Exactly ten years ago, on January 27, 2013, José Martí Perez came to a small park in Bayamo and amazed everyone gathered in this place, surrounded by trees.
On that day in area 135 of the Jesús Menéndez district, he was dressed with “different” anecdotes related to current and shocking events that stirred souls of all ages.
He talked about his loves and failures throughout his life, his dreams of Cuba, what a good teacher should be like in these difficult times, poetry and journalism, among other topics.
The Master was then brought to Magalis by Osorio Arias, a tireless 78-year-old educator, still active, author of the book Approach to Ethics and Values by José Martídigitized text that we hope will one day be printed and delivered to classrooms across Cuba.
She and her husband, Eugenio Montenegro Lezancier, who are great boasting that they have been married for almost four and a half decades, realized that it was necessary to transfer the Apostle to the community, to lower him from untouchable pedestals, to force him to speak with neighbors. about living together or virtue, connect her with nearby schools, analyze her and love her as a being of flesh and blood.
Since then, every fourth Friday of every month, the National Hero has been featured in talks, dramatizations, poems, and songs of the Knowing Marty Club, an eight-award winning project, including the Neighborhood Award and Virtue Benefit Recognition.
Right now, as Magalis sums up the history of this group for me, I think about the resilience of its members, who overcame the skepticism of those who predicted a fiasco or the indifference of the “rating” guests who missed the opportunity to see children imitating Bolivar, Nene Traviese or Martí himself.
Right now, when the eyes of a model teacher shine, when she tells me about the donations they made to help the medical staff in the worst stage of Covid-19, or when she tells me how they care for a sick club fan, I also meditate on this way. to be happy, away from tinsel and false facades, the basic premise of which is to do good.
“Drinking from Marty’s classes is the epicenter of our lives,” Magalis and Eugenio proudly tell me from their modest apartment, where the image of Fidel and the Hero of Dos Rios shines; and when listening to them, the eyebrows rise as much as possible as a sign of admiration and respect.
In these ten years of contact with the human and necessary Marty, artists have emerged who were previously hidden, such as Erminia Hernandez, who at 75 shows her singing voice on all those Fridays that have a taste of glory. And activists such as Katya Berto, the principal of a nearby elementary school, have emerged, uploading images of so many supporter clubs to social media, which include intellectuals, artists, leaders, teachers, and committed Marty supporters.
I hope we have similar initiatives in every corner of Cuba, I say to myself with applause. Initiatives using the Human ideology Golden age unite and sow, teach and learn. Marty must inevitably breed in our neighborhood, apart from closed anniversaries, January or May roses and memories.
Source: Juventud Rebelde