The film #4 MANGIFERA (#4 Mangifera, or Mango Tree) is the 4th chapter in a five-part trans-disciplinary art project about loss and grief, created by actress and director Flávia Gusmão following the passing of her friend, the well-known Cape Verdean producer, curator, and cultural activist Samira Pereira. The five chapters - named after trees meaningful to both Pereira and Gusmão - were released gradually over the course of a year and a half of Gusmão's bereavement, as she processed her own grief.
The long-term project's umbrella title NA LUT@, a play on words meaning simultaneously (and contextually) "on the struggle" and "in mourning" in Cape Verdean Kriolu, leverages the double-entendre into a mesmerizing reflection on the five stages of grief, on notions of identity and belonging, on the cultural syncretism of Cape Verdean communities, and on political, historical, and cultural implications.
The first chapter, an audio-walk entitled #1 FLAMBOAIÃ (#1 Flamboyant) premiered at MindelAct-Mindelo International Theatre Festival 2021, in Cape Verde; chapter 2, a solo performance entitled #2 SENNA SPECTABILIS OU CARNAVAL (#2 Senna spectabilis - American Cassia - or Carnival) premiered in 2022 at the renowned Zé Dos Bois Gallery in Lisbon, Portugal. Shortly after, a one-time presentation at the Cascais Experimental Theatre in Portugal, marked chapter three, entitled #3 MUSA ACUMINATA CAVENDISH (#3 Musa acuminata cavendish, or Dwarf Cavendish banana tree). This hybrid performance featured a women's batuku community drumming group, an ancient Cape Verdean folk music genre with a strong socialization and mutuality element.
Chapter five, #5 BOCHIZAMI premieres in Lisbon's São Luiz Municipal Theatre - on Pereira's birthday and 18 months after her untimely death - and reflects on the the five stages of grief, the previous phases of the project, and the many creators encountered along the way.
