Blog Post Two 2 May 2021

On the Lead-Up Cultural Exchange to Comuna 13, Medellín in April, 2021:

We can’t get enough of this interview that Yorman Vega conducted with Joel Chaverra; a founder of Black and White and pivotal in the transformation of Comuna 13, Medellín

What is your artistic name?

- My name is Joel Andrés Chaverra

What is your job?

- I’m a dancer for ‘Black and White’ (Dance Crew Comuna 13, Medellín, Colombia), and I work in Tourism.

How has art changed you as a person?

And how do you see the world now?

- Nice question.

Well personally I feel that TRANSFORMATION THROUGH ART HELPS TO TRANSFORM US IN A GREAT WAY. As an individual; well before I did not think about the big things, now I think about them, I did not have the perspectives or ideologies that I have now.

As such I have obtained a lot of maturity not only for dance but for art in general. My life has had the transformation that I always wanted.

Did you ever think that art could transform your life?

- The truth is that I have always had that thought, that desire that it would happen. Thank God, little by little we are building and working to achieve it, yes, since I was little, art has been present.

What do you think Comuna 13 would be like now without your art or that of others in the community?

- Good question. Well we are people who provide a lot of art there in Comuna 13, Without my group, the art would still be there. Of course we are the focus of dance.

If you go to Comuna 13, from the moment you enter the tour you will find the four elements of hip hop: MCing, DJing, breakdancing and graffiti. The only group that represents Hip Hop dance is breakdance; It is Black and White. Art would always be there, my group just gives it a much needed spark.

We come from a program called Lead-Up.

Lead-Up helps young people to DISCOVER AND MANAGE EMOTIONS, so the question is:

HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK IT IS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO CHANNEL AND EXPRESS THOSE EMOTIONS IN ART?

- Personally, art is the most beautiful thing. Whether dancing, painting, singing, drawing. WE CHANNEL OUR ENERGIES, OUR EMOTIONS, OUR LIFE FORCE.

We express ourselves in a simpler way or a more empirical way because A CHANNEL IS BORN IN WHICH WE EXPRESS WHAT WE FEEL.

How do you think people have influenced you?

- On the journey it took, yes there are many people who have influenced me in a good way.

The good vibes that I transmit and the security that that transmits, when I am doing what I like the most, is something that fills my family with pride. It feels very good that I am growing in what I really like.

In the community many children walk in the street, neglecting the things of value such as studies; I teach them what I do and like and take the opportunity to mentor them.

WHY ARE THE ARTS SO IMPORTANT TO PREVENTING AND REDUCING VIOLENCE IN UNDER SERVED COMMUNITIES?

- I HAVE MANY FRIENDS WHO HAVE LEFT BEING ON THE STREETS IN THIS BEAUTIFUL WAY BECAUSE THEY HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH SOME ART OF DANCE, RAP, PAINTING, ETC.

AND WHEN YOU FALL IN LOVE YOUR MIND DOES NOT STOP THINKING ABOUT THAT. Many have been drug addicts and I know art has helped them to CLEAR THEIR MINDS, TO THINK ABOUT PROGRESS.

To get to the point of the previous question they also express what many people feel they can’t. Before they chose to be in a bad life but THEY FELT THAT IT WAS THE ONLY OPTION OR IT WAS THE ONLY WAY OUT, BUT ART HAS SHOWN THEM OTHERWISE.

What is your most important contribution that you have given to your community?

- It is only one thing, it is the guidance I give so that each child wants to learn. I will always be available to teach.

LEAD-UP is a program that helps young people ... At risk of falling into drugs, gangs in their community etc ... IT HELPS YOUTH CHANNEL EMOTIONS THROUGH WORKSHOPS WITH HORSES AND THROUGH ART. What is your position on the problems in your community? What is the greatest virtue/tool that helped create change in Comuna 13?

- The greatest tool that Comuna 13 has had is ART AS A MEANS OF EXPRESSION. The community's BIGGEST PROBLEM WAS WHEN PEOPLE WERE SILENT, WHEN PEOPLE DID NOT EXPRESS THEMSELVES, when people did not have the strength to say "HEY IT IS THE HOUR OF THE REVOLUTION, IT’S TIME TO STOP AND SAY NO”

So how art has helped to express all the emotions in any of those 4 elements that we have has been very important. Art in Comuna 13; art is everything. There is no museum open here, the open, living museum is the heart of the people. You see the life of a person in Comuna 13 and how it has changed

If you were to come to Guatemala, what do you think your main contribution would be?

- More than a cultural contribution, I would give an emotional contribution because I know what it is to live a bad life, what it is to witness bad things.

So believe me, that one of my best contributions would be to share that we are simply people who like art. And to take that simplicity that we have and give it value to anyone, not just a youth who is on the wrong track, but anyone who wants to learn from our art, to be willing to teach, to promote.

What advice would you give someone who is at risk of falling into the wrong direction?

- The bad life; sometimes one believes that it is very ‘chimba’ (cool), that it is good, that nobody tells you what to do, you do what you want,

THERE IS SOMETHING GREATER THAN ALL THAT, IT IS THE POWER TO SO EVERYTHING YOU WANT BUT IN GOOD FAITH, EXPRESSING JOY, EXPRESSING HOW YOU FEEL, BEING ABLE TO TRANSFORM.

Because I believe that if one is blind at some point in life, one will always need a person to open their eyes. What can we tell them is that THERE IS SOMETHING BIGGER THAN US . THAT THE THING IS TO LOOK FOR IT AND FIGHT FOR IT. WE KNOW THAT NOTHING COMES EASILY, BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT IS NOT THERE.

Thank you very much Joel

- It was a pleasure, thank you for being a person who transforms lives in the community!

On a road trip with Lead-Up Champions Yorman, Flekos, Denilson and with Joel and Smooth in Guatepé, Colombia