Doing good despite it all

Young idealist believes in making the
world a better place, no matter the odds

by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Gabriel Bran Lopez

Age: 25

Occupation: “Youth activist”

Bio: Committed to making our world a better place, this dedicated Rosemont stud arrived in Canada by way of Guatemala at age three, shortly after his Mayan mother’s life was threatened by certain “men with guns” who took issue with her “teaching the dialect to indigenous kids during a civil war that was partially about annihilating the Mayan population.” Having lost other loved ones to Guatemala’s CIA-sponsored death squads, Gabriel’s parents “left everything behind”—including their professional careers—to come to Canada and labour in the low-paying, low-status gigs available to new immigrants possessing little knowledge of French or English. “What my parents gave up for me and my brother is indescribable. So now I feel it’s my duty to give back to others.” Involved in various do-gooding and civic matters since the age of 10, Gabriel, who graduated from Concordia’s communications program last year with a modest GPA of “four point something, I can’t remember exactly,” is currently hard at work with his new Youth Fusion organization, its purpose being “to encourage more civic education and community involvement among Quebec high school students.” Says Gabriel, “I guess I’m something of an idealist, but that’s the way to go sometimes.”

A few things Gabriel has done in his relentless effort to make the world a less miserable place: Spent time “promoting change through theatre in the Cree nations,” worked one summer in Senegal helping a local family escape the cycle of poverty and ventured to war-torn northern Uganda “to help orphans and other youth deal with the ravages of a 22-year-old war, HIV/AIDS and other similarly related things they face each day. So we decided to promote the arts over in this war zone, organizing music and dance competitions, basically using the arts to empower the youth in northern Uganda.”

Is it difficult convincing starving Ugandan kids who’ve witnessed their families being slaughtered that a production of, say, West Side Story is going to empower them more than picking up arms might? “I know it’s the last thing you’d expect them to want to do, but they’re so sick of war. All they want to do is vent, but through peaceful means. And they do this through music, dance and theatre. The response from the kids is overwhelming, it makes them feel empowered and they want more of it.”

Sometimes, when he’s reflecting on the world, does he ever start thinking that it doesn’t really matter how hard one tries to create a better universe, that things are fucked, have always been fucked and always will be fucked, and then start feeling silly and embarrassed for ever trying in the first place? “No, I don’t get discouraged because I’ve seen the potential, I’ve seen young people trying to change the world. If we get discouraged, what do we get? I’ll keep fighting until I see positive change.”

Something he may very well win soon: CBC’s Next Great Prime Minister contest. To vote for our boy or learn more about his Youth Fusion organization etc, go to gabrielbranlopez.com.

Musical preferences: Joni Mitchell, Yann Tiersen, Jose Feliciano.

Last book read: So Long a Letter, by Mariama Bâ.

Words of wisdom: “We all have the capacity to effect social change. We just have to go for it and believe that the universe will conspire in our favour.”

Comments: dimwit@hdot.net