The presence of two greats of this section of stage, René Fernández and Maribel López, sparked dialogue among those attending the panel led by Yuddaly Favier, professor at the University of the Arts in Havana.
The specialist in Fundamentals of Children’s Theatre referred to the history of Unima, “the first NGO, which emerged in 1929 when puppeteers in the Czech Republic met for peace in the face of a war that was already looming.”
Favier spoke about the changes, projections and revitalization of the Cuban puppet, “with a new stage that is being reborn and another that is already ending.”
On the subject, playwright Norge Espinosa warned of the need to involve the youngest, “so that Unima Cuba becomes that bridge of contact and reference again.”
“In 2010, it was re-established on the map of the country, with those we could count on in Unima. And thanks to the power of convening and the intense work of Rubén Darío Salazar, it was growing again,” said the art critic.
Espinosa said that the visit to Cuba of Manuel Morán, since 2016 president of the Commission of the Three Americas of the international Unima, fostered internal dialogue from Cuba and for the world.
“Even in 2014 the World Council of Unima came to Matanzas; however, after the pandemic new mishaps have been suffered,” he said. Espinosa also warned about how through theater, particularly puppet theater, national culture can be strengthened.
“Policy should be to bring us closer to that different sensitivity, a higher level. We must save culture in specific terms, put them in function of the guide of the immediate future. It is necessary to save everything that can be saved, in a country that has had artists of worth,” he concluded.
Since the beginning of this year, Erduyn Maza (director of Teatro La Proa) and Arneldys Cejasla serve as president and general secretary of the Cuban Center of Unima, respectively.
The design of international workshops, meetings with specialists from Mexico, Colombia and South Korea have nuanced the work of Cuban puppeteers in recent months, a country that at the beginning of 2025 will participate in the International Unima Congress, which will be held in that Asian nation.
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