Kandake

Composer: Timothy Amukele
Librettist: Jarrod Lee
Company: Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

Synopsis

Amanirenas is the Kandake (queen) of the proud nation of Kush. She has just lost her beloved husband, King Teriteqas, when her son Akinidad arrives with terrible news: Rome has captured the Kushite city of Philae. Forced to swallow her grief, Amanirenas prays to her ancestors before launching a swift and successful counterattack on the Roman troops. Amanirenas orders the vanquished Romans to carry golden arrows back to Caesar Augustus: he can either consider the arrows as gifts, or use them as weapons if Rome ever again invades her kingdom. As the Kushite people celebrate their liberation, they anoint the queen as their official ruler, Qur Kandake Amanirenas.