EcoTrain QOTW 5.4 ¿Qué te gustaría que sucediera con los espacios de nuestra ciudad? || What would you like to see happen to the spaces in our city? [Esp - Eng]

To answer this week's QOTW I will begin by relating an experience that relates to why I would love the spaces in my city to be impregnated with art . life.

I have as a habit to do my errands and go to work walking, thank God it is relatively close, I got used to it a long time ago, because of the transportation situation in the capital of my country Venezuela that every day is a chaos, I feel very uncomfortable with the collapse of ground and subway transportation services which I use only when I have to go to longer distances or when I am very late to get home.

In those walks one day leaving my dance classes were about 6:30 in the afternoon, my classmates invited me to go walking through the historic center of the city, this area many years ago could not pass through the insecurity, destitution and lack of lighting, forcing business owners to close early in the morning leaving desolate boulevards, streets and squares very beautiful but in total deterioration, also the informal economy took over a good part of these places causing very bad appearance for passersby.

Apparently there had been a change that I had not noticed since I had not been there for a long time... it turns out that the government of the time in its good time was focused on restructuring those historic spaces and supporting the nearby businesses creating a pleasant environment for those who pass by during the day and part of the night in those places. And this is what I realized when I walked around with my companions, confident and fascinated.

Since then, my walk through these spaces feels pleasant and safe, I feel as if I were entering a magical dimension admiring my beautiful Caracas and its spaces that began to come alive.

What makes these public spaces pleasant is that they are outdoors, there is business with music and food sales for all tastes, lighting, decoration and if there are nearby anniversaries this is what dresses the environment, open theaters with affordable costs, micro - street concert, cafes of day and night gatherings that are impregnated with music, poetry, theater and dance, there are children and adults in the squares playing and dancing, and to feel more security there is police surveillance guarding the area, it is a space where adversities are forgotten and allows a healthy recreation where I have been a participant, There are children and adults in the squares playing and dancing, and to feel more security there is police surveillance guarding the area, it is a space where adversities are forgotten that allows a healthy recreation where I have been involved in various cultural activities bringing Afro-Venezuelan dance and percussion to passersby wanting distraction.

I would like to expand this wonderful proposal to all the capitals of each city, and I say all the cities because the cities are much more alienated from daily stress that affect the human psyche, and this type of initiative falls very well to balance the day to day. I would love that every day and throughout the year there are reasons for people to end their day in harmony under an environment that allows them to have a quiet and healthy relaxation.

Long before the pandemic we were invited to show our work on Afro-Venezuelan percussion and we paid homage to nature and ancestors, in this way from what I have learned I have contributed art for the healthy recreation of others.

One of my wishes is that concerts of large orchestras with acoustic or organic music in the open air where the public is instructed about its benefits and also that there would be open classroom for the basic notion in the execution of an instrument and dances; that there would be well organized cinemas and street theater presented in squares and open parks with certain rules that allow keeping people in compliance with the safety and care of the spaces.

Art is a resource for free expression and has multiple benefits for life, I would love it if all the streets, boulevards, squares and parks could be used more often for these activities. In time of flexibility of the pandemic in Caracas have been progressively integrating some activities, complying with biosafety standards, personally I started my rehearsals together with my colleagues of dance and percussion willing to bring more joy and entertainment to all those people who for some reason visit these places that are so essential for the mental health of every living being.