"Teatro in times of plague"
The national toll is at 264 cases. 3 recovered, 15 deaths.
Sunday, April 5, 2020
Luis writes:
The second day to collect food did not yield good results, but at the end of the day (Friday 03 April 6:00 p.m) the minister of COPECO sent us a message saying that there was a food aid coming to El Progreso and la fragua was among the beneficiaries.
(COPECO is the national disaster relief organization, I think equivalent to FEMA in the US).
After exchanging some more lines; we were told that in the interest of transparency all members of la fragua had to come forward individually to claim the donation. We were afraid of there being some sort of government PR at work: they wanted to get everybody together and take pictures. Fortunately that was impossible because of the active curfew and the lack of transportation. We sent a message explaining our reasons for not showing up and suggested they could leave the packages in the teatro and we would take care of getting them to all the members of the teatro family. Followed by a thank you for the attention and help.
Today, Saturday, after noon, I was contacted by the coordinator designated by COPECO for the city of El Progreso. The news was different; they were willing to take the donations to our headquarters and deliver it to a representative of the institution. I immediately went to the theatre. I spent some time dusting where we would put the donations. Two vehicles carrying the aid arrived with a police escort guarding everything. I expected to see military on our stage (I had prepared psychologically for it), but it was the same members of COPECO who very kindly brought everything in. We exchanged some words of thanks, as well as some photos they had to take to record the delivery, and after that they left.
This is how teatro la fragua has been noted in the current social crisis, with a clear demonstration of the precariousness faced by artists in Honduras, regardless of the age of the projects (Like ours). Nothing in Honduras provides an institutional security, We are only part of an enormous cog, which agonizes in each of its components, underestimated its value by a political class that in the sight of all the countries of the world… is far from creating decent living conditions for its inhabitants.
The donation for each person includes the following basic products: - Corn flour - wheat flour - Rice - Lard - frijoles/beans - Sugar - Salt - Coffee - Packages for broth(soups) - Condiments - Pasta - spaghetti - Tomato paste - Oats - Toilet paper - Gel for hands - Soap.
This is what the government is giving out through the country. I am surprised to see it doesn’t seem to carry much of an advertisement for JOH; they have been roundly accused of politicizing the aid. It’s an orange plastic bag. The government claims it is good for 15 days. Luis thinks more like a week. We shall see. Luis and Edy are going to distribute it tomorrow (Monday). There are 20 packages, for each of the families. My hope is that this will mean that we are on the list for future aid.
Keep safe and wash your hands.
Keep safe and wash your hands.
Jack.
Send a contribution to:
teatro la fragua
c/o Jesuit Advancement Office
4511 West Pine Boulevard
St. Louis, MO. 63108, U.S.A./EE.UU.
4511 West Pine Boulevard
St. Louis, MO. 63108, U.S.A./EE.UU.
Please send the donation details to teatrolafragua@gmail.com