This week, we ran our final workshops. In the MediaLab, we delivered a Canva workshop, challenging the children to create digital versions of the posters they had originally made to introduce themselves with during our first week. It was a nice week way to bring the programme full circle, while also giving the children the opportunity to apply the digital skills they had developed over the previous weeks.
We also had the opportunity to participate in one of SORA’s existing workshops, led by a local graffiti artist. The children split into groups, chose a word, and designed it using graffiti-style bubble lettering. We first sketched the letters and then added shadows and details before finally painting our designs. My group chose the word “AMIX”, short for amigos. I really enjoyed working alongside the children and taking part in an activity I had never tried before. It was particularly meaningful to experience an art form that is so visible throughout Comuna 13, where colourful graffiti covers many of the walls and has become an important part of the community’s identity. Afterwards, one of the local volunteers, who is originally from Japan, introduced the children to origami and guided them through the process of creating an origami crane. It was lovely to see another culture being shared through a creative activity and to end the day with the children learning something new.
Throughout the week I also had the opportunity to experience Feria de las Flores, an annual ten-day festival celebrating Antioquian heritage and flower-growing traditions. One of the highlights of the festival is the Desfile de Silleteros, where silleteros carry elaborate floral arrangements on their backs. There were many other events throughout the festival, including parades of Chivas, brightly coloured traditional buses that are characteristic of the region, which were decorated with flowers for the celebrations. There was also a parade of antique and classic cars, as well as an orchid exhibition at Medellín’s botanical garden.
Experiencing Feria de las Flores gave me another opportunity to immerse myself in the culture of Medellín and Antioquia. It was amazing to see how the festival brings together different generations and communities while creating a strong sense of pride in local identity and heritage. Onto the final week!