Theatre in Seville's El Vacie, oldest nomadic gypsy camp in Europe
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Translation by:
mary maistrello
In 2008, the international centre for theatrical investigation (TNT Atalaya of Seville) appealed to the illiterate women of El Vacie in the north of the city to stage a production of a drama by Federico Garcia Lorca. Italian photographer Giovanni Nardelli discovers a community which is a reflection on the theme of the struggle of women for the recognition of equal rights within a traditionally male-dominated gypsy community. At the same time, the work expresses the need to subvert the image of the mediatised traveller who is dangerously imprinted in the collective memory of Europe
This image gallery is part of the fourth edition in cafebabel.com’s 2012 feature focus series on multiculturalism in Europe. Many thanks to the team at cafebabel.com Seville
The first provisional dwellings of El Vacie date back to 1932, making it the oldest shanty town in Europe. Today the community has 120 families living in prefabs and shacks. Seven actresses out of the nine who took part in the show live here; these illiterate women learnt to act thanks to the improvisational work required under the direction of Pepa Gamboa, Jeronimo Obrador, Silvia Garzon and Marga Reyes for TNT Atalaya (Image: © Giovanni Nardelli for 'MultiKulti' aka 'multiculturalism on the ground Seville' for cafebabel.com)
It was not by chance that the protagonists of this experimental theatre project were paired with the work chosen. The House Of Bernarda Alba ('La casa de Bernarda Alba'), a tragic drama written by Federico Garcia Lorca in 1936, is in fact a critique on the condition of submission of women in 1930s Spain. Lola from El Vacie plays the part of Martirio, the fourth daughter of Bernarda Alba in the Lorca drama. We arrange to meet on the roundabout near the campsite so she can show me around (Image: © Giovanni Nardelli for 'MultiKulti' aka 'multiculturalism on the ground Seville' for cafebabel.com)
Manuel is the patriarch of El Vacie and the husband of Rocio Montero. Pictured, the entrance to their house, embellished with some plants and a woman's figure (Image: © Giovanni Nardelli for 'MultiKulti' aka 'multiculturalism on the ground Seville' for cafebabel.com)
Carina plays the part of Amelia, Bernarda's shiest daughter (Image: © Giovanni Nardelli for 'MultiKulti' aka 'multiculturalism on the ground Seville' for cafebabel.com)
Ana incarnates the role of Magdalena, Bernarda's second daughter (Image: © Giovanni Nardelli for 'MultiKulti' aka 'multiculturalism on the ground Seville' for cafebabel.com)
The feminist association Fakali comprises gyspsy women integrated in Andalusian society. It fights for the recognition of the rights of the community, such as giving priority to the integration of the women in the workplace and to the education of their children (Image: © Giovanni Nardelli for 'MultiKulti' aka 'multiculturalism on the ground Seville' for cafebabel.com)
‘Mi casa es tu casa,’ says Manuel (Image: © Giovanni Nardelli for 'MultiKulti' aka 'multiculturalism on the ground Seville' for cafebabel.com)
Laundry dries in the sun, in a field a few metres from the house of Sandra Ramirez (Image: © Giovanni Nardelli for 'MultiKulti' aka 'multiculturalism on the ground Seville' for cafebabel.com)
Sandra plays the role of Angustias, Bernarda's oldest daughter, who is promised in marriage to a young man from the village (Image: © Giovanni Nardelli for 'MultiKulti' aka 'multiculturalism on the ground Seville' for cafebabel.com)
A woman heads home, leaving the bonfire around which we were talking with Ana, Lola, Sandra and Rocio (Image: © Giovanni Nardelli for 'MultiKulti' aka 'multiculturalism on the ground Seville' for cafebabel.com)
Fernanda is the mother of Beatriz Carillo de los Reyes, president of the Fakali association and an activist for Amuradi, an association of gypsy women students at university in Andalusia (Image: © Giovanni Nardelli for 'MultiKulti' aka 'multiculturalism on the ground Seville' for cafebabel.com)
Religious memorabilia (Image: © Giovanni Nardelli for 'MultiKulti' aka 'multiculturalism on the ground Seville' for cafebabel.com)
Rocio Montero Maya plays the role of the despotic mother who will do anything to defend the honour of her family (Image: © Giovanni Nardelli for 'MultiKulti' aka 'multiculturalism on the ground Seville' for cafebabel.com)
A dead tree behind a house. A few metres away, on the other side of the wall, is the great cemetery (Image: © Giovanni Nardelli for 'MultiKulti' aka 'multiculturalism on the ground Seville' for cafebabel.com)
Posing in front of her house (Image: © Giovanni Nardelli for 'MultiKulti' aka 'multiculturalism on the ground Seville' for cafebabel.com)
Bedroom. Ultimately, it is offstage in El Vacie that the daily battle of these women takes place (Image: © Giovanni Nardelli for 'MultiKulti' aka 'multiculturalism on the ground Seville' for cafebabel.com)
This image gallery is part of the fourth edition in cafebabel.com’s 2012 feature focus series on multiculturalism in Europe. Many thanks to the team at cafebabel.com Seville
Translated from El Vacie, Siviglia: donne Rom tra riscatto e militanza