"I felt the need for to speak about the importance listening"

Today at 6:30 pm, the El Ejido Auditorium will host a play for families. Free admission is available with an invitation. These can be obtained at box office before the show. The show, which combines theatre, dance, and puppets, takes place at the El Ejido Auditorium. Raiz is the name of the Awa Teatro Company, which is promoted by an ejido women.

What is Root?

-A play with text and gestural elements. Flamenco music is used, including Ezequiel Pasamontes' 'Zarrita', and David Delgado's 'El Nino de la Fragua. There are also African accents. Mariano Lozano composed the soundtrack, and Itziar Pascual wrote the texts. It was important to me to speak about listening and being present to others and the earth. Itziar was my first collaborator. The story at the end focuses on the importance of listening. It also shows how Raiz, a character from Africa, arrives in northern Europe, which is southern Europe, and starts to confront another reality: people who are searching for their place in this world and making the effort to find it.

There are many factors that go into the text and story...

It is about how the tiny baobap bulb arrives, casually or otherwise, and how it starts its journey once it arrives.

It could be a metaphor for society.

-Totally. Let's hope that we can find a way to make things better, instead of getting worse as we sometimes feel.

Arena is open to Root. Are we also open to Root?

There are characters who do this, such as sand and the south wind, which accompany them later. They find other characters who are not welcoming when they reach another location. The mole is self-centered, and everything is his. Then comes the meatball sheep, who is rich and makes everything seem small. The same happens in society.

- Do we think that we hear a lot, but listen very little?

-Yes, definitely. You will be surprised at how many people are not able to actively listen. It is easy to get lost in the maelstrom that is life and not pay much attention to what he has to say. This is a little bit different. While not for everyone, it is generally true. This work explores all of these things. Perhaps we pay more attention to the unnecessary than the important. The root character speaks at the end about the importance of listening to him throughout his evolution, and invites viewers listen more.

-There's also talk about selfishness... Aren't we grateful to our roots and to the land?

It is interesting that you mentioned me that way. I just wrote a text from El Ejido, which is my homeland. I believe that it is important that we acknowledge this fact as a fundamental part of our lives. It is a blessing that I can trace my roots back to El Ejido. My father used to tell me that when it was very strong, they couldn't go outside. The south wind is what you see in the play. It is why I sometimes feel sorry for the town's inability to show affection and care for their past generations.

It is crucial that theater festivals like El Ejido have local companies.

Yes, I am also from amateur theater. It was very important to me. They must support those who make our professional paths. Since 1996, I have been performing theater. I began my theater training in Adra, and then I went on to El Ejido's theater workshops. After taking three courses, I continued my training with professionals in many areas. However, I believe the town should be proud of artists who dedicate their lives to this profession. It is also important to give recognition to those who do things.

Who is this show for, anyway?

We have used it from 7 to 12 Years, as it has text and is poetic. It is so beautiful, that smaller children may not be able to understand it. It is a montage I consider suitable for all audiences, as the elderly travel along with us. Even though they may not understand the words, the visual spectacle is very accessible to the children. We've had smaller audiences who have traveled with us, and they understand. You realized how much even children understood when he was at the International Festival of Puppets and Objects, Granada. They are very in touch with the emotion.

-The company's first work...

It is my first venture and it is extremely difficult to become an entrepreneur. Although it was difficult before to become an entrepreneur in the performing art, I will not tell you about the pandemic. Although it's been insane, I'm happy that normality is returning because otherwise it wouldn't be sustainable. Root is still needed to help me move.

- Will there be a new series soon?

We are currently working on a smaller version called Ainara. It is interesting to be able shoot it in different spaces.