WILLEMSTAD - Lamchi di Dios, the newest theatre production by Bulabanda, premiered recently at the Because Entertainment Center, bringing an emotionally charged and socially relevant story to the Curaçao stage. Written by Marlon Reina and directed by Albert Schoobaar, the production marks the beginning of a multi-year series aimed at provoking reflection, memory, and consciousness within the community.
A Unique Stage and an Immersive Introduction
The staging itself immediately sets the tone. The performance space is arranged lengthwise with three separate sets, while a specially constructed audience stand faces the action. Even before entering the theatre, spectators receive a subtle introduction: one of the actors already appears in character in the parking lot, blending seamlessly into the environment — a playful foreshadowing of the blurred lines between fiction and reality that follow.
The play opens with audio recordings, a technique used throughout the production as narrative guidance, transition, and thematic depth.
A Story Rooted in Community, Diaspora, and Dilemmas
The early scenes establish the framework: two young idealists return from the diaspora with a significant European subsidy aimed at helping rebuild and empower the island community. Their vision is bold — sell land to build a stronger, more sustainable society without private beaches, and reinvest the profits in social programs that enhance self-reliance. Their initial funding amounts to one million euros, with the possibility of another ten million.
But questions arise almost immediately. Are they too young? Are they out of touch with the island’s reality? Did they ever fully understand that reality before leaving? The emotional and socio-economic differences between the two dreamers — diminished abroad by homesickness and shared identity — reappear sharply upon their return.
With the involvement of European subsidy funds also come larger questions: Is this colonial money? Are these Western-defined development models destined to repeat the mistakes of the past?
Before the two protagonists even set foot on the island, the audience has already formed a quiet vote of no-confidence. Schoobaar and Reina cleverly turn the mirror back onto the spectators, making them complicit in the outcome.
Collision of Ideals and Reality
Upon returning home, the dreamers face a wide range of pressures: relatives hoping to benefit from the subsidy, people looking not for empowerment programs but for concrete solutions like jobs, and others who are simply content with their lives as they are.
Their own backgrounds begin to divide them, as they disagree on who needs help and how help should be given. To complicate matters further, a project-developer family member seeks to profit from the project at any cost.
Everything comes to a head around a single plot of land. A man lives on the property — someone one dreamer believes fits the profile of their social-empowerment target group, while the other sees him as an obstacle. The man, however, is content with his life in nature and has no desire for any “upgrade.” As the project unravels, loyalty weakens, beliefs erode, and the dream begins to collapse.
In a dramatic twist, the land turns out not to belong to the dreamers at all, but to the man living on it. Their grand vision crumbles — with painful consequences.
A Title Rooted in the Gospel
The title Lamchi di Dios references the Gospel of John (1:29), in which John the Baptist refers to Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. In Catholic liturgy, this line appears as a prayer seeking mercy and absolution — an intimate confession of guilt.
In this production, Schoobaar and Reina open that silence wide. They expose the sins — large and small — that fracture a society. The audience is forced to confront uncomfortable truths, delivered with enough humor to keep the reflection bearable but no less powerful.
A Mirror to the Community
The play holds up a mirror to the audience, reflecting the shared responsibility we all bear for societal shortcomings and the equally shared responsibility to build something better. The message of Lamchi di Dios seeps under the skin, lingering long after the lights go down.
First in a New Series
Lamchi di Dios is the first production in Bulabanda’s planned series exploring themes that stir the human spirit. Each theatre piece will be accompanied by public discussion sessions.
The discussion evening for this production will take place on 10 December at the Because Entertainment Center on Gosieweg, led by Mario Kleinmoedig and Eugene Maduro. Admission is free, and the event starts at 8:00 PM. Those wishing to see Lamchi di Dios can still attend performances on 28 and 29 November at 8:00 PM and 30 November at 6:00 PM.