The story of Bisila invites debate on art, religion and cultural appropriation
The Espai Avinyó, with the collaboration of the Office for Religious Affairs and the Centre Cívic Zona Nord, has organised the activity “Bisila”. The collective La Fatal presents a stage and dialogue project affirming the legend of Bisila, a key figure in the culture of the island of Bioko (Equatorial Guinea). The initiative aims to open up a space for conversation on the relationships between art, religion and cultural appropriation, starting with a real and symbolic story: the creation in 1967 of the first black madonna at the summit of Basilé. REGISTRATION FROM 14 NOVEMBER.
That year, the Catalan sculptor Modest Gené sculpted the Virgin Mary of Bisila, taking inspiration (without her knowing) from a teenage Bubi named Wewé. Using false promises, Gené made her take part in the wild religious syncretism, transforming the ancestral figure of Mmë Bisila, protector of the Bubi people, into a Christian icon. When she realised, Wewé did everything she could to return the figure of Bisila to her people and for her to again become Mmë Bisila, Bisila del Bihëi. The piece Bisila revisits this episode to denounce the symbolic and spiritual loss brought by cultural and religious appropriation.
Sixty years on, the company La Fatal has created a project to introduce Bisila, a key figure in the culture of the island of Bioko. The intention is to reflect on the logic of religious syncretism and debate the dynamics of cultural appropriation in connection with the cultural and artistic practices that the West exerts over subordinated cultures and traditions.
The company La Fatal, made up of Amada Bokesa and Arnau Aiguabella, was formed in 2023 as a result of a failed theatre project. This was the starting point for Bisila, jointly written and recognised with the Futur Escènic Imminent award at the Festival Z (2024) and with a residency at the Konvent. The group were selected as a resident company at the Lluïsos Teatre in 2025, in collaboration with La Perla 29 and Pirates Teatre.
Based on the piece Bisila, a space for dialogue will be created with the participation of Remei Sipi, Equatorial Guinean writer, publisher and activist, renowned for her defence of the rights of women from Africa or of African descent. Author of numerous studies on gender, migration and identity, Sipi will offer a critical perspective on the story of Bisila and its meaning within the Bubi cosmovision.
With Bisila, the Espai Avinyó, the Office for Religious Affairs and the Centre Cívic Zona Nord invite the audience to rethink colonial history, restore silenced voices and reconnect with the cultural and spiritual roots of a narrative that still reaches out to us.
Information and registration:
- Friday, 28 November 2025
- 6 pm – 8 pm
- Teatre Zona Nord, Centre Cívic Zona Nord (C/ de Vallcivera, 14)
- Admission free with booking HERE (FROM 14 NOVEMBER)
- More information: informacio@cczonanord.net