LISTEN: Mar Português

Prayer (ENGLISH)

Prece (PORTUGUÊS)

Theyyem performer for When the Sea Rises, purging colonial memories.

“O Infante” by Fernando Pessoa (from A Messagem)

Listen here:

O Infante (Portuguese original version)

The Prince (English translation)

In 2004, the Tsunami swept into Cochin as a surge, an ominous portend for the city’s archipelago-like structure. Cochin’s many barrier islands are low lying regions facing open water, and hence vulnerable to the scenario of rising ocean levels. When the Sea Rises is a performance on the Fort Cochin seawall along in the historic district of Fort Cochin. Fort Cochin was a major port  in the 16th century maritime imaginary, and hence an ecumenical crossing point for world cultures. Vasco da Gama, Fort Cochin’s most famous resident, lived in Fort Cochin during his last days, and was buried here, before posthumously being sent back to Portugal.
When the Sea Rises is a performance exploring both Fort Cochin’s cosmopolitanism and its ecological vulnerability.

© Nirmal Harindran

vasco dormia, dormia aqui

ele dormia a saber o que não se sabe, factos proíbidos.

guardava o segredo dentro dos olhos

a colonializar-lhe o sono

vermelho lento