Voices: Billy Woodberry
Actress: Jenny Larrue
Text: from BLACK SKIN, WHITE MASKS by Frantz Fanon; CULTURE AND IMPERIALISM by Edward W. Said; AIDA by Leontyne Price; Verdi’s Aida across the Mediterranean (and beyond) by Serena Guarracino
Music : Excerpts of AIDA by Giuseppe Verdi's Arias - Ritorna Vincitor and Oh Patria Mia Interpreted by Leontyne Price; Opera paraphrases, Danza sacra et duetto final d’Aida by Franz Liszt; I wish I knew how it would fell to be free, Leontyne Price and Rust College Choir

In La Schiava (The Slave), Vasco Araújo takes his inspiration from Verdi’s famous opera Aida and from texts relating to the history of slavery and to post-colonial theory to propose a work which remains close to the tradition of cinema while subverting its codes through a very personal investigation of the image. This video is made of several tableaux

blending images of an opera singer playing Aida, the Ethiopian princess, who is kidnapped and reduced to slavery, with images of various objects found in the backstage of a theatre objects loaded with memories.

The artist draws a parallel between this renowned lyric tragedy and the writings of important figures who have contributed to forging a new perspective on postcolonial history. For example, excerpts from Black Skin, White Masks by Frantz Fanon are integrated into the film alongside texts by Guiseppe Verdi and Edward W. Said, as well as quotations from the famous opera singer, Leontyne Price. The voiceover narration is done by the American film director Billy Woodberry, the emblematic figure of the L.A. Rebellion movement (or The Los Angeles School of Black Filmmakers).

Through this composition of multiple interpretations, which immerses the viewer in a world of drama and performance, the artist proposes, amongst other things, a reflection on questions of identity and our relationship to the ever-present notion of colonialism.