CULTURAL

Monday, March 29, 1999 Online Edition 151

English version coming soon...

Encyclopedia about Honduras now available in CD

TEGUCIGALPA -- The idea was born seven years ago, but the wait was worthwhile. Today, thanks to the vision and the effort of a group of multidisciplinary talents, Honduras can be revealed to the world in an integral way in the shape of a CD-ROM. It is called "Enciclopedia Multimedia Honduras Nuestro País" and it is undoubtedly the most complete electronic source of information that has ever existed about this country.

The product was launched last week in Tegucigalpa by Siga Computación, a Honduran computer company. With a total of 580 megabytes in memory, the CD's eight chapter content is a delightful display of text, video, audio, images and 3-d animations that provide users with the necessary elements to become an expert in Honduran matters, from early pre-colonial times to the present post-Mitch reconstruction era.

Alejandro Corpeñón, the company's multimedia production manager, told HTW that the main topics included in the CD are Nuestra Gente (Our People), Honduras y el Mundo (Honduras and the world), Símbolos Nacionales (National Symbols), Flora y Fauna, Economía y Finanzas (Economy and Finances), Turismo (Tourism), Organización Institucional (Institutional Organization) and Evolución Hístorica (Historical Evolution).

Each chapter is also divided in several sub-chapters. For example, in the "Nuestra Gente" chapter you will find specific data on indigenous cultures, national heroes, art, geography and social movements. The chapter on symbols includes the music of the National Anthem played by the National Symphonic Orchestra and another version sung by Moisés Canelo. Meanwhile, in "Institutional Organizations" you can see a short black and white video of ex-President Tiburcio Carías Andino. The Historical Evolution chapter contains a special story on Hurricane Mitch and other natural disasters.

The enciclopedia's team work involved recognized Honduran intellectuals such as Leticia de Oyuela, Marcos Carías Zapata and Ramón Oqueli. Photographs by Max Hernández, Edmundo Lobo and Juan Bendeck, among others, can also be seen, and there is an entire bibliography of Honduran publications.

"In order to read and see the entire encyclopedia, a person would have to dedicate five hours a day for three months," said Corpeñón.

In fact, the idea emerged in the mind of Leonardo Beneditt, the company's owner. As early as 1992, he had thought of creating a giant database about Honduras, but today's technology allowed the preparation of something much more complete and attractive. A note written in behalf of the authors on the CD's illustrative guide says that "Nuestro País" shows "the color, life and hopes of Hondurans as it was conceived under a perspective of strengthening national identity and stimulating the recognition of the richness of our country and traditions."

The price of the CD is $50, and according to José Montoya, Siga Computación's Multimedia Director, it's cheap. "Anywhere else a multimedia encyclopedia is sold for 80 to 90 dollars," he said, adding that the company has invested more than $750,000 in producing the first 50,000 units.

The encyclopedia can be run in Microsoft Windows 95, 98 and NT. Outside the country, you can buy the CD-ROM through Internet at Amazon.com or Kole.com. For more information, call (504) 236-9470, (fax (504) 236-9471) or go to the web page <http://www.hondudata.com.enciclopedia>.

Montoya said that they are currently working on the encyclopedia`s English version, which is supposed to come out in about six months.

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FAMILIES ANONYMOUS -- Families Anonymous (FA) meetings are held every Tuesday evening at the Union Church at 7:30 p.m. Call Eileen for more information at 239-9779 or 239-9778.

AL-ANON FAMILY GROUPS -- Al-Anon helps the relatives and friends of problem drinkers. Groups met weekly in Colonia Alameda (Saturday afternoons) and Colonia Loarque (Sunday evenings). For more information, contact Amanda at 239-2698 (Spanish) or Margaret at 226-6576 (English).

WEIGHT WATCHERS -- Weight Watchers, an international weight loss program with over 40 years of experience in helping people maintain a healthier lifestyle is offering classes in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. To join or for more information, contact Juan Cueva Membreno at 239-0161.

ENGLISH SPEAKING WOMEN'S CLUB -- APRIL 15 -- The ESWC invites all English-speaking women to attend its teas held the second Thursday of each month at 2:30 p.m. at the Restaurante La Hacienda on Blvd. Morazan. In April, the meeting will be held on Thursday, April 15, and the guest speaker is Dr. Ricardo Agurcia, who will give a lecture on the Copan Ruins. For more information, call Sara at 211-8369.

BALLET CLASSES -- The regional office of the Ministry of Culture and the Hermanas Mondragon Ballet School of San Pedro Sula are offering classes in classical ballet, modern dance, modeling and guitar. More information can be obtained at the cultural offices located in the La Gran Villa Building, 4th floor, #403, Central Park square in San Pedro Sula, or call 550-6956.

CHILDREN'S THEATER CLASSES -- MARCH -- The National Theater School will open the Children's School of Theater for children ages 5 to 18. For more information, call 222-5487.

NATIONAL PUBLIC LIBRARY CLOSED -- The National Public Library has moved to the old Tipografia Building on Avenida Cervantes, two blocks from the Central Park Cathedral. The Library is closed until further notice due to installation activities. The new facilities will feature a modern interior including an audio-visual department, a children's room and Internet connections with 12 other Honduran public libraries.

CHILDREN'S LIBRARY -- The Centro Cultural Infantil of San Pedro Sula currently has a program titled "The Reading Corner" offering young people a chance to read and listen to stories in a comfortable environment. The library of this center holds a "Story Hour" daily and has a study area where students may do research. For more information about CCI services, call 557-8639.

MUSEUMS AND GARDENS

TEGUCIGALPA

MUSEO DE HISTORIA REPUBLICANA

The Museum of Republican History is located at the Villa Roy building in Tegucigalpa's Barrio Buenos Aries. It is open 8:30 to 3:30, Tuesdays through Sundays and features portraits, paraphernalia, and other interesting items from past presidents. Admission is Lps. 20 for non-resident foreigners and Lps. 10 for Hondurans and Central Americans. For more information, call 222-3470 or 222-1468.

CENTRAL BANK MUSEUM

The Central Bank of Honduras located at the Comayaguela annex building is open from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday. It has a permanent coin and painting exhibit. For special presentations, call the Emision y Tesoreria department at 237-2270 (-78), ext. 2117 (-2120). [CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.]

NATIONAL ART GALLERY

The Galeria Nacional de Arte features rock art, pre-Columbian ceramics, colonial paintings, religious art and a wide selection of 20th century Honduran painters. The gallery is located at the Plaza de la Merced in downtown Tegucigalpa. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10-5 p.m. and Sunday from 10-2 p.m. Admission is Lps. 10 for adults, Lps. 5 for senior citizens, Lps. 3 for students and Lps. 1 for children accompanied by adults.

IGUANA FARM

The Biosfera Ecocentro Iguana Farm in Colonia La Joya invites the public to come and learn everything about iguanas. Admission is Lps. 5 for adults, Lps. 3 for children. The facility is open every day (except Wednesday) from 9 to 5. For more information, call 230-6346.

COMAYAGUA, COMAYAGUA

COMAYAGUA COLONIAL MUSEUM

Located in the city of Comayagua, 2 hours north from Tegucigalpa, the Comayagua Colonial Museum is in the building that served as home to the government in the 19th century. It contains objects used by indigenous cultures and the Spanish during the pre-Colombian and Colonial eras.

COMAYAGUA RELIGIOUS MUSEUM

Located in the Casa Cural in front of Comayagua's cathedral, this museum features religious paintings and objects dating back to the 16th century. Hours are 8-12 and 2-4 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. For more information, contact Leonardo Letona at 772-0348.

LA PAZ, LA PAZ

LA PAZ HOUSE OF CULTURE

The La Paz Casa de la Cultura is located in downtown La Paz. It features an attractive exhibit of the Lenca handicrafts and culture. It is open Mondays through Sundays.

SAN PEDRO SULA, CORTES

SPS MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY AND HISTORY

The Museo de Antropología e Historia de San Pedro Sula features exhibits on the development of Sula Valley, from 1500 B.C. to the middle of this century. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays. Admission is Lps. 10 for adults, Lps. 5 for students and children under 12, and Lps. 2 for senior citizens. For more information, call 557-1496/557-1798 or fax 557-1874.

MUSEUM OF NATURE OF SAN PEDRO SULA

Sponsored and managed by the Fundacion Ecologista H.R. Pastor Fasquelle, this new museum was inaugurated last December in its current location at the Biocentro on 3 Avenida and 9 Calle Noroeste. It has 24 exhibits on the environment, natural resources and biology of Honduras. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and 8 a.m. until noon on Saturdays. Admission is Lps 5 for students from public schools and Lps. 10.00 for everyone else.

YUSCARAN, EL PARAISO

YUSCARAN HOUSE OF CULTURE

Yuscaran's Casa de la Cultura is located at the former Casa Fortin in downtown Yuscaran, El Paraiso department, just 45 km from Tegucigalpa on the road to Danli. It is open Mondays through Saturdays.

OLANCHO

PECH CULTURAL CENTER

The Pech have built a small house in El Carbon, Olancho to display their modern handicrafts. An exhibit of archaeological finds in the area is planned. You can ask to see the collection and/or get a tour of a Post Classic era fortified site. The Pech Cultural Center also offers medicinal plant tours, nature hikes, Pech dinners, etc. There is no admission fee to the cultural center. Hours: If you ask, they will open it.

COPAN

COPAN ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUM

Located in the village of Copan Ruinas, Copan department, the museum exhibits a splendid assortment of Mayan pieces that have been found in the Copan Ruins Archaeological Park just 1 km away.

LA PUENTE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM

Featuring a sizeable collection of Mayan handicrafts and photographs as well as a room with Japanese antique ceramics, this museum is located at the El Puente Archaeological Site, about an hour's drive from Copán Ruinas.

MAYAN SEPULTURAS MUSEUM

Inaugurated in 1996, this is the premier Mayan museum in the Mundo Maya, featuring the finest examples of Copán's tombs, sculptures and architecture. Located at the Copán Ruins Archaeological Park, the museum is open Monday through Sunday.

TELA, ATLANTIDA

LANCETILLA BOTANICAL GARDENS

Located 2 kilometers from Tela on the Atlantic coast highway, the gardens feature one of the largest collections of tropical and subtropical plants, shrubs and trees in all Latin America. It is open from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Mondays through Sundays. There is an admission charge.

GARIFUNA MUSEUM

This Garifuna-run museum in Tela, Atlantida has an almost

complete collection of the different handicrafts made by the Garifunas. If you ask, they have a written guide in English available. The museum also houses the Garifuna handicraft shop and part of the Tela Artist Association's Art Gallery. The rest of the Gallery and the Garifuna restaurant have moved to the Garifuna Plaza on the beach next to the Bahia Azul Hotel. Tours of the Garifuna Museum to home/studios of Garifuna artists, medicinal plant tours, dance presentations, and tours/overnight stays in local Garifuna villages can be arranged at either the Museum or Garifuna Plaza. The museum is open 9 to 5 while Garifuna Plaza is open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is Lps. 5. The museum is located next to the river, one block up from the bridge that goes to Telamar and the local churches.

LA CEIBA, ATLANTIDA

BUTTERFLY AND INSECT MUSEUM

Thousands of butterflies and insects from Honduras and 18 other countries are on display in La Ceiba' private Butterfly and Insect Museum. It is located in Colonia El Sauce, 2nd etapa, casa G-12. Visiting hours are 8-12 and 2-5, Monday through Saturday. The museum is closed Wednesday afternoon. Fees are Lps. 15 for adults and Lps. 10 for students. Tel. 442-2874, e-mail: rlehman@ns.gbm.hn

TRUJILLO

TRUJILLO RUFINO GALAN MUSEUM

A private museum which has a memorabilia section, old chairs, anchors, silverware, beds of famous people locally. There is an industrial archaeology section on how lights, axes, stoves, sewing machines, typewriters have changed over time. They have a good collection of Garífuna handicrafts and the best collection

of NE Honduras archaeological pieces -- all unmarked. A written guide to the museum is available at the Trujillo Tourism Office in English and Spanish. The museum is open 8 to 4, closing for lunch. Adults Lps. 20, children Lps. 10. Located on Calle 18 de Mayo, next to the Crystales River and the famous "piscina" or pool, about a 15-minute walk out of town.

ROATAN, THE BAY ISLANDS

CARAMBOLA BOTANICAL GARDENS

The private Carambola Botanical Gardens and Nature Trails is located in Sandy Bay, Roatan, Bay Islands. A wide variety of exotic plants is featured here, including "Roatan's most extensive orchid collection." It is open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 445-1117 and ask for Bill or Irma Brady.

BAY ISLANDS MUSEUM

A private museum at Anthony's Key Resort, Sandy Bay, Roatan, Bay Islands, it mostly includes archaeological pieces, but there is a

small section on the modern Bay Islanders. Museum admission is included in the cost of the dolphin show at Anthony Key's Institute of Marine Sciences. Small buses or taxis will take you to Sandy Bay from most Roatán towns.

The Maya Calendar is a public service for our readers. If you would like to announce an event taking place in Honduras, please send the information to: Calendar Editor, Honduras This Week, Fax 232-2300, e-mail: hontweek@hondutel.hn

Monday, March 22, 1999 Online Edition 150

When a friend of mine came to Honduras, her husband took her to the beach at Puerto Cortes. After a while, she remarked to her husband, "I did not realize Benny was such a popular name in Honduras." Her husband just looked at her.

"No, listen." And a few minutes later another mother called, "Veni, veni." Her husband, a Honduran, laughed. "Veni" (accent on the i) is the "vos" form of "come here." The children were not Benny, but rather their mothers were calling them, "Come here. Come here." This was her introduction to Honduran Spanish and one of its most distinctive features, vos.

In many Latin American countries, when people do not know some one well, they use "usted" for the word "you." And for someone they know well they use "tu." In Honduras, tu is almost never used. For people you know well -- children, brothers and sisters, classmates, your maid -- the vos form is used as in the phrase, "Venite, vos." (Come here, you.)

Opinions about the use of vos vary. Some people feel that is "pesado," that sounds impolite. Some Honduran writers like Eduardo Bahr use vos on purpose, to give their writing a Honduran flavor. Spanish linguist Atanasio Herranz points out that although the conflict of whether the use of vos sounds bad is already over a century old in Honduras, and vos is not bad in Spanish. It is an older form of Spanish that never changed in Central America, Argentina and several other parts of Latin America.

Who vos is used with varies by region. Some southern Hondurans, as in much of Nicaragua, use vos almost immediately. There is even a joke about someone asking former Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza, "¿Y vos? ¿Quien sos vos?" In Honduras, if you do not know the person, you should use the usted form. Crying out, "Alo, vos." (Hello, you) to people you barely know, especially in formal meetings, can offend some people.

The use of vos is a hot topic of debate in the Spanish as a Second Language program being implemented among Honduran minorities. Miskito children, in particular, if they know any Spanish at all, they only know the vos form, since this is how adults speak to children and children speak to each other. Yet many teachers are against teaching the vos form, saying it is pesado, or sounds rude.

The situation is similar or worse among foreigners learning Spanish in Honduran language schools and living with Honduran families. At home, the families use the vos form, as in "Abri la puerta." (Open the door). When students ask their teachers about this, the teachers say, "Oh, that is bad grammar." It is not bad grammar, it is just the command of the vos form of the verb abrir.

Because the accent is on the ending, this makes Honduran verbs sometimes harder to recognize for foreigners. The verb querer, to want, is conjugated yo quiero, tu quieres, but vos querés. The same happens with tener (to have), vos tenés, and so on.

When vos is used with commands of reflexive verbs, the pronoun "te" is used, as in parate vos (Stop), sentate (sit down), dormite (go to bed). The possessive adjective used with vos is "tu" as in "tomate tu medicina." The vos form can be used with the subjunctive, as in the sentence "Quieras o no, tenes que ir." Whether you want to not, you have to go. In the past, the an "s" is added to the second person conjugation in the vos form. "Aha, ya regresastes." (Aha, you've come back, says the wife to her drunk and very late husband.)

Some North Coast speakers know they should use usted for respect. This leads to the unusual form of "Vos usted" as in the "Vos usted, profesora ¿queres comer a las 7?" which translate as "You (informal) (formal), teacher, do you want to eat at 7?" This happens, because the use of vos and how it is different from usted is not taught in schools. Thus, ethnic minorities often do not use them correctly.

Miskito Indian maids are becoming more common in Tegucigalpa, but their bosses get upset when they address them as "Vos profesora" or "Vos licenciada." If your relationship with another person is so formal that you use their title, they you must used the usted form. Do not use the Miskito maids as your role models for good Spanish.

Many North Coast speakers know that vos sounds bad. Unfortunately they do not know the tu form of the verb. One TV preacher in the Bay Islands was saying, "Grande sos tu, Senor" (Oh, Lord, you are great). However, the subject is tu, and the verb is in the vos form. The correct forms would be "Grande eres tu, Senor", or "Grande sos vos, Senor."

In Honduras, it has been traditional that when people speak to God they use the vos form, while when God speaks to them, he uses the vosotros form, which is the plural form of you. Church is now almost the only place where the vosotros form is heard. In everyday conversation, ustedes is used for the plural of you, for example, "Venganse, niños" (Come here children).

Quite a few foreigners in Honduras end up with Honduran girlfriends or boyfriends. If vos is used with close friends, should you use it with girlfriends or boyfriends? A Honduran linguist says it depends on the social class of your friend. Lower class Hondurans tend to use vos with their mates to show closeness (and to scold), while middle-class urban Hondurans tend to use usted to show respect for their mates. Generally, if you use usted, you are on safe ground, but be warned that some people, particularly small children, may only understand and use the vos form.

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Monday, March 8, 1999 Online Edition 148

Modernization in the markets of Comayaguela
Market vendors battle fire, flooding and politicians

Tractors remove debris from the burned out Colón market following one of the worst fires in Comayaguela's market area this century. The fire, which began the evening of March 11, 1996, destroyed most of the Colon, Isidro and Alvarez markets causing losses in excess of US$19 million. (Photo by Eric Schwimmer.)

By MARK D. MORRIS

(Last of three parts)

In 1967, under the administration of Gen. Oswaldo Lopez Arellano, the adobe walls of San Isidro were knocked down and a new market of cement block was built. On Aug. 26, 1971, this market burnt in a fire "whose origins remain in mystery," writes Raul Lanza Valeriano in 1976. While a new market was being built, some vendors set up makeshift puestos in the Parque Colon, situated between San Isidro and La Iglesia de la Immaculada Concepcion.

In the chaos after the fire, some improvisation was expected, and no one faulted the vendors for salvaging their livelihood. It was custom, also, during the temporada de Navidad, for Colon to be full of vendors. After the Christmas season and after a new San Isidro of two stories with a nursery and dining area went into service, however, some vendors stayed and began to fight to keep Colon as a market.

The fight for Colon reflected a new era of modernity in Comayaguela and Tegucigalpa. During the successful years of San Isidro from the 1920s to 1950s, the market and modernity had walked in step. When gente de afuera came to the market to build a new life in the city, they embarked upon the mainstream of modernity. By 1971, the situation had changed. Beginning in the 1950s, rural migrations to Comayaguela had risen exponentially, inaugurating the era of urban invasions. Modernity, too, had changed. Man had walked on the moon. And, the United States now led the march toward civilization under the banner of "development vs. communism."

Like the era in which "El Progreso" was founded, in the M.D.C. there was now a serious rift in the vision of progress between the popular classes and the elite. The gente de afuera and their sons and daughters who waged a daily struggle in the market to rise above poverty, now struggled also against a new vision of modernity that defined markets such as they had as backward and primitive.

The earlier era of modernity had succeeded, though, in effacing overtly the indio from politics. In 1888, Comayaguela made its fight against Tegucigalpa 60 years out of the status as a "pueblo de indios." Onward from the Constitution of Cadiz, the Comayaguelas had overcome, step by step, their colonial status as indios. During the dispute over El Progreso, these ethnic politics were repressed. By 1960, that ethnic polarization was not even possible and in its stead has stood the language of social class; indeed so much so that in 1997 with the arrival of 3,000 indigenas from western Honduras to the M.D.C. seeking justice for recent murders, El Tribunito says:

Not as a people of distinct customs, but as a class of pobres, the market vendors waged their fight for Colon against the M.D.C. At 25 years of age, Solomon Quiros became one of the leaders of that fight. Like many others, his parents came to the M.D.C. from afuera for economic reasons. And, like most rural people, they had little education and no technical training; they came, then, to the market to make their living, selling first vegetables, then salt, then shoes.

After San Isidro burned, and the vendors decided to stay in the Parque Colon, Solomon and others began a battle with city officials and the police that dragged on for years. For the elite of the city, the takeover of the beautiful Colon by market vendors was an outrage. As much as the first San Isidro, the park with its shady beech trees and tall statue of Cristobal Colon was a bearer of civilization, and its appropriation by the poor showed barbarism rearing its ugly head. The police harassed, the city passed measures, but the vendors stayed.

Faculty at the National University joined the fray and waged a campaign through the courts for the new market. With their help, title was won and Colon officially became appended to San Isidro in the administration of markets. And, with the triumph of the pobres, Cristobal Colon was taken to a safer place at the outskirts of the city.

The battle for Colon was over the right of people selling in the market to make a better future for their children. Never an ideal occupation, in this era selling in the market became more strongly tied to a modest or marginal level of living. Opportunities were scarce, and the streets were full of people from the surrounding countryside selling cigarettes, gum, fruit, competing to find a spot on the street or maybe a place in the market.

As in the past, the Comayaguelas were fighting for the right to participate in the progress heralded by the elites, but now that was a choice between left and right politics in a nuclear world of even greater utopias and dangers. They would become modern as poor people moving forward toward a better tomorrow along a thin line between acceptable social progress and subversion.

Arcely Giron came to Colon as Solomon and other leaders made plans to take over the park. When she began selling in 1960, all she could find was a spot on the furthest street from the center. Later, she moved to the market Las Americas located at the mouth of the Puente Carias. Las Americas was expensive, however, and when the opportunity to locate in Colon came, she jumped at it. She jumped at that opportunity because she wanted opportunity for her children. She raised her 10 children in the market, and paid for their schooling with her earnings. She raised them to reach above her station in society, and all but her youngest have become professionals.

During the night of March 11, 1996 fire completely destroyed over 1600 stalls in San Isidro and Colon. It was the worst fire seen by the nation in 30 years. It raged all night, and all through the night firemen, police, vendors and looters swarmed through the area. The loss was immense. Twenty people live from each puesto, Arcely Giron estimates, and most were left with nothing. (coninues in right column)

(Continued from left column)

OLD SCARS

The fire brought to the surface once again the old scars over Colon; no one had forgotten the fight. Eight years after the invasion, a 1980 city report on the ambulant vendors in Tegucigalpa's Calle Peatonal spoke of the need to prevent another Colon, and some city leaders quickly point out that Colon was illegally occupied. Likewise in June of 1996, people in the market were speaking of arson by land developers and vowing bloodshed if the city tried to relocate them, while city officials, armed with plans from modern Monterrey, Mexico, made moves to build a new market in Loarque. Colon is a fight of 20 years. "It's a fight of our youth," Maria Zara says.

Despite the tensions that the fire sparked, the city's new design went up in the traditional home of San Isidro and Colon. And, it was a step toward Solomon's dream to see Comayaguela's market one day be, "un lugar bonito," a place where tourists could pass to enjoy all the things unique to Comayaguela's market.

In the wake of destruction left by Hurricane Mitch, los Comayaguelas have again set their backs to rebuilding their livelihoods, their city, their nation with their singular unbreakable determination.

As this immense, collective effort to recover from the crisis continues, the question of the markets has again come to the fore. On Nov. 23, vice-minister of Health, Jose Manuel Matheus, submitted a report that advocated the construction of new facilities outside of the city; thus, finding in natural disaster once again a good opportunity to impose the elite vision for the city, a vision which revindicates Colon by claiming Comayaguela's center for today's modernity.

However, that elusive dream will be as far away from Honduras tomorrow as it is today, because today's modernity, like yesterday's, is a game that Hondurans are not supposed to win. In this crisis, the Honduran elite faces a decision: will it throw its luck with the masses of Honduras and trust them to bring the country into a better future, or will it continue to sell its people and resources to the highest bidder in a restless and desperate quest for a new El Dorado?

For the best possible time in the Bay Islands, try an adventurous
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Monday, March 1, 1999 Online Edition 147

Anita, la cazadora de insectos
New locally-produced film to hunt up Honduran audience

Fourteen-year-old actress Marcela Flores rehearses a scene in the first full-length motion picture produced in Honduras by Hondurans. The film, titled "Anita, la Cazadora de Insectos," is currently being shot in Tegucigalpa and production is scheduled to conclude in May. (Photo by Ketzi Chacón Zylstra.)

By KETZI CHACON ZYLSTRA

At a modest residence in Tegucigalpa's Colonia Tres Caminos, the shooting of a new film is currently underway. Inside, around 15 young and enthusiastic film artists are organizing the production of one of the last scenes of the film "Anita, the insect hunter." In the midst of a relaxed ambiance of jokes and laughing, this group has been working hard to put together the scenario and the thousands of other details involved in this 90-minute film production.

Despite their tight schedule, Marisela Bustillo, the film's executive producer and the executive director of Praxis Video; and Hispano Duron, the film's director, took time to talk to HTW about the movie and its upcoming release this year.

HTW: Where did the idea of making this film come from?

BUSTILLO: "Well, we belong to a group that has been producing videos for different purposes. About three years ago, we hit upon the idea of taking a new challenge and trying to create something that would move us forward toward something that could enrich our present culture. We need to make movies in Honduras, to develop the talents of many young creators that even when they are prepared to make a movie, they don't have that opportunity. I think that a film can get to be like someone from your family, someone that is able to remind you of who you are. That's why this kind of creation in Honduras is so important, because there doesn't yet exist a visual memory of our own lives, that there are very few movies that reflect Honduran culture and the way we are."

HTW: How do you finance a movie in Honduras?

BUSTILLO: "To tell the truth, it's a very difficult thing, almost impossible because there is no film culture in Honduras. No infrastructure whatsoever. So after choosing the story we wanted to produce in 1993, we decided to create a specific project. It wasn't until 1996 that the final project was ready and from there we began to look for possible sponsors who might be interested in supporting this undertaking. We sent the project to so many different private institutions, banks, ministries of culture and education, as well as to international organizations, that finally, in 1997, thanks to the agency HIVOS of the Dutch Cooperation, the French Embassy, the Centro de Recursos de Aprendizaje of the UNAH and our own budget, we finally gathered approximately $40,000 for the film."

HTW: What is the film about?

BUSTILLO: "Anita, the insect hunter" is a story written in the 1970s by contemporary Honduran writer Roberto Castillo. It's a family drama that relates the story of a 15-year-old girl and all the problems that she confronts at this age. However, Anita is a different, sensible being and the lack of communication and comprehension from her family drives her to the very edge of madness. This is an story that was selected because when the group read it, we realized how good it could work for a movie."

HTW: In which way does this film reflect the Honduran society?

DURON: "We have a very conscious intention to produce a movie that was based on a Honduran story, with Honduran characters. This way we reflect a part of the Honduran culture. We try to follow this goal in every detail that goes implicit in the movie. We want all elements, such as image, sound, the actor's performance, the type of dialogues and the scenarios to reflect Honduran culture in such a way that when viewers see the movie, they will hopefully identify with it. In the end, what we really see as different or innovative about our production is that the actors speak like Hondurans, not like Mexicans or South Americans or whatever. That they speak the way we do here. This could be our contribution."

HTW: What difficulties have you had during the shooting process?

DURON: "The shooting schedule has been very tight and we have been working very intensely from the beginning because time is an important factor when you have such a small budget. In Honduras, there are many cinematography projects that never see a conclusion due to these matters. Moreover, finding the equipment, transportation, as well as working with all the actors, some of whom have not had any previous professional experience, have made the work even more difficult. However, we do possess a strong technical team, valuable people with very good academic education. We have some actors with a certain level of experience, which is something that gives the project professionalism. However, having said those two things, I still feel Honduras is a very hostile medium for artistic creation."

HTW: Is this film trying to teach something to the audience?

DURON: "The story has basically one message, and that is to show the audience how important it is to have good communication among family members, the necessity for tolerance, and understanding the differences that may exist among the members in every family. These are the elements that create strong unity and integrity, and these qualities are precisely the things that Anita's parents lack, or didn't think were important, even necessary for their daughter. Hopefully, the public will be able to see this as well as other messages perhaps not so implicit, but still existent within the film. It will also be a good thing if they attend this film without prejudices. I have been to Honduran film presentations before and I've heard people say: 'Is that a Honduran film? Will it be any good?' We would like to break this prejudice, although the audience will nevertheless have the last word."

Production of "Anita, the Insect Hunter" is scheduled to conclude by May of this year. The film will first play on the big screen, and later become available in video. Part of the distribution in video will involve showings in junior high school classrooms. The movie will be the first feature film for the director, Hispano Novo, 33 years old, as well as the acting debut of Maricela Flores, the 14-year old who is playing the leading role.

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