, REMI GALLET, ANA RAQUEL MARTINS,
INES MELO SOUSA, MANUEL RUIZ, MATILDE REAL, RUI MATOS,
SARA PATERNESI, LEONOR MENDES AND GUESTS
ABELA VILLAGE
Municipality of Santiago do Cacem
6 · 7 · 8 MAY Fri to Sun 18:00
includes meal
Meeting point Largo 5 de Outubro, Abela
DURATION 120 min approx.
AGE CLASSIFICATION M/6+
TICKETS
Free entry subject to space availability
Photos: Pedro Lemos | Sul Informação
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