Nesly Mombrun, originally from Haiti but now with 17 years of high-profile experience in Guadalajara, seems to produce arresting observations about culture, along with his sunny smiles, without even trying.
Perhaps that is because of how many hats he has worn during his career as cultural promoter, teacher, painter, radio personality, writer and dancer.
“If you want to be an addict, be a culture addict,” he quips. Yet a serious element emerges when he goes on to explain with passion that his commitment is for “people who don’t have a voice or opportunities.
“I work for the low, middle and upper classes,” he emphasized.
“He is very professional and orderly and brings passion to what he does,” said Mobrun’s fellow Zapopan cultural promoter Raúl Robles.
Mombrun has traveled all over the world, but particularly loves Mexico. Surely that is because of his Mexican wife and frequent collaborator, dancer Guadalupe Leyva and their three daughters. But his love for Mexico is also more generalized and is rooted in its cultural magic.“The Mexicans have a huge bastion of culture here,” he said, adding provocatively, “And some of them don’t realize it.”
Mombrun’s years of work in institutions such as the state cultural department (Secretaría de Cultura de Jalisco) and the Colegio Franco-Mexicano have yielded a point of view that is both optimistic and urgent. His recent positions heading up dance programs in Jalisco, cultural programs in Guadalajara’s light rail system and, now, in Zapopan city hall, have allowed him to observe politicians’ tendencies and, from there, to prescribe his own solutions for social ills.
“Right now, governments are thinking about security, security, security. They think that more arms for police will solve our problems. That’s a joke. Give people intellectual arms.”
He glows when he refers to recent government support for community choirs and theater productions.
“Gangsters are not born that way,” he asserts. “To make education effective, we have to combine it with culture. Don’t just tell history students what happened in 1934 — show them a painting from 1934. They need the cultural context.
“Right now is the time for governments to make an investment in education,” he adds with urgency in his voice.
Then, shifting to a positive perspective, he reminisced: “In 1995, when I came here, governments didn’t realize that culture is important. Now they do. It’s part of my job to remind them.”
He speaks approvingly of a program initiated by staff at the U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara to popularize Mark Twain’s novel “Tom Sawyer” through readings and theater.
“I’ve always thought there is so much more to the relation between the United States and Mexico than border issues. Why do we just focus on the border? ‘Tom Sawyer’ gave us more perspective.”
Mombrun has another piece of his heart dedicated to young people. He regularly gives cultural conferences at schools and universities. Also, he and his wife spearheaded a Jalisco children’s ballet named Balanz.
In that and other parts of his work, he has traveled extensively and, in fact, first arrived in Mexico during a youthful period of travel and education.
Although he loves Mexico, he has never lost his love for Haiti. “How could I leave?” he laughs when asked when he left his homeland. “It’s impossible. My roots are there.”
See Nesly Mombrun Oscar on Facebook.