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• 03 / 14 / 2010

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The hopelessness of the thousands of people in Haiti who are taking shelter in the Champ de Mars plaza was surprised by a rain of happiness from Cuba, caused by clowns, magicians, musicians and other artists.

The cultural contingent, full of colors and contagious rhythms, descended in the destroyed surroundings of the National Palace and to the sound of a conga, it was accompanied by hundreds of inhabitants, many of them children, among the streets of the emblematic plaza.

This was the first official performance of the Marta Machado Artistic Brigade, headed by the well known visual artist Alexis Leyva (Kcho) and made up by a varied number of representatives of staging arts.

In just a few minutes, creators and public were so close and their relationship was so tight, that the stage seemed just another street in Havana, if it were not for the living accommodations to one side and the other of the fallen National Palace.

The Haitian painter Phillipe Dodart commented to Prensa Latina that activities such as this one are essential for the children in the country, which was severely damaged by the earthquake last January 12.

"Art is the best remedy for the emotional recovery of the children. We are very happy for the expressions of the Cuban people and of this brigade headed by our friend Kcho," he said.

Among the best attractions was the magician Sixto Rodríguez, from the Havana Theater Center.

A multitude, especially children and adolescents, surrounded Rodríguez when the brigade was dispersed in the great stage of Champ de Mars in order to offer their variety of artistic expressions simultaneously.

Surprised, the public observed how the young magician showed a coin in front of their eyes and to make it suddenly appear in one of their ears.

"Children will not forget these moments, essential in the effort to make them forget bit by bit the catastrophe they had to undergo," told Jean Renal Clerism to Prensa Latina, counsellor for private office of President René Preval and one of the spectators of the occasion.

In his opinion, art is important as is the help offered by Cubans, who do it always without expecting anything in return, as is the case of the artists, who come to make our lives happier, even if they do not enjoy the best life conditions, he declared.

Meanwhile, Kcho was very enthusiastic for the performance of the brigade he is leading and very satisfied to be in Haiti, to be able to lessen the pain of the people with Cuban revolutionary art and culture.

"Here we have to pay special attention to children, because they are the future. Everything might be destroyed, but a child who is five, six, eight or ten years old today, is the future of this country.

And if they don't heal their wounds, those wounds they have in their souls, this country will never have a future," said Kcho.

For the famous artist, the main task of the Marta Machado Brigade is directed towards children, that is why this mission is called Laughing Mission.

Kcho said he had no idea for how long he will stay in Haiti with the already mentioned brigade and after saying that "a month might not be enough" because "there is so much to do!" he also mentioned that "we will not just work for the people from Haiti but also for the Cuban doctors."

"Our doctors have been working hard for many days, full of sacrifices and they need to smile, to fresh up, and we will also perform for them," he concluded.

The perimeter fence of the destroyed government house was covered with canvases brought from Cuba, in which people might see drawings made by Cuban children from the regions destroyed by hurricanes where the artistic brigade also left their imprint.

This time, in the streets from Champ de Mars, children from Haiti, with brushes in their hands, did the same thing on the cloths.

Source: Cubadebate and Cubarte