My recent work with Nadus Films took me to Guatemala City, Guatemala to meet young people in the heart of the ghetto and help tell their stories. Here is the official trailer for BBoy for Life:
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In Guatemala’s Zone 5, young B Boys and B Girls are using their dance as a means of escape from the drugs and gangs that the area is known for. La Limonada is known as a “Red Zone,” the name given to the most dangerous neighborhoods in the area. Somewhere north of 60,000 people reside in this asentamiento, a place where police know they aren’t welcome and rival gangs rule the streets. When I tell you that this is a place that the police don’t frequent, I truly mean that I saw not a single police officer in the winding alleyways of the ghetto.
I recently was given the opportunity to travel to La Limonada to work as a pre production assistant for Nadus Films. I was charged with the task of helping build the story for their next documentary to possibly be filmed there. You can see footage from their previous scouting trip here. The purpose of my being there was to interview possible candidates for the film. I worked to connect the dots between the lives of these young men and tell their story in a way that best communicates their lives and passions. I was to help tell the story of young people trying to escape the cycles of poverty and violence that define their neighborhood.
I touched down mid-morning on Thursday, October 27. This was the after I had taken the GRE and my mind was elsewhere. My main point of contact was a woman named Ashley. She is free spirited twenty something from Ooltewah, TN. Ashley moved to Guatemala six years ago and has taken up residence in Zone 5. She works closely with the break dancers and other young men and women who are trying to get their lives on track. My other translater was Benjamin, a native Guatemalan who hails from the town of Xelajú. We drove straight from the airport to the Limonada, and my cultural experience began.
In less that one hour after touching down in Guatemala City, I was standing against a wall full of bullet holes next to a teenager who was sniffing glue in broad daylight. Despite my dire surroundings, and obvious lack of residency, I was welcomed with open arms. I attribute this mostly to Ashley and her relational personality. Most of the opportunities I had while I was there were fruit of her work in the community and I am forever grateful. The Guatemalan culture that I experienced was one of hospitality and, although I couldn’t speak the language, I never felt left out.
I spent most of my time interviewing dancers and seeking to understand the culture surrounding La Limonada. We would travel around to the different parts of the ghetto and the different zones in the city. The gap between the rich and poor in Guatemala City is mind-blowing. A 20 minute drive will take you from mansions in the hills to sheet metal shacks with no running water in the ravine. There is definitely an issue of social justice that needs to be addressed here; and I am glad to be a part of a team that is seeking to bring it to light.
Conner Forrest 