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| Superhero, acrylics on metal, 56cm diameter |
It
was less than a week after the Fuego volcano erupted and it was still chaos. People
who left or lost their homes were accommodated in schools and churches. Rucks full
of donations kept arriving in causing so much congestion in the centre of
Alotenango that it was decided to cordon off the whole town for traffic. Many
solidary souls wanted to give directly to the victims while the municipality
tried to keep control by storing the goods away and closing the shelters. Still,
there were tons of people around, doctors, nurses, psychologist, church groups
and others. Some helping, some gawking, but in general too many in too small a
space.
And
then there was us. Swept along the emotional wave of wanting to do something we had worked our way into the
shelter to offer some art activities and story telling to the children. Not such
a bad idea, since so far the only distractions for the kids had been one piñata
after the other and loads and loads of candy.
That
first experience (we went back a total of 25 times) was surreal. While in Zone
0 fire fighters and residents were still looking for the remains of their loved
ones (and wouldn’t stop for many months to come), life in the shelter was,
little by little, taking shape. Children played hide and seek behind a pile of coffins
stacked high up in a corner. Some boys were paying football with the balls they
had just been given, dodging women hanging their laundry and making their way
to the improvised showers.
Over
a cacophony of sounds of too many people in too small a space, the sombre
sounds of funeral marches wear still audible. However, most kids were completely
oblivious to their surrounding and happily absorbed in their art work. All
except one. A little boy with a superhero mask and cape was running around as
if the world belonged to him. He ran through corridors, jumped up and down on
benches, barely missed a pregnant woman, evaded a man carrying donations before
ducking under a table. Nobody told him off or even seemed to notice. Surrounded
by many he was all by himself in his own world, very busy saving it. Watching
him was like a movie scene in which the world slowed down while the superhero flashed
around. I asked the boy if I could take a picture which was allowed. But only
for a split second before he was off again, to save the world that needs so
much saving.
For
more information on our first visit to the shelter, please visit: http://www.muralarteguate.org/2018/06/art-workshops-at-alotenango-shelter.html
