Two troupes that have traditionally been part of the parades within the framework of the Bambuco Festival for several editions, were absent this year. The most memorable is that of the Huila characters, who represent those who contributed to the construction of the festival; the other is Mitos Yuma. Here is the reason for the absence.
Hernan Galindo
The absence of two of the traditional comparsas in each of the parades during the festivities of San Juan and San Pedro in Neiva and Huila was noted by those attending, who wondered why they did not participate. This concern was conveyed to Martha Roció Dussán, Cultural Manager with influence in both comparsas.
Marta Rocío Dussán Andrade responded to this and other questions through LA NACIÓN, in a conversation in which she expressed a lot of feeling and discouragement that led her to make the decision not to participate.
“What happens is that this year I have not been in very high spirits, so the Cultural Corporation with the Personajes del Huila troupe did not want to present themselves, neither to the municipality, nor to the department, due to that feeling that I experience, which is the absence in the middle of my grief.” He commented she.
This is related to the pain that still overwhelms her due to the loss of her husband, Rodrigo Durán, who was the creator of the comparsa and with whom she participated for more than 30 years, before his painful departure.
The reasons
“It is a duel that I live and live in every moment, the moments with him and outside of that the budget is always the same and the boys demand a high budget from me, resources that I do not have, and then I said to myself, I am not going to wear myself out, this year I am going to rest, and we will see what happens next year, to see if the budget increases and the spirits rise to see how I work again with the two comparsas,” he added.
Regarding the absence, he explained that there are two comparsas, one from the Tablados Cultural Corporation, which works with the comparsa Personajes de Huila, which includes all the great artistic personalities who create and invest in artistic and cultural personalities. It is a recognition of those artistic beings who gave recognition to our folklore and the culture of Huila; and the other, Mito Yuma.
The last character they included was her husband Rodrigo Durán. “With the death of my husband, maestro Alirio Parra made the character and offered it to me on behalf of my husband, it was the character that I played two years ago,” said Martha Rocío in the midst of the nostalgia that overcomes her remembering her missing husband.
The beginnings
The troupe was born 30 years ago, it began with ten characters who were still alive such as maestro Jorge Villamil, José Ignacio Rivera, José Antonio Cuellar “Rumichaca”, Guillermo González, Álvaro Gasca, Alfonso Orozco and others who eluded him at the time, added Martha Dussán.
He indicated that building a character costs around 3,500,000 pesos and includes the fiberglass head, which is made by the ceramic artisan, Alirio Parra.
“He is a friend of 40 years and of my black man for about 50 years, he was the one who created the character in honor of my black man and he was the one who built it. He gave it to me in tribute to my black man,” he commented with tears in his eyes at the memory of the cultural manager, theater owner, theater director and founder of the Tablados Cultural Corporation and co-founder of Casa Teatro, Rodrigo Durán.
The other absent comparsa
The low budget and the lack of enthusiasm in the absence of her husband for more than 40 years, are facts that came together to be absent this year with the comparsas that presented on behalf of the Tablados Cultural Corporation, recalled Martha Rocío Dussán.
And he added that in addition to Personajes del Huila, Mito Yuma was left out this year, a proposal that works with the Ocho commune of the city of Neiva.
“In the same way, if I don’t have the courage to work with one, I don’t work with the others, so Mito Yuma was also left out and it hurts me because I’m going out to work in the parades because, being a civil servant, I work in the parades.” and people ask me and yell at me, what happened this year with the myths? what happened to the characters? and I tell them that next year we are going to leave renewed with spirit, with the desire to continue being part of our festivities because it is a commitment to the community, especially to young people.”
Thus, in the midst of nostalgia for memories, but with the commitment to return next year, we relive this story of love and pain that is part of our festivities with Martha Rocío Dussán.
