CANTANIA 2023
THE DOORS OF THE WORLD

Nothing happens if you don't understand
the being that lives in things;
they won't smell any less,
if you don't have the name, the roses.

There is a pond in Colombia
with colored waters,
when the Rainbow comes out
the flowers make me sad.

There are areas in the Amazon
shiny fungal glitters;
when it gets dark, the tarantulas
they walk on diamonds

It doesn't do anything if you don't understand
the being that lives in the world,
because the sun warms you just the same,
if you don't have the full name.

Strange circumstances,
curious reasons,
but, well, if you think about it,
more unusual is being alive.

It's even stranger
when you think of infinity
and that we are on a rock
which rotates in the vacuum.

It doesn't matter if you don't understand
the overall reason,
it's easier to stay alive
if you don't have the truth.

A man reads a book to his daughter:

DANIEL: “At that point, everyone considered that Phileas Fogg's journey was a great one
deception, and that the millionaire had never left London.”
SARA: Dad, did you know that Jules Verne never left France?
DANIEL: No, I didn't know.
SARA: I wonder how he could write so many travel books without ever leaving his own
country
DANIEL: I don't know, it's possible that I had a lot of imagination...
SARA: And you, do you also have a lot of imagination?

DANIEL: No, not much.
SARA: Well, it would be good for you to go on a trip...
DANIEL: Again, Sara!?… You know we can't afford to go on a trip. In addition to
month…
SARA: But you'll think of something, won't you?
DANIEL: Sara…
SARA: You promise me, what will you think about it?
DANIEL: I promise you... But it's time to go to sleep...
SARA: Good night, father.
DANIEL: Good night, Sara.

A man reads a book to his daughter:

There being so many galaxies,
planets, moons and heavens,
I don't want to live tied down
as I see it happen in the stars.

The mountains and valleys,
ports, rivers and roads,
are the gates of the world,
and they tell me: "Get out of here".

Birds fly through the air,
and fish swim in the sea,
and I, who am a girl,
do I not have the right to travel?

The galaxies in the sky,
and the eddies in the sea,
they make a very high scale
that I have to go up and down.

The hares have the field,
the totils have the mud,
and I, human creature,
I don't have the right to see everything?

DANIEL: Good night, mom. Yes, Sara is already in bed...
She's fine, yes, but she says she'd like to travel around the world…
No, mom, we can't take a trip, we can't afford it...
Besides, you know…
Yes, I know there are other ways of seeing, I already read that book you passed me.
But couldn't everything be a little easier?
How? That you just had a great idea?…
That there is a way to go around the world without leaving home?…
Well, yes, it's a wonderful idea, but you'll tell me how...
You want me to wake up Sara very early in the morning, take her, loaded with suitcases, to the train station, and after a few transfers, return to this same building and go to the fifth second, to the house of the Diop?…

That you will talk to them so that they organize everything, and make Sara believe that she is in Africa?
And then you want me to travel to the Darzi's flat, and then to the Xuan's, and then to the Huayta's?...
And what do we do around the world traveling from apartment to apartment?…
I have to admit it is a fantastic idea…
Yes, to make a movie!! But, mother, that's impossible...
Besides, I couldn't be his guide.
I don't know anything about the world, nor does the world know anything about me...
Nor do I have much imagination.
What could I explain to him?

Sara and her father are on the train. Sara looks, without seeing, out the window.

SARA: What do you see?
DANIEL: I don't know, daughter... I see very big houses, and many people on the street...
SARA: But, father! Can't you see you're not seeing anything? So it's not worth traveling. Think of Jules
Verne, he did know how to describe the world. Come on, try hard, I'll help you.
DANIEL: Okay… I see…
SARA: You see…
DANIEL: I see the sea.
SARAH: Okay. And how is the sea?
DANIEL: It's blue.
SARA: How "blue"?
DANIEL: Like the sky...
SARA: No, father! listen well I will teach you to look.

Sara remains silent, listening intently. The chorus makes the sound of waves, a ship's siren and birds.

SARA: The sea is so blue that seagulls are afraid that ships will fall on top of them.
DANIEL: You're right, Sara! The sea is exactly like that!
SARA: Tell me, father, what else do you see?
DANIEL: I see houses.
SARA: And what are the houses like?
DANIEL: They are "high".
SARA: But how "high"?
DANIEL: They are... very tall!
SARA: Father! You don't seem to see anything! Listen to me, I'll teach you how to see.

Sara remains silent, listening intently. You can hear the birds singing, the wind and the engine of an airplane. Then Sara says:
The houses are so tall that the wind has to jump over the wings of airplanes to pass over them.

DANIEL: You're right, Sara! The houses are exactly as you say.
SARA: Now it's your turn, dad!

DANIEL: I see a little girl playing,
and his game is like the world
reflecting in a drop,
like the moon in a fountain.

SARA: Well, very well!

DANIEL: I see the water evaporate,
I see the cloud that dissolves,
and I see the river approaching...
…without complaining to the sea.

I see a trampled flower,
I see an impassive star,
and between both things...
…like an invisible root.

I see that everything is very strange,
and at the same time funny,
and if you just stop...
…you will see everything beautiful.

I see winter and I see fire,
and I don't see anything wrong with them...
…because, well, death
it's a new beginning.

I see the fine rain fall,
I see the flame rise,
I see that's how the voices are
of an enigmatic piece.

I see a little girl playing
and his game is like the world
reflecting in a drop,
like the moon in a fountain.

I would like to see it too
in these other ways,
because I am most blind
and now I really want to see it.

A mirror is a thing
quite different from a mirage;
it's not the same to live,
to go on a trip

SARA: Dad, is there a long way to go to… to…?
FATHER: In India? Not much, daughter. We will immediately arrive at Ravendra's house.
SARA (yawning): I can't wait to get there... Can you believe it, Dad? India!

Sara and her father are on the landing of the stairs, in front of a closed door. Daniel calls. The Heart 1+2 represents the adults in the house. The Chorus 3+4, the children.

CHORUS 1+2: Who is there?
DANIEL: Sara and Daniel.
CHORUS 3+4: They have already arrived, they have already arrived!
CHORUS 1+2: Calm down, kids. Let me open the door.
CHORUS 1, 2, 3, 4: Welcome!
CHORUS 1+2: Come on, it's your house.
CHORUS 3+4: Come, Sara. We will show you everything!

SARA: Father! Did you know that Ravendra has a small tiger that looks like a big cat!… Father, did you know that in India there are more gods than people…?
CHORUS 1: Children, it's late.
CHORUS 3+4: The story, the story!
CHOICE 1+2: Sara has to sleep...
CHORUS 3+4: The story, the story...
CHORUS 1+2: Okay... The story...

In the beginning, the gods
they stood up and said:
"Between a stone and a star,
a house and a penguin!”

Then the sea appears,
the sun and the daisy,
and the gods fill it with animals
to give it a touch of life.

And to each species they give
a specific natural:
the lion was made brave,
and the halter dog, peaceful.

That's how they all gave
a relevant character
(the anteater also included,
although it was not very coherent).

They then created man,
and they didn't know what to do,
because they had already spent
every quality of being.

Finally they decided,
with divine intelligence,
grant to the human being
all potential destinations.

Only he can choose
who to be with your actions,
while the gods and beasts
already in the cradle they are what they are.

That is why we must all be:
ready as the baboon,
fearless as the lion
and friendly like the penguin.

(And also a little crazy,
because, to be honest,
we all hide deep down
a part of anteater.)

SARA: I loved it! What a trip we are on!
DANIEL: Well, wait until you see Africa...
SARA: I can't believe it! Wait for us, Africa, we are coming!

The sound of a train is heard. Sara and her father are back on the landing, in front of a closed door. They ring the doorbell. Daniel calls. Heart 1+2 represents the adults in the house. The Chorus 3+4, the children.

CHORUS 1+2: Who is there?
DANIEL: Sara and Daniel.
CHORUS 3+4: They have already arrived, they have already arrived!
CHORUS 1+2: Please, children. Let me open the door.
CHORUS 3+4: Welcome! How are you?
CHORUS 1+2: Come on, it's your house.
CHORUS 3+4: Come, Sara. We will show you everything!

SARA: Father, father, did you know that when Mamadou's father goes hunting, it takes him many months to return?... Father, did you know that his grandmother lives many lions away, and that they haven't seen her in years? …
CHORUS 1+2: Children, it's late.
CHORUS 3+4: The story, the story!
CHOICE 1+2: Sara has to sleep...
CHORUS 3+4: The story, the story...
CHORUS 1+2: Okay... The story...

Keita's Great Journey,
Keita's Great Journey,
Keita's Great Journey,
Keita's great journey.

Descend from heaven, Orishas,
and help this old woman,
so that I can sing today
Keita's great journey.

First he crossed the desert,
and the sand and stone paths
they threw him on the shore
of an oasis of misery.

There I met Djamila,
that held him by her side,
and the chimera carried him
to forget who he was.

Until on a very clear night
he spoke clearly;
the moon shone in the sky
and he fled through the land.

Keita is hiding in the woods
that grow on the border
(new wall of Troy
is the European barrier).

Descend from heaven, Orishas,
and help this old woman,
so I can still sing
Keita's great journey.

Keita's great journey.
May I sing Keita's great journey.

One dark night the cyclops,
who watches over the darkness
chased him with his eye
dancing like a lantern.

He then fought two monsters,
standing on a pasture:
Scylla was death,
and Charybdis, misery.

Disguised as a beggar,
he found his mother one evening:
at night she knitted
and by day she was a cashier.

He has already made some friends,
and the school is his home,
pro dream some nights
with what he left behind.

What he left behind.

Return, to heaven, Orishas,
climb, children, on the bunks,
that the story ends here
of Keita's great journey.

Keita's great journey.
May I sing Keita's journey.

You can hear the noise of the train. Then a doorbell rings and children laugh. The noise of the train is heard again. Another bell rings and more laughter. They are the other floors that Sara and Daniel will visit during their trip.

SARA: And now to China!
DANIEL: You'll see how kind the Xuans are!
(bell)
SARA: And now to Peru!
DANIEL: How excited to see Machu Pichu!
(bell)
SARA: You know what I've been thinking, Dad?
DANIEL: What, daughter?
SARA: That when you go around the world, there comes a time when you've gone so far that you're coming back.
DANIEL: Yes, it is curious.
SARA: And the more you get used to different places, the more they all resemble each other.
DANIEL: You are quite a philosopher.
SARA: And instead of going out into the world, we have brought the world into our home.

Look, look, look,
the sky in the sea,
and the stars in the sand.

Look, look, look,
water on fire
and the source in the fire.

And in the sand the stars,
and the stars in the sand,
and the stars in the sand.

And the fountain in the fire,
and the fountain in the fire,
and the source in the fire.

Thus, at the same time, all places,
all times are reflected…

Reflect-, reflect- reflect.

Thus, at the same time, all places,
all times reflect,
that humans are one,
and the earth is one.

Look, look, look,
the fire in the wind
and the wind looks at the grass,

Look, look, look,
the god in the child
that plays on the ground.

That plays on the…,
that plays on the…,
that plays on the ground.

Thus, at the same time, all places,
all times reflect,
that humans are one,
and the earth is one.

So the only mistake,
that all other evil unleashes,
the comet that says:
"You and I are different in kind."

And if the world is one
it makes no sense that men
draw a line on the ground
draw a line on the ground
and say: "This land is mine."

Look, look, look,
the sky in the sea,
and the stars in the sand.

Look, look, look,
the god in the child
that plays on the ground.

Sara is in bed. Daniel sleeps next to him. Everything is in darkness. The floor is full of suitcases. They have to come back the next day. Sara can't fall asleep.

There being so many galaxies,
planets, moons and heavens,
I don't want to live tied down
as I see it happen in the stars.

I have already managed to have
what he wanted so much
but once i've seen the world
I want to see new districts.

That's why I want to take off
taking advantage of my sleep,
to continue my journey,
and land in another world.

They say life is a dream,
they say it's free to dream,
we dream that we are leaving
on the moon for a walk

I can't stop now,
it's time to move on
the journeys never end
because the goal is to leave.

They say life is a dream,
they say it's free to dream,
we dream that we are leaving
on the moon for a walk

Sara falls asleep.

You should know that on the moon
there is not only dust and stones,
but here we keep everything
what is lost on earth.

Here are umbrellas,
backpacks and bicycles.
Here is a mountain
of pencils and coins.

You have to know that it is very good
that some things are lost
(if not, the time has come,
the whole would make us).

But hopefully what counts
never get lost in any way,
and hopefully we can
return an hour to earth:
the pets we had,
childhood friends
and the children we were then
and that no one thinks about it anymore.

They also roam the moon
—sad souls in sorrow—
missed opportunities
that no one could see:

words we didn't say
out of pride or shyness;
friends we didn't have
for an excess of prudence.

So take the present,
just before it happened
that there is no worse nostalgia
than to mourn what never was.

But hopefully what counts
never get lost in any way,
and hopefully we can
return an hour to the earth.

But hopefully what counts
never get lost in any way,
and hopefully we can
return an hour to the earth.

Sara and Daniel have already returned to their home. They look at the postcards they received from some of the people they met on their trip.

DANIEL: Look, Sara, this postcard is from Mamadou. He says he hopes we had a good return, and that he misses us a lot. He also says that he has a cousin who, coincidentally, lives very close to here, and that we can go visit him.
SARA: Really? Well, we'll go see him. Being with him will be like being in Africa!
DANIEL: And this one is from Ravendra. He says that he is about to start, with his father, a long pilgrimage around the world, and that it is possible that they will pass very close to here. Would you like us to pay you a visit?
SARA: I would love to! So I can show him all this too.
DANIEL: And there are many more. This one is from the Xuan, from China, and this one from the Huayta, from Peru, and this one...

Sara interrupts her father to say:

SARA: Do you see how it was possible?
DANIEL: Yes, Sara, but I have to tell you…
SARA: Oh, shut up! I already know everything you have to tell me...
DANIEL: Oh, yes?
SARA: Yes, now you're going to tell me it's time to turn off the light...
DANIEL: Well… for once, I'm letting you have it on today…
SARA: Thank you so much for this trip, Dad. It's been wonderful.
DANIEL: Thank you very much, Sara. It has been very special for me too.
SARA: And besides, I taught you to look!
DANIEL: Good night, Sara.
SARA: Good night, father.

You must be really looking forward to it,
and very good company,
to be able to go around the world
in eighty neighborhoods.

It's good to see Chicago,
and walk around Marrakesh,
but it is much better to arrive
to become oneself.

You don't have to leave either
in Mercury or Piraeus,
it is enough if you know how to understand
that the world is everywhere.

There are those who live in fear of the future,
and who has regrets from yesterday,
you see that the best destiny
is to find ourselves "here and now".

If you want to go far
don't carry a lot of luggage,
don't even think too much about the goal
since each step, since each
step, since every step, since every step,
because every step is a journey.

It's good to see Chicago,
and walk around Marrakesh,
but it is much better to arrive
to become oneself.

You must be really looking forward to it,
and very good company,
to be able to go around the world
in eighty neighborhoods.

There are those who live in fear of the future,
and who has regrets from yesterday,
you see that the best destiny
is to find ourselves "here and now".

If you want to go far
don't carry a lot of luggage,
don't even think too much about the goal
since each step, since each
step, because every step, because every step…

If you want to go far
don't carry a lot of luggage,
don't even think too much about the goal
because every step is a journey.

If you want to go far,
if you want to go far,
the best destination is…

If you want to go far,
if you want to go far,
the best destination
is to find ourselves "here and now".