The dreams of childhood in the reality of El Salvador

Casa Amèrica Catalunya, with the support of Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB), has promoted the project Sueños soñados, sueños despiertos: nuestra ciudad, an initiative that gives visibility to children between 7 and 13 years old from the Metropolitan Area of San Salvador (AMSS). The objective: to listen to their stories, dreams and concerns, often ignored, in order to make visible the realities they face and reflect on their rights to their cities.

With the collaboration of Roger Omar, Mexican editor and illustrator, the project began in El Salvador in February 2024. Omar conducted writing and drawing workshops in several schools in San Salvador, Tonacatepeque and Apopa. The children shared their dreams and experiences, creating a digital book that compiles desires, hopes and experiences, from prison and the absence of family members to more everyday subjects such as pets or the colour of their skin.

The proposal has crossed the Atlantic to connect with students from three educational centres in the metropolitan area of Barcelona: Àngel Guimerà school in Sant Andreu de la Barca, Solell school in La Palma de Cervelló and Eduard Fontserè Institute in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat. Here, the children took part in drawing workshops and illustrated the dreams of their Salvadoran classmates, with the aim of establishing an intercultural dialogue.

The project has created an educational tool for Catalan teachers, encouraging students to reflect on and empathise with different realities, such as that of El Salvador. The result is an enriching exchange that has allowed the children to see beyond their surroundings, to listen to the views of other boys and girls and to understand their realities through dreams.

More information, here.