‘La Colmenita’ supports Cuban 5 in U.S. tour

“Now, what else can we do?” to free the Cuban Five, asked the young performers of the National Children’s Theater of Cuba — La Colmenita. This question closed the first performance of their U.S. tour, held Oct. 15 at American University’s Kay Chapel in Washington. Roaring applause answered them from an audience often in tears.

In a new piece entitled “Abracadabra,” 22 children between six and 15 years of age brought characters like Tom Sawyer, the Little Prince, Peter Pan, Mafalda and Pippi Longstocking into a narrative about the five Cubans, who are incarcerated in the United States for warning their country against terrorist actions planned in Miami. These characters unite to free Cuba’s five heroes in an imaginative and moving performance that follows students as they learn about the lives of the five men through letters and family home movies.

The cast members were either very small children or not even born yet when the ordeal of the Cuban Five began with their arrest on Sept. 12, 1998. Imagine their surprise, joy and tears when they received a phone call from Gerardo Hernández from prison in Victorville, Calif., and could hear his voice and speak with him.

Hernández is currently serving an exceptionally punitive sentence of two life terms plus 15 years. His case is still under habeas corpus appeal. To punish him even more, the U.S. government continues to refuse any visa for his spouse, Adriana Pérez, to visit him.

After the performance at Kay Chapel, René González, who was freed from prison on Oct. 7 but is still forced to remain in the U.S., called to speak with each of the children.

On Oct. 16 at a backyard barbecue, the cast sang happy birthday by phone to Antonio Guerrero, imprisoned in Florence, Colo.

La Colmenita — the little beehive — was founded in 1990. The delegation touring the U.S. is from the first of the Colmenita groups. Today 21 Colmenitas exist throughout Cuba, each composed of 40 to 80 children of all ages and abilities who participate in theatre, dance, visual arts or music after the school day is over. Altogether, an estimated 14,000 Cuban children are enrolled.

The United Nations Children’s Fund has designated the group performing here as a “Goodwill Ambassador.” The theatre company will give a private performance at U.N. headquarters on Oct. 24, just before the General Assembly carries out its annual vote that for years has overwhelmingly condemned the embargo imposed on Cuba by the U.S.

A delegation from La Colmenita visited congressional representatives on Oct. 15 and spent the day at a Maryland school on Oct. 17. To see more photos, Google search for “cubadebate colmenita.”

The tour dates, venues and online ticket information are available at www.lacolmenitacuba.com.

Photo: Bill Hackwell