2023 Highlights from the Central American Diaspora
Every year, Central Americans write new books, release new films, publish new research, and share their creativity, knowledge, and experiences in infinite forms. Read about some of the happenings of 2023 coming from the Central America diaspora and celebrate these exciting community wins!
Erika Tenorio’s Debut Exhibit in Arizona
“A little piece of Nicaragua” was Erika Tenorio’s first official exhibition where they could showcase Nicaragua in relief print. She wrote, “There is always the political and social issues about Nicaragua and Central America overall, but to take a breather, I instead focused on the beauty and simplicity by creating works that were in the range of botany, folklore, Chorotega acknowledgement, and the miscellaneous enjoyments that make Nicaragua - well, Nicaragua!” The exhibit was on display at Groundworks in Tucson from January 14th to February 3rd.
Erika Tenorio is a Nicaraguan-Mexican Indigenous Tucsonian who recently graduated with a BFA in Illustration & Design and a BA in Latin American Studies and American Indian Studies at the University of Arizona. Erika’s art medium ranges from digital & traditional illustration, relief printmaking, acrylic painting, to ceramics. With their artworks and academic writings revolving around topics in Central American, Mexican, and Indigenous fields, Erika always aims to learn more in order to understand not only about themselves, and their backgrounds, but also what they can do to help give back to their communities.
Tamika Burgess Publishes Sincerely Sicily
After ten years of hard work, Tamika Burgess published her debut book, Sincerely Sicily. The book features 11-year-old Sicily, who learns to use her voice and take pride in her Black Panamanian heritage while confronting prejudice both in the classroom and at home.
Tamika Burgess is a storyteller with over a decade of novel and personal essay writing. Born to parents who migrated from Panamá, Tamika has always taken a particular interest in writing themes that explore her Black Latina identity and spreading knowledge of Black Panamanian culture. She is currently working on her second novel with HarperCollins, scheduled for Winter 2024.
Congratulations Tamika and thank you for sharing your work with us!
Giovanni Batz Publishes La Cuarta Invasión
Giovanni Batz published La Cuarta Invasión: Historias y resistencia del Pueblo Ixil, y su lucha contra la Hidroeléctrica Palo Viejo en Cotzal, Quiché, Guatemala; he has made the book freely available to the public here. The book examines the movement in Cotzal against the hydroelectric project Palo Viejo of the Italian company Enel Green Power on the San Francisco finca between 2008 and 2012. In this movement, the communities refer to the arrival of multinational corporations and megaprojects as “the new invasion” and the “fourth invasion” part of a genealogy of four prior invasions: firstly, Spanish invasion and colonization; secondly, the establishment of the finca economy between 1870 and 1930; and thirdly, the genocide perpetuated by the state during the armed conflict (1960-1996).
The prologue has been written by the Ixil Maya communities Giovanni worked with, and they celebrated the publication with an ancestral ceremony and an award to Giovanni for sharing their stories.
Congratulations to Giovanni and the Ixil Maya communities of Cotzal!
Joel Gaitan at the Rockefeller Center and Beyond
Joel Gaitan, a Hialeah-Nicaragüense artist, has his hand-sculpted ceramics and familial photos on display at Rockefeller Center until April 23, 2023!
While celebrating life, death, and the afterlife, Joel’s work studies the matters of self-identity, sexuality, and ancestral lineage. From forgotten tongues, to erased cultures, Joel immerses into traditional hand building clay techniques, keeping a sacred tradition from Nicaragua & Central America alive in a colonized world. In an article written by The Rockefeller Center, they shared: “I’ve learned a lot about Indigenous practices, art forms, and customs from word of mouth and conversations with my elders, who have kept traditions alive and passed down teachings.My work today is an offering and thanks to my family. It's a ‘thank you’ to the higher power and the ancestors who watch over me. It’s a love letter to Nicaragua.”
Additionally, their exhibit Domesticanx can currently be viewed at El Museo del Barrio in Harlem, NYC until March 26, 2023, as well as part of the Tropic of Cancer exhibition at Pace Gallery Palm Beach in Miami until March 12, 2023.
Congratulations Joel on all your success!
Toj and Tijax On Exhibit in San Francisco
Katherin Canton & Mariana Moscoso, also known as Toj + Tijax are currently exhibting Ritual of Mythmaking: Reclaim at Root Division in San Francisco until March 14. The exhibit is an invitation to participate in ceremony and will take viewers on a journey through time and space, exploring multiple Indigenous pasts, presents, and futures, resulting in a collective cycle of healing that embraces beauty, death, release, and abundance. The artworks featured and co-created with community members are one of the many ways Indigenous Past (Indigenous Traditions) and Future (Indigenous Futurism) are merged, highlighting the hybrid forms of existing Indigenous people, both locally in California and across the world; among them are Rusby Marisol Tum Xinico (Maya Kaqchikel), Tz’utu Kan (Maya Tz’utujil), Polaris Castillo (Nahua/Mexikah), and Alvaro Tzaj Yotz’s (Maya Tz’utujil). Ritual of Myth Making: Reclaim centers healing, creates expansiveness, and offers visions of the future for Indigenous peoples.
Congratulations Katherin and Mariana!
Alejandra Quiroz Releases Debut Film Searching…
Hondureña filmmaker, producer, host of Central American Voices Podcast, and active community member Alejandra Quiroz is releasing her debut film, Searching… Her film was produced as part of "Beyond Status", a series of short form films produced by The Center for Cultural Power, written and directed by migrant storytellers who, in their own artistic expression and method of storytelling, are aiming to construct new narratives about who they are as migrants in today’s political and personal contexts. It stars Salvadoran actress Graciela Maria Campos.
In “Searching…”, director Alejandra Quiroz offers us a slice-of-life breakdown of what memory can feel like for migrants. An emotive pang of nostalgia can turn into a flashback that brings the past into the present in a way that is both disruptive and comforting.
Alejandra shared, “Months ago I embarked in this journey on making a short film inspired by the experience that many immigrants have gone through. Being miles away from the place you grew up knowing as Home, searching for that sense of belonging, of wanting to be there even when you may not be able to. Searching… was written from my heart of an immigrant but made with the love and support of amazing people that made this whole film possible.”
You can RSVP to the virtual Showcase on March 23rd here.
The Annual International Garifuna Conference
The Garifuna American Heritage Foundation United (GAHFU) announced the International Garifuna Conference’s dates: March 9th to 11th, 2023. It will be hosted in collaboration with the University of the West Indies Open Campus and the theme is ‘From Reaction to Action: Challenges and Opportunities for Promoting Reparatory Justice for Indigenous Peoples in the Caribbean.’
Founded in 2005, the mission of GAHFU is to serve the Garifuna people through cultural education programs, outreach, advocacy, and social service programs.
Author Maria José Fitzgerald Debuts with Turtles of the Midnight Moon
Honduran author María José Fitzgerald will release her debut novel Turtles of the Midnight Moon on March 14th! The story follows twelve-year-old Barana lives in a coastal village in Honduras, where she spends every spare minute visiting the sea turtles that nest on the beach. Abby is feeling adrift in sixth grade, trying to figure out who she is and where she belongs after her best friend moved away from New Jersey. When Abby’s papi plans a work trip to Honduras, she is finally given the opportunity to see his homeland with Barana as her tour guide.
María José is a writer of children’s books. Her favorite stories usually include animals, friendships, family, and magic. She grew up snorkeling and hiking in her homeland of Honduras, where nature and culture nourished her soul.
If you have any other exciting highlights for the year, please drop it in the comments!
For 2024, we already have some exciting news to look forward to: stay on the lookout for forthcoming books from Ester Trujillo and Jessica Hoppe!