During the COVID-19 lockdown in Venezuela, the artistic
cultural group Zona de
Descarga (meaning “discharge area” or “dump area”) was born. In
the José Felix Ribas neighbourhood in Petare, one of the hardest-hit
communities by COVID-19, the group creates spaces for art and community
togetherness during the pandemic.
With more than one million inhabitants, Petare,
located in a district of Caracas, is known for being one of the largest
neighbourhoods in the South American continent. Due to the city's high
population density and the number of residents who depend on the informal
labour market to survive, this area is particularly vulnerable during the
pandemic.
In Venezuela, food and job insecurity have significantly
increased since March, amidst a scarcity of basic utilities in the country,
including electricity, water,
internet and gas.
Neighbors of José Félix Ribas organized a film screening on
a rooftop in the #Petare neighbourhood, so that residents could enjoy it from
their windows. In this thread I leave you the photos I took for @EFEnews
Jaime Pérez and his brother Jimmy Pérez, both organisers of Zona de Descarga, explain to Global Voices through WhatsApp that the group is a collaborative exercise of deep reflection that aims to connect with the community through shared cultural-historical references of the Petare neighbourhood.
Among Petare's figures who inspire the group are the painters Bárbaro Rivas, Tito Salas and Jacobo Borges, and the cultural figure Burriquita de Petare, as well as contemporary figures, including the sportsman Luis Sojo, model Isabella Rodríguez and the journalist Luz Mely Reyes.
Events from Zona de Descarga are social-distance compliant, are designed to entertain the community, and inform residents about preventative measures against the spread of COVID-19
A journalistic piece
by @SoyArepita that shows the development of our organization Zona de Descarga that is creating spaces in
defense of the #DDHH and of a peaceful and non-violent culture.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1274414332995162112
Disseminating
event information during quarantine has been one of the biggest challenges for
the Zona de Descarga team. However, Jaime explains how they succeed in
informing a community that has little access to the internet, social networks,
or smartphones:
We use any means of communication. Our greatest ally is the community radio Resplandor de Cristo, which helps us on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays to promote Zona de Descarga's activities.
We have carried out outreach campaigns with banners and
flipcharts, WhatsApp groups of Cine Platabanda where users can access our film
schedules. We also have groups on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where we
share updates of everything we do. Interacting with the community has been
incredible and we are in the process of expanding our team of volunteers and
partners.
At their first cinema event, “Cine Platabanda”, the group
screened the Disney movie “Aladdin”, starring Will Smith, which allowed
residents to escape the daily stress of quarantine and political
disputes in the country. In May, the city experienced a six-day
shooting that took place in the José Félix Ribas neighbourhood
Imagination VS Power
#LibroPlatabanda
Space for the free debate of ideas and creation of
consciousness.
Poetry becomes a story to feed the soul, fostering a
passion for reading in the family, a much more humane and just future.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1268409978861187074
Nevertheless, violence in the area is not an obstacle for
Zona De Descarga. On June 2, the team created the first Libro Platabanda (“Rooftop
Book”) for which they collected more than 200 books to distribute among
local communities. A group of volunteer storytellers used speakers to tell the
story of “The Tree”.
The organizers also emphasize that each activity is carried
out thanks to donations and support from the community, as is the case of the
books that were donated by the Bárbaro Ribas library.
The #CinePlatabanda in Petare is the best I have seen on social media since the start of quarantine. Hopefully they will repeat this in other sectors where people need a few hours to escape the crisis. Images from @RaynerPenaR
On June 3, Zona de Descarga held its dance event, Baile
Platabanda (“Rooftop Dance”), in which volunteers with dance skills
participated. The week ended with a rooftop concert by local rappers and
various other musicians. They also performed Ora Plantabanda (“Rooftop
prayer”), to provide a community space for religious expression during the
quarantine period, as congregation centres and prayer spaces remain closed.
Sarai, one of the community's 11-year-old neighbours, has
attended all of the events:
The Zona de Descarga activities are exciting. We cannot go
out, we cannot study. It is supportive, useful and fun.
https://www.instagram.com/zonadedescargaoficial/?utm_source=ig_embed
Sarai a girl from the Unión neighborhood gives us her opinion about the activity and about Zona de Descarga.
PETARE IS GOOD NEWS
We want to dream. We are that generation that fights and
loves their community. Despite the social conflicts and inequalities that we
suffer, we live in a constant learning process faced with problems that are
entangled with violence, hatred and resentment that can create noises in our
consciences. We want to transform reality with art and culture
No hay comentarios.:
Publicar un comentario