¡TENÍA QUE SER EL CHAVO DEL OCHO!
Like The Fool/El Loco that inspires him, El Chavo sets out on his path with childlike abandon, looking up at the sky, smiling de par en par, carrying only what he needs in his tiny bundle, holding his beloved torta de jamón for nourishment.
If you get El Chavo in a reading, know that there is life beyond the wooden barrel, beyond the Bonita Vecindad. Where do you long to go? What do you hope to learn? Who do you need to become? Your journey has just begun.
Adjust your suspenders, open your stripy chest, and take this invitation to go forth, siempre palante, trusting your path. There’s a whole world out there for you to be in community with.
El Chavo is life’s way of cheering you on, hopping from foot to foot, and saying: “Eso! Eso! Eso!”
♫ “El Burrito” by Yerba Buena
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If you didn’t know… “El Chavo del Ocho” was a long-running Mexican television sitcom about el Chavo, an eight year-old orphan in a tight-knit neighborhood. All the children were played by adults, including Chavo, who wore a characteristic striped shirt and lived in a barrel.
This is part of our Winter 2022-23 issue featuring Chancletazo for Your Soul by Marlène Ramírez-Cancio, The Tarot Issue.
Marlène Ramírez-Cancio
Marlène Ramírez-Cancio (2021-22 Aster(ix) Artist in Residence) is a Puerto Rican cultural producer, artist, and educator based in Lenapehoking, aka Brooklyn. She is the Founding Director of EmergeNYC, an incubator and network for emerging artists-activists in NYC and beyond, focused on developing the artistic expression of people of color and LGBTQAI+ folks. In 2021, she brought the incubator to BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange, where she is currently Director of EmergeNYC and Practice Lab. Through Mujer Que Pregunta, Marlène works as a tarot practitioner and Process Doula to help BIPOC cultural workers shape their ideas, clarify their purpose, and make sure their projects align with the goals of their practice. When the dinosaurios roamed the Earth, she co-founded Fulana, a Latina satire collective whose videos have been shown internationally at film festivals, museums, and universities. Marlène serves on the Steering Committee of LxNY/Latinx Arts Consortium of New York, the Board of Directors of the National Performance Network, and the Board of Advisors of The Action Lab and the Center for Artistic Activism. She is the mom of a wonderful child, and is currently learning how to sew her own clothes. | mujerquepregunta.com
