El Puente project unites mas from Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela

GREVIC ALVARADO

María Nuitter is a Venezuelan who for more than 25 years dedicated herself to promoting culture in her country, but who now promotes the preservation of traditions in Trinidad and Tobago.

Nuitter, from Choroni, Aragua state, Venezuela, came to TT four years ago and since then has worked hard promoting the making and dancing of the La Burriquita (burrokeet) costume.

Today, together with her husband Virgilio Espinal, a group of local friends and the sponsorship of UNDP and the Maxi Foundation, she carries out the El Puente (Bridge) project, which seeks to unite the cultures of TT and Venezuela to help integrate the children.

El Puente is one of the five winning projects of the cultural competition, and includes La Burriquita as a Venezuelan tradition and moko jumbies by TT.

A total of 16 children, eight locals and eight Venezuelans, have taken part in the project, which is based at Alice Yard's Granderson Lab in Belmont, Port of Spain. They spend Saturday afternoons there learning the stories of both traditions, how to make the costumes and how to dance or use them.

“It has been a wonderful four months in which our children have learned the value of the culture and traditions of both countries,” said Nuitter.

She had finished preparing her "Burrokids," as she calls the children who participated.

“We had three formal presentations at important events, but the main goal as a closure of the project is the presentation at the 2023 Carnival,” she said.

The moko jumbies and the Burrokids from the El Puente project participated in the Red Cross Kiddies Carnival competition on February 11.

Now the adult group is preparing to perform in other competitions.

Nuitter explained, “The Trinidadian manifestation of La Burriquita is disappearing and the intention of the project is to promote it, rescue it and keep it present in the local community.”

Espinal said they have been working together for more than 25 years so that La Burriquita remains part of the cultural traditions of both countries.

“Our daughter Koral Espinal came to TT 11 years ago and it was she who opened the doors of this wonderful country for us so that we could continue our cultural work,” he said.

Espinal said throughout the years she has accompanied Nuitter on all of the trips on which she presents her own Burriquita, which she calls La Campanera, the name Nuitter has given to her donkey, with which she has danced for 25 years.

“María promotes the integration of women into culture and she is one of the main female dancers of La Burriquita.

"When she came to TT to meet the family of our daughter's husband, she showed her the culture of our country and that generated great expectations, which is why we wanted to return to TT to stay and help promote the culture,” he said.

“The idea is, the project continues to other communities. To do that we need to present the plan again to the sponsors and see what happens.”

Nuitter has also been taking La Burriquita to local schools.

“La Burriquita continues to give people something to talk about in TT. The idea is, any of these children who are participating in the El Puente project take it back to their communities as well and spread the cultures of TT and Venezuela.”