Teachers and students who first adapted a Mozart opera in Mozambique today defended the creation of a “Mozambican dramaturgy“, considering that the country has enough “talent and stories” for artistic productions.
“Our goal is to create a Mozambican dramaturgy,” said Victor Gonçalves, a professor at Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM) and director-general of the Mwango and Mwango Opera, which opened today in Maputo.
With the first presentation, which brought together hundreds of people at the UEM Cultural Center, organizers hope to change society’s awareness of the importance of art by telling stories based on the country’s reality.
“We want to create a dramaturgy based on themes and stories from Mozambique. This presentation is a way of rehearsing this perspective,” said Victor Gonçalves.
The opera is the result of an adaptation of “Bastien und Bastienne“, one of the first works of Mozart, based on a piece by Jean Jaques Rousseau, and which was first presented in 1768.
The original plot recounts the adventures of Bastienne, a young peasant girl who loses her beloved to a noble lady. The girl looks for a sorcerer to retrieve her beloved.
In the adapted version, the story takes place in the province of Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique, and also tells the experience of a girl who turns to a healer to recover her beloved.
According to UEM dean Orlando Quilambo, the initiative will contribute to a change of consciousness about the importance of art and culture in Mozambique, especially among young people.
“Culture is the guiding instrument of society. There is no development without culture,” stressed the Rector of EMU.
“We are proud: our students and teachers have succeeded in having a European tradition mixed with a Mozambican tradition,” he concluded.
The name “Mwango and Mwango” comes from the Maconde language, spoken in a part of northern Mozambique, and in Portuguese means “meu e minha”.
The opera, performed at the Cultural Center of Eduardo Mondlane University, was performed on the scene by three singers, seven musicians and two actors, under the watchful eye of several personalities, including diplomats and former cadres of the Mozambican Government.
