If a puppet with expressive eyes, a broad smile, and natural charisma greets you with, “Hello, I'm Alelí, Spanish teacher...,” open your mind; you're sure to learn a lot. Alelí and the Orthodecimants is a children's program produced by Cubavisión Animation Studios, but it bears the stamp of Las Tunas.
It all began with the dream of TV producer Dalgis Román Aguilera to spread the orthodecimant method, which was created and promoted by Guillermo Castillo Ramírez, a teacher and poet from Las Tunas, from a rural village in the municipality of "Jesús Menéndez." His contribution, using the national verse, was applauded at educational and other events. Even an album produced by Bis Music draws on its essence. However, it needed to expand further, and the long-time host of the Claroscuro magazine program on TunasVisión was aware of this. So one fine day, together with colleagues who shared her passion, she said, “Let's make Castillo's dream come true.”
A BEAUTIFUL EXPERIENCE
“Ever since I was at my beloved TunasVisión channel, we were aware of how necessary it was to publicize Castillo's method. In 2015, we made a documentary about it there, but now life has given us another opportunity, with a greater reach. His décimas are very illustrative and awakened the imagination of the girl I still am and who, at the time, did not have good spelling,” confesses Román.
Thus, Alelí, a puppet built in the capital by Dalgis and her husband, Carlos Enrique Díaz, came to life, turning the dream into a five-minute program. It is an animated video clip where the little girl, named after a flower, translates the ten-line stanzas taught by the teacher, with the help of the butterfly Maruja. And so, after the phrase “rhyming magic, /give me the brilliant essence of the verse, /let the aforementioned ten-line stanza appear at this moment...”, Alelí translates the spelling rule that the teacher previously taught in verse. Guess who the teacher is? Castillo, who else, only in a character brought to the screen by fellow countrywoman Yanelis Rodríguez Escamuchero, who is in charge of the wonderful backgrounds and animations.
Also, parts of the team are: Yusleydis Andrade (Production), Blanca Felipe (Consulting), Brallan Viamonte, and Marino Luzardo (Assistant Directors), Griselda Ramírez and Bertha Aguilera (Alelí's Costumes), Ridel Meriño (original music), and Carlos Enrique, who takes on several tasks: camera, lighting, sound, props, computer graphics, editing, and soundtrack.
Professor Castillo, the inspiration behind the program, which airs on Tuesdays at 5:00 p.m. on Cubavisión (in the Aventuras con el televisor slot), contributes the décimas and the voice of his “other self.” Dalgis, for her part, animates the main puppet character, writes the script, and directs the entire troupe. Likewise, verses sung by children participating in the DVD Orthodecimant, from the Bis Music record label, embellish the project, which premiered in December last year.
“It's a beautiful experience, our contribution to the education system in Cuba,” sums up the leader of the educational children's production. Congratulations on this achievement, which, according to Dalgis, aims to continue growing thanks to the support of the Ministry of Education. For now, we are grateful for the result, which shows us that it is possible to learn through verse and, as the character who plays the poet “Menéndez” said in one episode, “There is fun to be had in learning the language of Cervantes.”
