More than 40 deaf young people from various sectors of Neiva are part of the organization that through art, soft skills and culture seeks to break the barriers of indifference and integrate communities.
DIARY OF HUILA, NEIVA
By: Angelica Andrade
With the premise “we come from culture and culture has no limits”, Alexánder Dussán Rojas, from Huila, continues to bet on eliminating the gap generated by lack of access and communication difficulties in the department’s deaf community.
This is why, based on the result obtained during his participation as a theater workshop leader in the Training Schools strategy of the municipality of Neiva, in cooperation with Faber Samudio they continue what he considers the quixotic feat of creating a group in which students initially benefited, had the opportunity to be visible.
“At the Escuela Normal Superior de Neiva I met the deaf community with whom I developed theater workshops that allowed us to gain recognition and this motivated the boys. It is there when, together with Faber, who is a sign language interpreter, and the association of professionals such as William Zambrano, Jaime Alejandro and Francy, among others, begins to forge what we now have”, revealed the artistic director of the corporation, Alexander Dussan.
This is how in 2016 progress was made in the creation of Gestusilere, a scenario in which dozens of young people met to have fun and liven up their days and which, since 2021, became a legally constituted corporation, the first advance that It currently allows obtaining support from government entities.
What is Gestusilere?
According to what was mentioned by Alexánder Dussán Rojas, its president and legal representative, Gestusilere is an inclusive cultural organization whose objective is to work from artistic areas, breaking social paradigms to support the visibility of deaf people and thus contribute to their comprehensive training. for life.
“The doors are open to everyone, people with other types of disabilities have come to our corporation because we are an inclusive entity in reverse, they always talk about inclusion linking people with disabilities to a world where there is no disability, but here the The majority have a disability and those who do not have any can take part, clarified Dussán Rojas.
The impact:
In total, there are 46 young people who come together in the workshops that Gestusilere develops in his room located in the Chapinero neighborhood of Neiva, for which Alexánder adds, “we also have the sporadic assistance of a young man who comes from the municipality of Garzón and accompanies us in presentations when he can”.
It should be noted that the corporation provides the conditions for deaf youth not only to feel comfortable and calm, but also to communicate in their language, sign language, “Everyone comes, talks, it is a meeting place that has kept them Thanks to the artistic work that is carried out, the resources or economic incentives received for presenting projects are distributed proportionally among all the members and this has motivated them”, highlighted Dussán.
It is also highlighted that, thanks to the management of its members, the Gestusilere corporation led the process that led to the inclusion of the “Folkloric Meeting of people with disabilities” in the official programming of the 62nd edition of the San Juan Bambuco Festival and San Pedro, an event that aims to publicize the artistic work of people with disabilities.
His work
On the other hand, with the plays created during the training activities, this community impacts children, youth and adults without disabilities, belonging to different sectors, organizations and educational institutions, since the messages contained in the presentations emit constructive messages around of love, solidarity,
responsibility, kindness, trust, honesty, justice, respect and tolerance, values guided in their original shows that not only include color and joy, but also the talent of those who energetically bet on generating awareness of what has been the heart can be changed.
In this sense, the members have named the plays according to what the content means to them, the reflection that it forges and the objective with which they have created them, as follows: “Breaking the barriers of sound, La hojita traditional sound object , Heart, Your vice is not my vice and A medical appointment” become part of the repertoire.
different disabilities.
The beneficiaries
To contextualize, approximately 1,900 deaf people live in Neiva, a figure that confirms the minority status of this population compared to the more than 350,000 residents of the city.
Among the neighborhoods where the corporation’s beneficiaries attend are Panorama, Los Alpes, Las Cristalinas, Villa Colombia, Chicalá, Cándido, Puertas del Sol and Cuarto Centenario, “are areas where some families live in a state of vulnerability due, above everything, to social problems and we have two boys who stopped their addiction to the consumption of psychoactive substances thanks to Gestusilere, one of them is finishing his studies and the other reduced his addiction considerably, turning it into recreational consumption”, said Alexander.
They work at Gestusilere.
For his part, José Daniel Ipúz Ramírez, a 17-year-old boy diagnosed with hearing loss, a disability that consists of a partial or total decrease in hearing sensitivity, shares how the artistic group has positively marked his life, because between words and signs he maintains that “I was stupid” and shy, “now I am more awake, I communicate and socialize more”, alluding that he would like his younger brother, also deaf, to attend the corporation permanently, “my brother spends all his time playing on his cell phone and all the time he is angry instead of living happy like me.
José Daniel’s is considered one of the most significant experiences that demonstrates the value that young people place on this type of meeting, socialization and participation scenarios, where the desire to contribute to society converges, making it truly inclusive, therefore that Alexander concludes that Gestusilere is his passion, his feeling and his living.
In addition to this, the story of the co-founder and leader of the deaf community was found, Óscar Fernando Cruz Trujillo, a 21-year-old young man with hearing loss who, thanks to a hearing aid, balances his hearing level and today is training as a professional in the bachelor’s degree in physical education, a quota that he managed to acquire by competing meritoriously, after obtaining the best Icfes score of the entire deaf population.
“For me it is everything. It is my life project and the challenge, apart from having a large venue where the instructors can easily carry out the workshops, is to reach the entire community. This is something that does not provide me with a salary since it is not a job for which a salary is received, which has sometimes led me to some family difficulties; However, I have angels like my mother who is a great support and has always been unconditional and, because of her, things have also happened with the help of my life partner, “Dussán concluded.