AllThingsAfrica - Na Ruinas

AllThingsAfrica: Gery Mendes
Na Ruinas | Spoken word, poetry, music
Saturday 9 January, 20:00

An old man looks back on his life from a dilapidated dream house. Born during the 1947 famine in Cape Verde, he left for Europe, built a life in Rotterdam and started a family - until love broke and old wounds resurfaced. Some baggage you never shed.

In Na Ruinas (In the ruins), a son approaches that life closely. He tries to understand what shaped his father and how it echoes at home. Where words fail, he seeks through music what is never spoken. With two musicians at his side, Gery Mendes steps into his father's shoes: from young soldier to a man between two worlds. The result is a personal, cinematic theatre concert blending traditional Cape Verdean music and hip-hop, exploring identity, family and a past that continues to resonate.

Concept, performance, text and composition/music: Gery Mendes • Music and performance: Ricardo Lekatompessy, Hassan Ait-Moumad • Set design: Zico Lopes • Cinematography: Bouba Dola • Costumes: Sandro Lima • Dramaturgy, text advice and final direction: Maarten van Hinte - RIGHTABOUTNOW INC.