By Belen Sevilla Morillo | Project and Community Gardener
Elainer's family has prepared a spectacular afternoon for us, we could not imagine the display until a dreamy sunset found ourselves on the beach of the lagoon... or the Camp Nou, as Elainer likes to call it.
Isela and Sugelis tell us what we are doing there: we are going to witness a typical Wayuu party afternoon, where they are going to share with us dances, food and happiness typical of their culture. We will become Wayuu for an afternoon... or maybe we are already Wayuu and we did not know it.
We women dress in colorful clothes, with their typical woven shawls. Isela makes us up with her extracts, drawing butterflies and sea waves, caressing us with her brush. The drummer starts up. Elainer and Isela dance. Elainer invites her, courts her, takes off his hat and chases her across the sand. Isela shies away, parties, flutters, flutters away... and when we least expect it, she trips Elainer and he tumbles to the ground, Isela has done it! and we all laugh and applaud her dexterity.
Then, we all dance and practice what we have learned. The sun goes down listening attentively to Isela, who tells us about the most important rituals of Wayuu life, the enclosures, their relationship with those who leave this world, the family and the land.
Sugelis delights us with a delicious goat and her well-known empanadas. We also have chirrinchi and Elainer enjoys thinking that he will see us rolling in the sand, but not for the dance ;) Some other time! This time he didn't make it.
We go to bed happy, tired and with the feeling of having opened our hearts.
Tuesday dawns. Early in the morning we meet Elainer and Sugelis. We are very anxious to receive news and it has become a world to respect the times of the Community, which we are only able to watch with our hurried eyes. Sugelis seems enlightened, we want to talk to her and tell her well. So far she has remained a spectator of all the dynamics and, at the same time, nourishing the energy with her very careful cooking and her discreet presence. Somehow she lets us know that she is there, present through the flavors, she nods behind the windows, she watches how we move, how her family moves, what reactions all this racket awakens.... When he sits down in front of us, we explain the details of the project, even though we know he already has the information he needs. The moment he answers "yes", we jump with happiness and give each other a warm, loving hug, full of illusion. Ready! We start!
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La familia de Elainer nos ha preparado una tarde espectacular, no podíamos imaginar el despliegue hasta que en un atardecer de ensueño nos encontramos en la playa de la laguna... o el Camp Nou, como le gusta llamarlo a Elainer.
Isela y Sugelis nos cuentan qué hacemos allí: vamos a presenciar una tarde de fiesta típica wayuu, donde van a compartir con nosotros bailes, comida y felicidad típica de su cultura. Nos volveremos wayuus por una tarde... o quizá ya somos wayuus y no lo sabíamos.
Las mujeres nos vestimos de colores, con sus mantos típicos tejidos. Isela nos maquilla con sus extractos, dibujándonos mariposas y olas de mar, acariciándonos con su pincel. El tamborero arranca. Elainer e Isela bailan. Elainer la invita, la corteja, se quita el sombrero y la persigue por la arena. Isela rehuye, festeja, revolotea, se aleja... y cuando menos nos lo esperamos, le pone la zancadilla a Elainer y este cae dando una voltereta en el suelo ¡Isela lo ha conseguido! y todos reímos y aplaudimos su destreza.
Luego, bailamos todos y ponemos en práctica lo aprendido. Cae el sol escuchando atentamente a Isela, que nos cuenta los rituales más importantes de la vida wayuu, los encierros, su relación con los que dejan este mundo, la familia y la tierra.
Sugelis nos deleita con un chivo delicioso y sus ya conocidas empanadas. También tomamos chirrinchi y Elainer disfruta pensando en que nos verá rodar por la arena, pero no por el baile ;) ¡En otra ocasión será! Esta vez no lo consiguió.
Nos vamos a la cama felices, cansados y con la sensación de haber abierto nuestro corazón.
Amanece el martes. Temprano por la mañana nos vemos con Elainer y Sugelis. Estamos muy ansiosos por recibir noticias y se nos ha hecho un mundo respetar los tiempos de la Comunidad, que sólo somos capaces de mirar con nuestros ojos apurados. Sugelis parece iluminada, queremos hablar con ella y contarle bien. Hasta el momento ella se ha mantenido como espectadora de todas las dinámicas y, al mismo tiempo, nutriendo la energía con su cocina tan esmerada y su presencia discreta. De alguna forma nos hace saber que está ahí, presente a través de los sabores, asiente detrás de las ventanas, observa cómo nos movemos, cómo se mueve su familia, qué reacciones despierta todo este tinglado... Cuando se sienta frente a nosotros, le explicamos los detalles del proyecto, aunque sabemos que ya tiene la información que necesita. En el momento en que responde "sí", saltamos de felicidad y nos damos un abrazo cálido, amoroso, lleno de ilusión. ¡listo! ¡empezamos!
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By Belen Sevilla Morillo | Project and Community Gardener
By Belen Sevilla Morillo | Project and Community Gardener
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