It all started last week, when representatives from the Arts and Culture division of the Provincial Government came by to inform us about a craft workshop and exhibition they were going to put on at Itipini the following week. Much to our surprise, they actually followed through with the plan, and this week there was quite the party at Itipini. They brought in dancers, had official speeches, and served a lot of food. Everyone was so preoccupied by the festivities that they forgot about any ailments they may have had, leaving the clinic very empty (and freeing us to join in the party too!). It was quite amusing to watch the group of dancers pull up in a big van and unload all of their electronic sound equipment into a community with zero electricity. Needless to say, they had to resort to their car CD player as a sound system. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves, and it was a nice change of pace to be able to have fun with the people of Itipini rather than dealing with another woman who got beat up by her boyfriend or hearing about another death. It seems that no matter what economic or social status you come from, music, dancing, and food make for a good time!
I could go on and add my cynicism of this whole undertaking, but I’ll hold my tongue and end on a positive note…If you’re interested in hearing these alternative opinions, be sure to ask me when I’m home and I’d be happy to break into a rant about the government’s use of resources!
1 comment:
Hmm, I see the difficulty in the spreading of resources there. On the upside, the people of Itipini got to be surrounded by (what sounds like) a very exciting form of beauty, even if just for part of a day. A beauty that was so powerful that people were able to live beyond their pain and experience a celebration - even if it was just temporary and fleeting. The world is hardest to categorize, I find, when there are threads of good woven into an otherwise bad fabric.
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