When Border Crossings and its artistic director, Michael Walling, set out to create The Mouth of the Gods, a show with strong references to the colonial history, destruction, theft and disrespect of native Latin American people and lands from the time the colonisers arrived until now, they would not have realised the pertinence to what is going on now in the Middle East. But one big take away, as I reflect on the show, is how history, despite the will of so many, does repeat itself, and atrocities that went on in the past, well, many are being wreaked right now in Gaza, and weirdly, under similar pretences: the righteous against the heathens. For God willed it that way, writes Eleanor Thorn.
“The Mouth of the Gods” is not only about those great injustices, but is also an incredibly intense celebration of pre-Columbian art and traditions that weaves together the early music of the Spaniards, their dances and their interactions with local traditions, glorious artwork, puppetry and embroidery that is the culmination of many months of research and handiwork by people in our London communities, mostly women with Latin American connections.
What took me out to the opening night was the involvement of Jose Navarro, an extraordinarily creative and gifted Peruvian puppeteer. Wherever he is bringing to life a new creature, this one a large straw-haired Chancay doll handled by himself and three other puppeteers, magic is guaranteed, and this show does not disappoint. What wowed me from the moment I took my seat up in the highest gallery, was the magnificent floor of the raised stage that occupied all of what would usually be the stalls. Three panels, masterminded by Bella Land, that later in the production glow in parts, thanks to its use of fluorescent paint, feature a fish, a hummingbird, a condor and geometric, crying human figures. In all of this Victorian venue’s nearly ten years since its restoration, I am sure no other show will have brought the space alive quite so imaginatively. Positioned on the main stage where you would usually expect to find the performers, was El Parnaso Hyspano Ensemble featuring harpsichord, played and led by Matthew Morley, with percussion by Johnny Figueroa Rodriguez. Provoking instant recollection of famed religious portraits by Velazquez and Francis Bacon, a central door behind the ensemble opens and a cardinal oversees the 1550 debate between Sepulveda and Las Casas as to how the evangelising should be carried out. Later, we are in 1781 and witnessing the drawing and quartering of Tupac Amaru II, who with his wife led a rebellion calling for an end to the oppression of his people..
As well as creating community projects that have involved researching archives at the British and Horniman Museums over months, looking at objects and material that date back as far 3000BC and working with local schools, the strength of this show stems from its music and its two professional singers, Peru-based Edith Ramos Guerra and Germany-based Rafael Montero. In the last 30-40 years, across Latin America, ancient manuscripts have come to light and in the second half of the show we are treated to the early Indigenous opera, San Francisco Xavier. The delicacy and linguistic richness of instruments, drums, voices, married with the European and Indigenous dance steps makes this a profound experience. Finally we are brought back to reality by two current day businessmen discussing how they can continue to exploit and create wealth, before homage is paid to Honduran environmentalist Berta Caceres and others who have striven to preserve the Planet at great cost to themselves, and who must not be forgotten.
The show is not, as Walling explains, about victimhood. It seeks to go beyond being an exercise in reparative justice. Resistance, a word we are hearing daily in relation to the people of troubled parts of the world, is key: resistance to colonisers, to the preservation of memory and history, and to encroaching threats to Nature. As Edith Ramos Guerra puts it, “it is the expression of many voices that are often forgotten or silenced, ignored or unwritten, even in the histories of their own people”. With resistance, there is hope.
Quoting Michael Walling in the programme, “The revitalising of Indigenous culture is not only of huge significance for Indigenous people themselves, but for all humanity” I am reminded of Nelson Mandela’s phrase so often heard of late: “For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”
Hoxton Hall, like Wilton’s Music Hall, where I recently saw the Pirates of Penzance, is a special one, and accompanying me was a friend who had spent a good deal of time recording and gigging in the neighbourhood, but he had never been before. This is a great opportunity to discover one of London’s hidden gems, standing next to the stage or seated in the galleries. “The Mouth of the Gods” is supported by the Heritage Fund and entry is free of charge to all.
Booking: https://bit.ly/HH_MotGods
