What seems like the past to the colonizers can be a present and vivid memory. This is what "53" shows, by Portuguese artist Sofia Borges in collaboration with Honório Soares, Inocêncio Costa, Marta Espírito Santo and Domingos de Barros - artists from São Tomé and Príncipe.
In the second half of the 19th century, African countries intensified their fight against colonialism, receiving extremely violent responses. It was in this context that, on February 3, 1953, Portuguese colonial police forces entered the African island of São Tomé and Príncipe and, for weeks, massacred the population, causing a huge number of deaths, disappearances, imprisonment in forced labor camps and cases of torture. "53" is based on current facts, testimonies and perceptions of the massacre, gathered from the experiences of the performers, collective memory and the accounts of the last survivors and their families.
Interviews
Image and sound: B Paolucci and Julia Gil
Editing: B Paolucci and Julia Gil
Recording of the works
Image: Helena Wolfenson, Marcos Yoshi and Tom Butcher Cury
Sound: Tomás Franco
- More about Sofia Borges in Collection