Ángeles de Trapo
Lemba
See the UK premiere of Lemba by Spanish Puppet Theatre company Ángeles de Trapo!
Lemba is inspired by some of the many real stories of our closest relatives, chimpanzees. Unfortunately, these animals are endangered due to deforestation, poaching, and the illegal wildlife trade. This is the story of Lemba, our protagonist, a chimpanzee captured by poachers, who took her from her family and home to be sold as a pet.
In a world where fame is ever so short-lived and social media has a stranglehold on the lives of celebrities, an influencer, whose popularity is on the wane, decides to buy a chimpanzee and use it in his videos to rake in money and followers. This is how Lemba comes, a young chimpanzee who’s been ripped away from her family and home in the jungle to become a pawn in the world of internet entertainment.
Lemba, the protagonist of this moving story, refuses to roll over and accept her fate. Determined to change the course of her life, she sets out on a daring journey to break free from captivity and find a sanctuary where she can be out of harm’s way, far from poaching, deforestation, and the illegal animal trade – a place where she can start afresh and, at last, be happy.
A trailer and more information below…
Duration:
55 minutes, no interval
Important Information:
Family friendly, and recommended for ages 6 and up
Trailer:
About Lemba
Lemba is a chimpanzee who was rescued in 2009 at the Jane Goodall Institute
Rehabilitation Centre in Congo, called “Tchimpounga”. When Lemba arrived, she was
a small, traumatised, malnourished, and sick two-year-old chimpanzee. She was
constantly seeking protection and affection due to the loss of her mother, who fell
victim to poaching.
A few months later, there was a huge polio outbreak in villages near the
Tchimpounga reserve, and over 150 chimpanzees were vaccinated right away.
Unfortunately, the vaccine didn’t work for Lemba, and she ended up catching the
virus, which left her paralyzed. But after a lot of physiotherapy, Lemba was able to
get movement back in her arms.
Today, even though her legs are still paralysed, Lemba looks after the orphaned
young chimps that come to the Centre. The little ones, almost like a game, copy how
Lemba moves, rolling around just like her, and they’ve even started a new trend at
Tchimpounga.
Want to learn more about Lemba? Click here!
About Ángeles de Trapo
With 40 years of experience in the industry, their productions have
toured globally, performing on the most important stages both
nationally and internationally, including countries such as China,
South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Egypt and Russia, to name just a few.
Ángeles de Trapo have been awarded with many prizes, and our productions
have been widely recognised by both theatre critics and the
public.
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