Henning Mankell is writing his first libretto – for the African opera production TERRA SONÂMBULA (Sleepwalking Land)

Henning Mankell enthusiastically agreed to write his first opera libretto based on the novel of the same name, written by his friend, the Mozambican writer Mia Couto. The composer(s) for the commissioned opera will be appointed early 2011. On invitation of Dr. Graça Machel, the project will be presented to potential partners and sponsors on the occasion of a gala concert of the soprano Stella Mendonça in presence of both authors.

Mia Couto’s novel TERRA SONÂMBULA is a tale about a series of tales and how they affect the people who hear them. First published in Portuguese in 1992, it quickly became a success internationally. War in Africa is hardly a new phenomenon; this novel tells of Mozambique’s sixteen years of civil war, using magic realism to turn its harsh reality into an exceptionally beautiful nightmare. (New York Times)
"What intrigues me so much about writing a libretto based on Mia Couto’s novel TERRA SONÂMBULA is its richness. The story is a magical journey between tragedy and comedy. It has all the qualities that - hopefully - will make it a modern classic", says the Swedish author and dramatist Henning Mankell who is one of Europe’s best selling authors. He systematically links his work with Africa where he has been working with the Teatro Avenida in Maputo for over 20 years.

“I wrote the novel TERRA SONÂMBULA during a time of war in my country. This war not only killed a million people, it also killed our hope. We were imprisoned by violence. Even more, we were also imprisoned by distance and by solitude.
My novel was translated into almost two dozen languages, was awarded a prize and acclaimed by critics. That filled me with joy. Nevertheless, something even bigger could come out of this evidence of survival of a war so devastating.
Almost two decades after the end of this war, the news that TERRA SONÂMBULA will be able to travel further in form of another artistic language, is a sort of vengeance against siege and isolation dictated by the absurdity of war. To know that my literature can travel to registers apparently as different as an opera even more amplifies my gratitude. To know that this initiative will be able to join voices and talents of different continents, is therefore the universality that all work of art intends to reach”, ads Mia Couto.

And since Africa’s first and foremost cultural resources are, unquestionably, music and rhythm, they in many ways also represent a perfect tool for self-marketing, demonstrating Africa’s capacity. Opera is about telling a story while singing, acting, dancing and playing musical instruments. People in Africa are always singing and dancing, as well as telling stories – making "opera and Africa" a perfect match!

“We are aspiring to create partnerships truly bridging North and South while leaving a memorable exchange strengthening the cultural ties with the African continent. And we certainly have the ambition to showcase Africa’s capacity, culturally as well as economically – hopefully followed by further cultural projects”, confirms the soprano Stella Mendonça, one of the founding members of SONÇA international, based in Switzerland and responsible for the project management and production, as well as for sponsoring and partnerships.

Principal Patron:
Dr Graça Machel, Entrepreneur, philanthropist, member of “The Elders”, former Minister of Education Mozambique

Patronage:
Oldemiro Baloi, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mozambique
Armando Artur João; Minister of Culture Mozambique
Rudolf Bärfuss, Swiss Ambassador to South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Mauritius, Namibia and Swaziland
Therese Adam, Swiss Ambassador to Mozambique & Director in Residence Swiss Development Cooperation
Torvald Åkesson, Swedish Ambassador to Mozambique
George Johannes, South African Ambassador to Switzerland
José Eduardo Agualusa, Angolan writer and journalist
Gilberto Gil, Musician, former Minister of Culture Brazil
Maria João Pires, Pianist & pedagogue

Music, dance and rhythms are unquestionably Africa’s first and foremost cultural resources and represent in many ways perfect tools for education and development; simultaneously strengthening social cohesion and promoting multicultural integration.

SONÇA international is initiating and developing innovative and sustainable cultural projects. Our aim is to create new platforms for education and a dynamic exchange within the diversity of cultures - whether it is South-South or North-South!

Building bridges! We are inviting institutional and private donors to join and support our projects. Corporate sponsors may wish to connect their CRS programmes since we are able to offer interesting theme-based communication concepts, employee‘s volunteer programs as well as exclusive hospitality platforms for our cultural events.

SONÇA international is a not-for-profit association and was founded in 1998 by the Mozambican soprano Stella Mendonça to promote MUSIC & ART. We understand our role to act as a full-service agency and the local implementing partner - taking care of the entire project management, marketing and communication including the funding. We are offering more than 25 years of expertise in the field of cultural & NGO management, music programming and education as well as sponsoring and fundraising.

SONÇA international
Andreas F. Ziegler
Stöckackerstrasse 69
3018 BERN

+41 78 714 74 50
andreas@stellamendonca.com

This release was published on openPR.