Malaika

Shadow theatre and puppet show by La Sonrisa del Lagarto: a young elephant travels with her father in search of water and discovers that memory is key to survival.

Malaika is a young elephant, princess of her herd, who travels with her father, Komba, on a long journey in search of water. Along the way she faces difficulties and dangers, but she also makes discoveries that transform the way she understands the environment around her.

The heart of the story is memory. Knowing where the old waterholes were, finding her way along familiar paths and keeping what previous generations have passed down can decide whether or not there is water. Thus, a seemingly simple lesson becomes the basis of her survival. The staging draws on shadow theatre and puppetry to speak, simply, about the importance of preserving and passing on knowledge.

La Sonrisa del Lagarto is a Spanish-Brazilian company founded in 2001 by Ave Hernández and Marli Santana. For more than two decades it has worked for audiences of all ages with social and environmental themes, combining puppetry, shadow, dance, clown, acting and live music. At the Teatro Valle-Inclán, whose programming focuses on contemporary theatre and children's shows, this production is aimed mainly at the youngest audiences.