By Jorge Nieto
TIJUANA (Reuters) – Dozens of migrants performed an opera in the Mexican border city of Tijuana on Saturday aimed at dramatizing the struggles of those who seek to reach the United States.
Featuring baroque music and urban dance, the opera depicts the story of a 15-year-old Guatemalan teenager who fled north, along with her mother, to escape gang violence in her country.
Upon reaching the U.S. border near San Diego, however, she and her mother are sent back into Mexico to await their asylum proceedings, under the “Migrant Protection Protocols” (MPP) program, also known as “Remain in Mexico.”
Director Yuriria Fanjul, who is from Mexico City, said that participating in the opera allowed the actors to process the trauma from their own migratory experiences.
“They found that music and the performing arts by nature helped them to process these emotions,” she said.
Karla Patricia, one of the actors, said that she hopes to be able to continue participating in the performing arts.
“This opera has been a total change in my life,” she said. “It is something that has touched me in my heart and I am very happy dancing.”
(Reporting by Jorge Nieto in Tijuana, writing by Laura Gottesdiener; editing by Diane Craft)
