Mpaka

This beautifully integrated, multi-threaded narrative seamlessly interweaves six stories set in radically different locations across Central America, ranging from the tropical forests of Guatemala to the skyscrapers of Panama City. When a solar storm leaves the region without power, myriad dramas unfold over the course of five days during which all conveniences of modernity are stripped away. In Costa Rica, a pastor and his daughter worry for the future of their church, while in El Salvador, a grandmother and grandson make an arduous journey into the city. A husband and wife reconnect in Honduras, as a young couple nurses a mysterious stranger back to health in Guatemala. Meanwhile, in Nicaragua, a young woman prepares for her quinceañera and in Panama, a housekeeper grows exasperated with her demanding employer.

The night is dark and cold, I walk through the plantations, I look at the leaves and stems of the banana trees while memories of my grandfather come to my mind.

Chalk on felt, the sound of scissors, the creation of a friend

A lagoon in Cuba suddenly dries up. All that remains of this lost landscape is an old painting with faded contours. This is the starting point for Violeta Mora’s quest: how does one remember a landscape that is no longer there? She then interviews those who do remember it, in an attempt to make the lagoon reappear.

Perhaps the gap between the memory of the past and that of the future is where you can search and find better.