We begin by asking permission, “bowing our heads” to those who came before, retracing a path to ritualise what the city systematically tries to erase. The video performance Kabeça is a prologue, a journey through the city of Lisbon, where we pay homage and offer adobá in places that mark the history of black presence in this territory. Most of these places bear no mention of a colonial or slave-owning past, but also represent much resistance and struggle. In this ritual cartography, we evoke this buried memory, reflect on the head and its many meanings, and take our first steps towards Kabeça Orí.
Kabeça Orí is the consequence of this journey. Now using the language of theatre, we continue this reflection on the head and the territory of the body. In Yoruba, head is translated as Orí. More than just a physiologically structured part, Orí is understood as an orixá, a god, a personal and non-transferable deity. In contrast, we are taught that the head is a mere body part. A part that houses the brain and the nervous system. The notion of part and fragmentation proposed by colonial logic is reflected in the body, the city, the senses, and memory in constant fragmentation.
In the diaspora, on stage, black women meet, join steps, build paths, reflect on erasure. Between fragments and connections — how can we disturb forgetfulness? How can we not lose our head? How to keep it held high?
