About the CPD Talk 

Macau’s location and history gave rise to a Eurasian creole community – the Macanese.  Initially an epithet for the mestizo individuals who resulted from intermarriages among the Portuguese settlers and their indigenous subordinates, the definition of the Macanese has been notoriously ambiguous.  The Macanese of Macau have their own customs, cultural identity and creole language – Patuá, and a performance artform – the Patuá theatre.  In 2021, Patuá theatre was included in the List of National Intangible Cultural Heritage of China.  Elisabela Larrea joined the sole theatre group that performs Patuá  theatre in 2008 and in 2011, she started her research, conducting in-depth interviews with the Macanese community, documented field observations as well as analyzing over 20 years of Patuá theatre scripts.    The speaker will first offer an overview of the background of the Macanese community, followed by her observations and insights of Patuá theatre. 

About the Guest

Dr. Elisabela LARREA, independent scholar and researcher of Macanese Culture

Elisabela Larrea graduated with a Doctorate of Philosophy in Communications at the University of Macau, where she completed her decade research on the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Patuá theatre with her doctorate thesis “Quim Sâm Nôs? A Study of Macanese community through descriptive analysis of Patuá theatre”.   She is a Macanese dedicated to the promotion and preservation of her culture through installation art, documentary and short films, public talks as well as bilingual articles.  She is also the creator of “Unchinho di Língu Maquista” which produced Patuá flashcards, audio pronunciations, and bilingual translations of Patuá literary works.