“Juana wanted to hear the stories of her family, the stories that enraptured her and she could not find in the stories at school; that is why she decided to buy a notebook and write down all the old stories of her family.” Under this premise began his path of creative writing the BaladreS Company, promoted by the Social Services of the Valencian City Council of Sagunto between the Roma women from a neighborhood officially considered vulnerable for decades, in which about 7,000 people are registered in less than 2,800 homes.
The first steps of this cultural initiative advanced in a poetic way, but this time the work focuses on the narrative. Elements of the story, with their multiple voices and spaces, in addition to traditions, songs and games, take the word of the hand of Juana, a little seven-year-old gypsy who loves to go to school and decides to tell her story so that all children know what fascinates them so much.
“It narrates his day to day -explains the playwright and artistic director of the project, Mariola ponce-, his journey and those who mark his life. He goes through his grandmothers, his aunts and all the stories they give him. How your family lives, how they live with animals or the importance of music in their daily lives. “One of the founders of the BaladreS Company, Estela Santiago, points out that” it has been a very beautiful experience, because We have written a story and, when we have told it, it has been liked by both young and old“.
Creative writing requires a reading experimentation that these women worked through anthologies of gypsy stories from all corners of the world. Later, the group decided to create their own characters. “Juana was born with the intention of getting excited, to open doors to the knowledge of gypsy culture and windows of interculturality“, affirms Mariola Ponce.
After constructing the narrative, the new writers believed in the possibilities of their story and projected it, hence, with the help of the illustrator Rocío Altava, they also forged the image of Juana. “With our descriptions, the work outlined by the group and our fantasy, Juana and her family were embodied.a, “he adds.
The profile of the protagonist and the development of the story encouraged the women to continue with the same enthusiasm that the gypsy girl showed with her new notebook. The oral narration of the story gained strength, since the gypsy culture is purely spoken. “We have created a kamishibai -wooden theater with illustrations on paper of the Japanese tradition-, as well as some puppets with the characters and other elements that add magic to the story. The women will present their story in schools, libraries and oral storytelling competitions, “adds Ponce.
This proposal has the professional support of Vicent Ortolá, which consolidates the story of Juana as a dynamic element with a unique communicative power. “Our commitment to the company is firm to build proposals for professional projection. We want to forge discourses that transcend, arouse concerns, suggest, mediate and integrate,” says the project director.
For the moment, the company has performed ‘La libreta de Juana’ at the Baladre school and at the Port de Sagunt library. Despite the fact that health restrictions limit its dissemination, women trust that they can continue with their storytelling. “We have recovered traditions. The experiences with the animal world lead Juana to visit her horseoo eating beans with macaroni, experiences that the little ones from Baladre welcomed with immense attention, “he says.
From Baladre to the world
The narrative power of the story is multiplied through these representations, since the women use the synergy of their traditions to interact with the public. Hence, from now on, Juana flies from Baladre to the world to generate interconnection bridges. With this creation the power of “once upon a time” rises to the gypsy world. “Our dream now is to publish the story“confesses Estela Santiago.
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.