Panamerican Routes: Nohayquiensepa

Aluna Theatre's Nohayquiensepa (No One Knows).

Aluna Theatre's Nohayquiensepa (No One Knows) gives voice to the nameless bodies found floating in the Magdalena river near the small Columbian town of Puerto Berrío.  Now on stage at Theatre Passe Muraille as part of Panamerican Routes, an international festival for human rights, the Dora Award-winning multidisciplinary show, designed by Aluna Theatre artistic producer Trevor Schwellnus, depicts the untold stories of these displaced victims and the community of people who were touched by their fate.

The production features a large screen with images of water, symbols, letters, political documents, a map of Columbia, and live drawing by Lorena Torres, while white-robed dancers offer candles and prayers to the dead. Shapes morph as their bodies move, growing and shrinking in a beautiful shadow play. A woman (played by Aluna Theatre artistic director Beatriz Pizano) mourns the loss of a man whose hand she discovered in the river, and we watch as the man (Carlos Gonzalez-Vio) is hunted down and killed in a heartpounding sequence set to stirring music.

The performers, including Lilia Leon, Victoria Mata, Christopher Stanton and the remarkable Mayahuel Tecozautla, embrace Olga Barrios' hypnotic choreography, delivering an emotional performance with a powerful message. Although some scenes are hard to follow, with words and voices fighting to be heard, the overall meaning behind Nohayquiensepa is loud and clear. This is an eye-opening piece that encourages an honest discussion about Canada's role in dealing with human rights issues.

Nohayquiensepa runs until May 27 at Theatre Passe Muraille. Click here to find out more about this performance and the other shows, workshops and conferences at this year's Panamerican Routes festival.

You may also like

Review

Panamerican Routes: Carmen Aguirre’s Blue Box

A thrilling true story of love, lust and revolution