Bisila

A production by La Fatal that revisits the legend of Bisila, the first Black Madonna in Catalonia, to reflect on the colonial gaze and the consequences of appropriating what does not belong to us. It is presented at Teatre El Maldà in Barcelona.

The production is based on a legend from the island of Bioko. In 1967 a sculpture of the Virgin Mary of Bisila, considered the first Black Madonna, was erected on the summit of Basilé. It was the work of the Catalan sculptor Modest Gené. Wewé, a böbé teenager, unwittingly lends her face to that image and, on the basis of false promises, becomes caught up in a process of religious syncretism. Realising this, she resolves to do everything in her power to return the figure to her people so that it may once again be Mmë Bisila.

La Fatal company reflects on the consequences of appropriating what does not belong to us. The sixty years that separate Wewé and Gené do not stop their stories from mirroring each other, and the show places the colonial gaze at the centre of the conversation between the two periods.

The show is written by Amada Bokesa and Arnau Aiguabella, directed by Carla Coll and performed by Amada Bokesa, Arnau Aiguabella and Valentina Scapusio, who also serves as assistant director. The set design is by Camille Latron, the costumes by Sofia Archer, the movement by Shorlady Preciado and the sound design by Pol Cluella. The piece was selected in the On el teatre batega 2026 script call and is presented at Teatre El Maldà, a Barcelona venue that programmes shows.