CARACAS.— After eight years, the reality supports the wishful words which were spoken back then and today, following the efforts of two peoples, in Venezuela culture is a right accessible to all wishing to participate.
The huge series of social demands forming part of the Bolivarian Revolution includes, of course, the cultural field. These liberating efforts are based on the recognition that there is no real identity, complete authenticity, or genuine art if people are marginalized in its creation and consumption.
Tackling the elitism and exclusivity of “the best for those who can afford it,” did not mean removing the privileges of the upper classes, the glamour of expensive theaters, galleries, select concerts; but multiplying the possibilities for the enjoyment of the arts in the community, in popular institutions; and above all, promoting the creation and reproduction of the masses’ own values, whether by supporting genuine talent or promoting broad amateur movements, that always promote the mass participation of the population.
This is what has been achieved in eight years of the Corazón Adentro Cultural Mission, with the consolidation of a wide network of Venezuelan specialists, event organizers, entertainers and facilitators, trained through the experience of working with thousands of Cuban cultural promoters. The Cuban collaborators have taught participants to use tools by which people can themselves reproduce their own values, their traditions, their own identities as cultural products, from their neighborhoods, schools and grassroots institutions.
The past few weeks have attested to the long learning process, but also the enormous results of this socialist mission. In each state of the country, a fraternal encounter to discuss the best local experiences with community representatives was held, providing an insight into the unique ways in which they have founded the most varied spaces for creation and enjoyment.
Jointly organized by the Corazón Adentro Cultural Mission’s Cuban coordination and the Venezuelan foundation supporting the program, the gatherings displayed the inexhaustible richness of community initiative when given the opportunity to express itself, and confirmed the transformative power of the arts.
Hearing about the efforts of these community representatives was remarkable. Motivated by a sense of community service, they welcomed Cuban promoters, learned of their methods to reach people through song, verse, colors, acting, dance, circus, even literature, before putting this knowledge into practice - sometimes accompanied by Cubans, others times not - in their own communities, as nobody knows these better than they do; their deep-rooted customs, the most popular music and best singers, the typical cuisine, the favorite dance, the local fiesta which needs to expand, the children who must be encouraged to use their spare time in the best way and recognize, early on, the utility and virtue of the arts.
As they themselves expressed, none of these efforts have been in vain.
This dedication explains how a woman from the Wayuú indigenous community has been joined by others eager to learn about her magnificent woven fabrics and hammocks, as a beautiful and functional cultural expression, rather than for the expensive prices they attract on the border with Colombia.
Or how the mother of a pair of twin boys from a poor area of Carabobo, would come to applaud the plays in which her children now act, after many hours of rehearsals that put a stop to their loitering, passing around strange packages in exchange for money, and the dangerous “not knowing what to do” after school.
There is much applause for a man from Mérida, a lover of the cuatro (typical four-stringed guitar) who sparked many children to fall in love with the instrument, having invented an extraordinary method of music teaching in which notes are lyrics and children feel that with each touch the strings say something, thus they just have to make them talk.
The final gathering was held in the Capital District of Caracas, and as in the other states, the experiences which participants attempted to scientifically present (objectives, methodology, results) were more eloquently conveyed through demonstration of these arts. As such, the performance by the Colmenita Bolivariana theater group, full of cheerful children’s faces, delighted the audience, as did an orchestra composed of judges, prosecutors, teachers and workers from a community in the mountains of Vargas, and the testimony of a grandmother from the Caracas parish of Coche, who assured that “I would no longer exist on earth,” had the project in which she dances, recites, weaves and acts not saved her from depression following the death of her husband.
All of those who spoke expressed their gratitude towards the “Cuban professors” - those who helped to start up projects from scratch and are no longer here, those who came later, and in a much smaller number, who continue to provide support and advice today, and still have plenty to do, but can appreciate the results of efforts to date.
Following the meeting in the capital, and hoping to hold a national gathering that brings together the best experiences from across the country in the near future, the Executive Director of the Cultural Mission Foundation, Elsa Gualdrón, defined efforts in regards to the current situation in the country:
“One of the great challenges we face as Venezuelan people is the re-launching of all the missions, and one of those which is fundamental for the country is that of culture.
“This tough moment for the Venezuelan people as a result of an economic war, forces us to rethink; but in no way does this mean reducing the quality, love, commitment, dedication to the most beautiful projects of the revolution.
“Right now we are proposing - and our Minister Freddy Ñañez is convinced – to promote visits by Cuban specialists, artists in key areas such as the theater, circus, music, who travel for periods to Venezuela and help us to train, to specialize our people. We have been working on a large scale with various specialties for eight years, but in the new context this would allow us to reinforce this initiative.
“For us this learning with our Cuban brothers is fundamental, in advisory, methodology, guidance processes, as they have already made progress, they are a dignified people, a people who have proven themselves to the world and they are a hope for us, just as Venezuela represents hope for the peoples of Latin America and the world. To the extent that both nations strengthen these ties of love, solidarity, exchange, experiences at the cultural level, but also at the human and solidary level, the higher the hopes will be for the rest of the peoples of the region.”
In the voices and experiences of these Venezuelans, who across the country demonstrated their gratitude and defined themselves as irrefutable evidence of the results of cooperation in cultural matters, that hope is a reality.
