The sound of maracas against juvenile violence
Art as a means for juvenile expressivity, a tool for social transformation and an alternative route to prevent violence among the youth: this is the vision that guides the three organizations that constitute the Maraca Network, red Maraca.
‘Maraca’ is a gourd rattle and also an acronym for Movimiento de Arte Comunitario de Centroamérica, Central American Community Art Movement. The network originated from the members’ wish to assemble a Central American artistic “mara”, or gang; and according to Erika Domínguez, communication coordinator of the Salvadorian NGO Tiempos Nuevos Teatro (TNT), its purpose is to “weave a net of human beings that can overcome the barriers of exclusion and discrimination which repress the population, in particular the younger section, fostering cultural diversity and the human spirit”. In addition to TNT, the network is also comprised of the associations Caja Lúdica, from Guatemala, and Arte Acción, from Honduras.
In Erika’s words “Each country recognizes the instrument, it is part of popular culture. They are heard in musical bands, follow rituals and celebrations, defining the range and compass of actions. There is a great diversity of maracas varying from country to region, but all have something in common: they sound strong”.
The objective of the organizations that integrate the network is to exchange experiences and working methodologies. “We have differences, but the commitment to social transformation unites us”, adds Dorian Bedolla, one of the founding members of the Caja Lúdica.
The maraca has thus been transformed into the symbol of the cultural and artistic movement of the organizations that focus on community art in rural and urban areas of the region. The voices of boys and girls are propagated giving visibility to their creative and transformative potential in a playful manner.
Artistic exchange both on and off stage
One of the main activities of the Chalateco Artistic Festival, held from the 27th to the 30th of November in the municipality of San Antonia de Los Ranchos, El Salvador, was the First Assembly of the Maraca Network.
The festival received almost a hundred young representatives of organizations from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, congregating to celebrate a cultural and artistic exchange.
“It has been a very beautiful gathering; the people have been very lovely in Los Ranchos. I liked the harmony, the companionship and the love brought on stage. We are saying goodbye, but with the desire to meet again and work together”, says Víctor Leiva, a 21 year old acrobat from Caja Lúdica.
The festival, which is unprecedented out of the Salvadorian capital, has been organized by TNT for 11 years now. During the last edition theatrical plays were presented and art workshops were offered. These included creative writing, musical expression, handicrafts, graffiti, drama and dance, as well as video projections about the history of Chalatenango.
Douglas Alonzo, who is responsible for the audiovisual, graphic design and graffiti areas of the Arte Acción association, believes that community art is of great importance in countries afflicted by violence. He explains “I worked directly with members of active gangs, former members and with young people that have not been involved with gangs. Working with gangs that are already involved is very difficult, but for those who are still not involved in any violent activity, the network appears as an alternative path to that of violence”.
The violence that affects many young participants, has also lead the organizers to chose to host visitors in family homes at Los Ranchos, a community with a great history of survival.
“If the participant stays in a hotel, sociability is constrained. We are interested in showing the youth, that come from urban or semi-urban contexts and face serious family dramas, that there is another reality, which has its problems but nevertheless allows for tenderness” said Bedolla.
This is confirmed by the community facilitator Lourdes Ramírex, 27, who summarizes the spirit of the festival, “there is a diversity of countries, young people, and ideas. The hospitality in the houses was great and it was fun to discover skills that we weren’t aware of. I took part in a poetry workshop and discovered myself. I never thought I could write anything”.
Translated by Petras Shelton Zumpano
* Photos provided by the organizers.
From Comunidad Segura:
Read Further:
Asociación Caja Lúdica (Guatemala)
Asociación Tiempos Nuevo Teatro (El Salvador)
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