00:01Sporting a range of outfits accessorised with beards, wigs and hats,
00:06actors on São Tomé perform a medieval European tragedy on the island of Africa's west coast.
00:14Brought to the archipelago nation more than 500 years ago by Portuguese colonialists,
00:20the tradition of open-air Chiluli Theatre continues to prove popular with residents and tourists to this day.
00:26One of the troops' members believes its popularity comes from its championing of justice.
00:34People love this culture because it speaks about something very real, justice.
00:38Justice does not distinguish between rich and poor.
00:41Whether one is poor or rich, man or woman, there must be justice. That's exactly it.
00:48The play script is in Old Portuguese.
00:51The play script is written in Old Portuguese.
00:54It draws from the legends linked to the Carolinian dynasty,
00:58which ruled over the majority of Western Europe from the 8th to 10 centuries AD.
01:03At the story's heart is a crime.
01:05The Emperor Charlemagne's heir, Charles the Younger, kills a knight.
01:10Spectators say the theme still resonates.
01:15It conveys a very important message.
01:19Basically, it says that justice is something that, how shall I put it,
01:22concerns both the poor and the rich.
01:25No matter the religion, no matter the social class.
01:28In other words, wealth, that sort of thing.
01:31Everything has to be fair.
01:32Whoever sows evil, reaps evil.
01:36It's intense work, with the troops spending several hours performing at a time.
01:41But this member says he finds it energising and hopes to include his children in the group.
01:49I have two children, and I'll soon start teaching my oldest to play the character of Kata,
01:54a young boy who, in the play, has to deliver a letter.
02:00I'll start getting him ready now, so that he can also be part of the group.
02:10Open-air Chiloli Theatre is now a UNESCO-listed tradition.
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