A via sacra da rocinha

Rocinha is a slum with 150 thousand inhabitants, beautifully located on a hillside in Brazil. Many residents feel at home here, although they have to work hard and cannot afford much. Since 1992, the Passion of Jesus Christ is enacted here every Good Friday. Director Alexandre Montoro follows the preparations for the play, from the rehearsals on the beach to the performance in the streets of Rocinha. There are no decors; the actors simply move among the audience, which has poured in in great numbers. The inhabitants of Rocinha feel a special bond with the Passion. Like them, Jesus and John the Baptist were poor and had to brave the rulers of the time. One musician explains, ‘We act out a play, but it’s about things we go through every day.’ Another observes with a smile, ‘Lots of people in Rocinha are Judases.’ The company certainly does not think it is beneath them to perform this story. The actor that plays Jesus says: ‘An amateur drama group from the world’s biggest shantytown, why can’t that be? It was a voice that needed to be heard.’ The actors and the director talk with Montoro about their role, they philosophise about art and even venture some biblical exegesis. Just as in the play, they do so with directness and ardour.