Thanks to the project, children and teenagers enjoy and grow, and changes take place in their lives. Author: Provided by interviewees
Thomas’ mom lives in a pretty blue house by the Chichiviri River. He has two adopted children, Ti and Du, two mischievous chichiricus. She is a mestizo, the daughter of a black African and a native of Cuba, who met in palenque. He has so many stories!
Laura and Jorge, two children from Havana who have moved to the countryside to live with their grandfather José, visit Mama Tomasa’s house every night. Also comes Maribruji, a tatagua born from the legend of the Cuban natives Daipiri and uncle Antonio, a descendant of the Canary Islands, who can tell funny road stories, stories about ships, pirates, corsairs and treasures.
There’s a party every day at Mama Tomasa’s house. She loves being around kids, now 45, and captivates them all with her stories. They learn, have fun and come back the next day.
If you want to visit this wonderful house too, then listen to Cuban FM, Radio Taíno from Monday to Friday during the morning magazine schedule. Earlyand on Sundays during the broadcast of the program play along with me. Thanks to this initiative, sponsored by the Directorate of Heritage of the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television (ICRT), through the line “Education for Heritage”, the magic of radio will take you to this place, and then I’m sure you will go to La Fela, in Luyano, municipality of Diez de Octubre, where everyone who likes to do this program, which is now a life project, gathers every Saturday.
In 2018 Mama Thomas’ house He received two awards at the International Radio and Television Convention for Best Children’s Drama and Best Director of Children’s Drama, and his experience was presented at the First International Congress “Children and Adolescents Growing into the Future” recently held in Varadero, Matanzas.
From the radio booth to everyday life
Sabet, Amanda, Edel, Alean, Patricia, David, Yossi, Nerlis, Chanel, Eric, Kevin, Stephanie, Elena, Lazaro, Leah, Narles, Ayled… these are some of the children and teenagers who have not been able to conceive for a week . without going into Mama Thomas’s house. They have fun when they learn to act, dance, sing, pronounce words correctly, interact with the microphone, but above all, when they learn about history, music, dance, art.
art, literature and culture in general. Radio became his motivation to grow and become better.
The one who opened their arms to welcome this project and everyone who comes to it was the actress, announcer and screenwriter Ariadna Argudin de la Torre, who also takes over the program. A mother of three and aware of the fantasy that being a parent needs to be shared with toddlers, today she admits that Thomas’ mom has gone further than she imagined years ago.
“Given my experience in the workshop and children’s program between stories and music from CMBF Radio Musical Nacional, they asked me at Radio Taíno to create a space for this audience with the aim of placing it as a section of the Sunday program. play along with me.
“He was born then, in 2014, Mama Thomas’ house and it was conceived to conduct it with children and teenagers as a program and, at the same time, as a workshop. They could learn how to make radio, but basically they would learn about our traditions and culture, and together they would start a family, as they did.
“I created characters based on our folk history and the first kids to join the project created some with almost unique tones and grew up on the show bringing them all to life.
“In 2017, I was asked to go on air in a magazine Early, from Monday to Friday, and then it became a big problem to write and direct a production with actors six days a week. It was not an easy task for the sound designer and editor, who have to work on more broadcasts in less time. We organized and made it.
“At the stage of COVID-19, we were faced with the task of remotely executing the program. The support of families has been vital to keeping us on the air, and through the use of their personal data, we were able to submit scripts, receive voice recordings, and submit the final result.”
How can you stabilize a program with such frequency for this audience?
“I have always enjoyed using legends, folk mythology, Cuban tales, our proverbs to pass on the teachings and stick to our roots. Fortunately, we have a vast culture in this sense. In addition, we introduced visitors to art, science, history, and sports.
“I started including legends and famous people from all over the world as the broadcasts increased without losing the Cubanness that is present in the characters, in the recipes and in the music, which is almost always traditional Cuban.
“Variety of topics is essential for children and teens to learn and grow to be able to discern and make appropriate content choices in a world where social media is forced on them. We work on children’s communication, talk about influencers, gamerswe turn to intimidation school, gender issues, formal education, concern for species and the environment, among others.
“We promote debate and community building, we encourage feedback, and we grow together. I personally am always learning. I am not an aloof or authoritarian director, but rather a female director who, without forgetting about discipline and not demanding it, looks for fun, naturalness and does everything well. I have developed great patience and flexibility, so the work flows and we listen to the ideas of the team.
In 2020, added Argudin de la Torre, they started this project for children with hearing impairments. On the recommendation of the Cuban National Association of the Deaf, a chapter was created for digital platforms with a fixed image, Cuban Sign Language and subtitles.
“Since the beginning of 2023, we have been joined by a five-year-old boy with an autism spectrum disorder, ASD, who has shown us since his arrival that radio can contribute to treatment and improve speech and socialization if the connection between the child, those around him is reached and the middle.
“Ale did not speak and began to speak his first words in the workshop. He has made connections with everyone and is overflowing with joy, he loves the microphone and we let him sing and do whatever he wants in the last hour of recording. We are taught inclusive work and we learn that the world belongs to everyone and we must learn to live in an accepting society.”
– They arrived in Luyano, and small faces became happy …
“We moved to this community because the idea of expanding inclusive work took me from my La Asuncion neighborhood to Luyano, and I learned from Hanoi Aguiar, who is in charge of the local development project of La Fela, that there is a Luyano rehabilitation center. . . . There, the charismatic physician Aimee Garcia leads the Caritas alegres project for children with mental and physical disabilities and other people with special needs.
“She is a defectologist, speech therapist, educational psychologist, specializing in Child Abuse, Learning Disorders and Color Therapy.” Also joining the team is Eileen Serrano, a mental health psychologist; Daime Cabrera, Documentation Manager, Educational Department of Logophonoaudiology; Daima Pupo, responsible for the management and management of health care, and Maria Rosa Hurtado, graduate in defectology. All of them joined our records with the support of La Fela, the activity control and rally center par excellence in the territory.
— What are the visible results of this seminar for children and adolescents who participate in it?
“Our goal is to improve relationships in achieving acceptance, respect, socialization and radio discipline. In the midst of all this, we worked to reduce shyness, insecurity, aggressiveness, difficulty interpreting content, and dyslalia. In addition, we delve into topics they need to know at their age and encourage imagination and creativity. Some have already entered the university and continue to work with us and advise newcomers.
“I am very happy. I was lucky to be guided by good teachers like Juan Arce and participated in the workshops that marked my life. This project is a priority for me. I dedicate a lot of time to screenplays because of the commitment, love and dedication , which I put into them, but what I really enjoy the most is watching the evolution of children and teenagers and the change in their lives after this experience.
Source: Juventud Rebelde