The Garifuna community of Vallecito Faya, Honduras marked a significant milestone as a transformative film workshop concluded, led by renowned Vincentian filmmaker Akley Olton.
In a world where cinema is often enjoyed for its fictional or comedic narratives, the workshop emphasised cinema’s role as a mechanism for reporting and preserving the stories of real people.
Olton, an artist deeply connected to the ancestral homeland of the Garifuna in Yurumein, expressed the profound impact of the workshop on Facebook, sharing captivating photographs of the community’s journey.
“I just finished an incredible film workshop in Vallecito, Honduras, and my heart is full,” Olton said.
“Being able to facilitate this experience means a lot to me, especially considering my roots in Yurumein, the ancestral homeland of the Garifuna nation.”
The film workshop, organised in collaboration with the Honduran Institute of Cinematography and at the invitation of William Reyes Opida, aimed to empower the Garifuna community with the skills and tools needed to tell their own stories through the medium of documentary film.
Olton, who views cinema as a bridge between cultures, said:
“It feels as if the cinema were a bridge, bringing together two peoples to share the dream of a united nation.”
The workshop not only served as a platform for creative expression but also as an avenue for cultural preservation, ensuring that the unique narrative of the Garifuna people is told authentically and resonates globally.
Brilliant!!
On the right trajectory my brother…..be guided and be blessed as the journey continues…