Cleo Diára in residence at Moussem

Please, Love Me! follows Clió, a pop singer acclaimed by the public but ignored by critics, who decides to document her own story while preparing to celebrate ten years of her career.

Haunted by an enigmatic entity and guided by a deep belief, Clió becomes convinced that she can only free herself from the pain that permeates her existence by offering something to the gods. However, behind the artist lies a dark secret. How far will she go to break the cycle of violence?

Between stage and cinema, myth and reality, Please, Love Me! is a reflection on identity, gender, and power, inspired by Eurocentric and Yoruba mythologies, as well as the experience of being a Black Cape Verdean woman in a patriarchal world.



From 4 to 14 May, Cleo Diária will be in residency at Moussem Nomadic Arts Centre in Brussels, as part of our annual exchange programme. Both Moussem and Alkantara operate from diverse cities with strong diasporic communities and have a keen eye for the relationship between art and society. Through this exchange, we hope to support the development of new narratives by artists who reflect these dynamics in our cities.

Past residents include Youness Khoukhou (2023), Marco Mendonça (2023),Alix Konadu (2024), Diego Bragà (2024) and Inés Sybille Vooduness (2025).

Credits

Text and direction Cleo DiáraCast Cleo Diára and Mário Coelho Dramaturgy Support Melissa Rodrigues and Roxana IonescoOriginal Music Cachupa_psicadelica and Henrique SilvaMovement Support Piny Orchidaceae Set Design to be announcedCostumes Eloisa D’AscensãoVideo to be announcedProduction CAMA