Tens of thousands of families in Mexico have not been able to say goodbye to their loved ones due to the pandemic.
That wound, forced to close with a bang, has generated sadness, depression and hopelessness.
A strange duel that has spawned ingenious ways of trying to remember those who have left.
Eréndira Guerrero is a 55-year-old artisan from Ciudad Juárez, the most populated city in Chihuahua (northern Mexico) who makes fabric bears with the clothes of people who died from covid-19 so that their relatives can remember them.
“There are people who tell me that having that little piece of cloth from their loved one is symbolic.
They are comforted and feel connected to their family member.
When they receive it, they show a lot of tenderness, faces of relief, of tranquility, ”says Guerrero over the phone.
Eréndira Guerrero's workshop in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua.
Reuters
Chihuahua, now on an orange traffic light, has been a state hard hit by the pandemic with more than 37,500 cases detected so far and more than 4,500 people have died.
“In Mexico remembering loved ones is part of our culture.
We believe that our relatives do not leave, but that they transcend to another plane and knowing them together with us, represented with something like this bear, is as if they were here ”, says the artisan excitedly.
Although he was already making these dolls before the pandemic, now the demand has grown and he has orders for the next two weeks.
Through his Facebook page and with a small workshop in his home, he attends to requests from the public and makes shipments throughout the Republic and the United States.
Guerrero points out that the bears can be made with newly purchased fabric and be a nice gift for birthdays, anniversaries and other celebrations.
Each doll represents a whole day of work.
In addition to the personalized fabric, the bear carries an embroidered message that reminds who it is dedicated to and its author wants to include voice recordings soon.
"This is a shirt I used to wear. Every time you hug it it reminds you how much I love you. Dad," says one of the labels that accompany the cloth bears.
Reuters
Eréndira Guerrero says that during the pandemic, society needs to be more sensitive to the suffering and sadness that many people are going through.
“Ciudad Juárez is a city that was hit hard first by crime and then by the pandemic.
That has made us more immune to the pain of others and we need to be more empathetic with others, both emotionally and financially, ”he recalls.
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