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FEATURE: Messages of Hope, Solidarity Through Multi-Colored Crosses Salvadoran Artist Traces His Journey from Hostility to Reconciliation
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador/GENEVA, 22 November 2007 (LWI) - Christian Chavarria was just four years old when civil war broke out in El Salvador in 1980. It lasted 12 years during which some 80,000 people died, millions were left homeless, while thousands more simply disappeared.
The 31 year-old Salvadoran remembers clearly the day a group of armed soldiers entered his home, fired shots at his brothers then aged seven and nine, and uncle, and pushed the younger boy against a wall, leaving him unconscious. He came to only to find his relatives' corpses beside him, and spent the next two days in the house until his parents rescued him. The armed men had apparently been looking for his mother, one of the principal leaders of the insurgency movement at that time.
The conflict predominantly fought between the government forces and the then revolutionary Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) coalition was infamous for its so-called death squads targeting civilians, nuns and priests among others.
Gifted Artist
Like many of their compatriots, Chavarria and the surviving family members eventually fled into neighboring Honduras, where they lived for several years. He learned informally to read and write in the refugee camp, always encouraged by his mother to take advantage of whatever opportunity arose in the difficult situation. He was a gifted artist, and she encouraged him to develop this skill.
He returned to his native country as an adolescent, and was admitted to secondary school. But by the age of 15, he had already seen two of his best friends - among thousands of young people - felled in the battles in which he was also involved as a liberation army member. His memories of the following years are marked with the harsh reality of the civil war - death, massacres, accumulated hatred and thirst for revenge.
Chavarria still wonders how he managed to escape ambushes that could have led to his death. In view of the imminent danger to his life, he embarked for Sweden as a refugee. Away from home again, the talented artist turned his energies into drawing and painting, and slowly learned to survive without weapons or hostility for the next two-and-a-half years. But he yearned to return home to a peaceful country.
Global Crosses
In 1992 the FMLN and the right-wing government of then president Alfredo Cristiani signed the peace treaty that ended the war. Chavarria returned to his birthplace, El Salvador's capital San Salvador with one goal - to advance his education and develop his artwork.
His main focus all along has been hand-made wooden crosses, which he paints with images that raise awareness about subjects such as poverty, water, globalization and peaceful co-existence, among others. He has painted around 250,000 crosses of different sizes, which he says have traveled right around the world, including one he presented to Finnish President Tarja K. Halonen in May 2007.
The proceeds from painting and selling crosses and other handicrafts are his main source of income and financial upkeep toward his family members. But the crosses are more than a livelihood for the young member of the Salvadoran Lutheran Synod (SLS). He enjoys "making them and it is the best therapy to cope with difficult moments," he says.
At home and during visits abroad, Chavarria also conducts cross-painting workshops for young people to raise awareness especially about the needs of the poor. He recently participated in a workshop on water organized by the Women in Church and Society (WICAS) desk of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Department for Mission and Development (DMD) near the Salvadoran capital. Standing out among other items on display was a multi-colored cross, depicting the problems associated with inaccessibility to clean water in El Salvador such as childrenâs death from water-borne diseases.
Water Privatization
The SLS Bishop Medardo Gomez stated during the 4 to 8 September "Stirring the Waters" LWF regional consultation, "The crisis of water is a sign of the crisis of life. ...It is an issue which belongs to the church because it is part of God's kairos in his church." He was referring to the current difficult situation for ordinary Salvadorans following the government's attempts to privatize water, as well as the consequences suffered by many people from the irresponsible management of natural resources. The workshop hosted by the SLS and attended by representatives of LWF member churches from 12 Latin American countries was in a series of DMD/WICAS consultations toward developing an LWF action plan on water.
Chavarria continues to share his messages through the multi-colored crosses, which he says are an expression of his deep commitment to the creation and his unshakable Christian faith. He also carries out voluntary work for the SLS, and still hopes to realize his dream - study theology and put up a new building for his church.
During the civil war in the Central American country, the SLS played a crucial role advocating justice and assisting the internally displaced and poor population. Its holistic ministry through proclamation and service continues to focus on social justice issues.
The 12,000-member Salvadoran Lutheran Synod joined the LWF in 1986. (869 words)
(Ms Veronica Flachier from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ecuador [an LWF-recognized congregation] interviewed Christian Chavarria at the September 2007 LWF "Stirring the Waters" regional consultation in El Salvador.)
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(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 140 member churches in 78 countries all over the world, with a total membership of nearly 66.7 million. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland.)
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