Para los compañeros de Belice y todas las personas de habla inglesa interesadas en nuestro encuentro, ofrecemos un resumen informativo en inglés traducido por nuestro compañero Jon Ottley.
The transformative power of art in diverse areas of life was the central theme of discussion during the first day of presentations at the First Latin American Youth & Community Arts Meeting in Guatemala City. During the next five days this event will bring together more than two hundred and fifty young people from all over Latin America.
The first presenters were Gabriela Montoya of the Corporación Cultural Renovación of Medellín, Colombia; Lais Doria, of Casa Ensaio, Brasil; Manuel Soloman of Xajooj Tun-Rabinal Achí, Guatemala; y Ariel Castelo from the group La Mancha,Uruguay.
Castelo shared the experience of his collective, which combines play and games with pedagogy in order to “achieve certain types of knowledge”.
“Our political vocation is to change the reality, transform it, these routes of transformation should be different and innovative” said Castelo adding that to achieve this “it is necessary to move, to change our location, because if we don’t loose balance we can’t regain it.”
The Uruguayan proposed having “our head in the clouds, our feet on the ground and our hearts in our hands” and quoted Chilean Alejandro Jodorowski: “Morals are an anchor for creativity”.
In her presentation, ‘Art for Life. An intermediary experience for community development’, Gabriela Montoya of Corporación Cultural Renovación Medellín, Colombia, said that her organisation has motivated social change in Medellín, one of the most violent regions of the department of Antioquia.
“Colombia has a terribly violent history: bi-party violence, drug trafficking, the armed forces, the police, guerrillas & paramilitaries have created terror, poverty and hunger” expressed Montoya and added that since the nineteen eighties “drug trafficking has infiltrated absolutely all institutions”. However it was precisely the generation of fear that motivated the Colombian collective to start working, without resources, to use art as a tool for social transformation”.
“This is how the proposal for the Corporación Cultural Renovación began” a self-sustainable initiative which developed without a methodology and then began to systemize their projects. “We have been working for eighteen years without support due to a lack of political will to provide funding”, said Montoya.
However, since 2004 under Sergio Fajardo’s administration “new possibilities opened in Medellín for the population to participate at a national level”, mentioned Montoya.
Guatemala & Brazil’s Transformative Experiences
Lais Doria, from Casa Ensaio-Brasil, presented the project “Pontos de Cultura” (Points of Culture) an experience that has developed in this South American country for the public and that promotes “social, artistic and cultural exchange for a vibrant culture”.
Doria said that in 2004 the singer and Brazilian Minister of Culture, Gilberto Gil took control of the “Puntos de Cultura” programme and “today the government guarantees its continuation so that the most diverse cultures can express themselves through the arts”.
Currently there are 2,500 “Puntos de Culture” across the whole of Brazil and funding has been allocated to open Houses of Culture in other countries for Brazilians living outside of the country.
Today these centres can be found in the Mercosur (Southern Common Market) countries, Portugal and in some African and Asian nations. There are also plans to open similar points of culture in other parts of Latin America.
Another experience of art as an element of social transformation is the Maya literary theatrical-dance play El Rabinal Achi, declared a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2005.
Manuel Solomán del Xajooj Tun from Rabinal, Guatemala, explained that the dance recalls the theatrical tradition of the 15th century interpreted by a group of men and women from the Achí linguistic community.
The original Maya name for El Rabinal Achi is Xajooj Tun, which means Dance of the Tun (the Tun is a traditional drum) and is a dynasty drama of the Maya Kek’ that dates back to the 15th century and is a rare example of pre-Hispanic tradition.
The dance mixes myths originating from the Maya Q’eqchi’ culture and the social-political relations of Rabinal, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala which are expressed using masks, dance, theatre and music.
Manuel Solomán explained that for the modern Achís of Rabinal remembering their ancestors is not just a way to perpetuate ancestral heritage but is also a vision of the future, to the day when they will be reunited with their ancestors.
“It is for this reason that children are now participating and presently trying to take the reigns” he said.
Between Wednesday 25th and Sunday 30th November the Latin American Youth & Community Arts Meeting brings together more than 250 young Latin Americans under the banner “Unity in diversity: where love, creativity and happiness germinates”.
The activity seeks to promote creativity and the integration of community youth leaders, artists, promoters, animators and cultural producers of Latin America inspired to strengthen cooperation and cultural development.
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