Beyond War, Migration and Violence: Workshop on Central American Literature and Art
On Saturday, March 19, 2022, Columbia University’s K-12 Outreach Program in the Institute of Latin American Studies held the second of three seminars on the topic Beyond War, Migration & Violence: Celebrating Central America’s Knowledge and Cultural Production. The workshop was facilitated by Jonathan Peraza Campos, educator and organizer and Migration Contributor with Central American News and focused on the cultural production by Central Americans through a literary and arts lens. The workshop built on the groundwork established by Yianella Blanco on March 12th’s (Re)Framing Our Historical and Present Understandings, which emphasized the history and social issues pertinent to Central American studies.
Participants were welcomed with a Jamboard with the question, “What ‘text’ changed your perspective about the world, your life, or another person?” Resources offered included, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, How the Word Is Passed, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Shea Wesley Martin’s Twitter, Souls of Black Folks and more.
The workshop continued with Peraza Campos highlighting different themes of literacy and their definitions to celebrate the way individuals read, write, and make meaning. Peraza Campos created a matching game where participants were called upon to match the different literacies and their definitions.
As the session progressed participants were introduced to forms of visual and emotional literacy through films. Peraza Campos shared a reflection by Human Rights Network on the film Voces Inocentes and recommended additional films such as Sobreviviendo Guazapa and El Lugar Más Pequeño/The Tiniest Place on war and its impact in the history of Central America.
As participants moved beyond war, Peraza Campos read a poem titled In Another Life by Janel Pineda. Participants were asked to envision what “In Another Life” would mean to them. Themes that surfaced were,
Everywhere there are children. Playing freely, clothed and clean. — Jo-Anne
If war had never been part of El Salvador, the world would know it for what the People of El Salvador know their country to be: beautiful, rich in history, culture, and natural resources. — Cinthya
There would be no hate or trauma caused by war. — Emily
Next, participants were introduced to the cultural intersections of Black & Indigenous peoples in Central America, first learning about the Garifunas (Afro-Indigenous Peoples from the Caribbean living within Central America) and also Mayan culture represented in Central America.
Peraza Campos shared the Teach Central America website and booklist. One participant shared: “ I wish I had known about these resources when my teen was a kid!”
The session closed with appreciation for Peraza Campos and a reminder about the third seminar in the series, Pedagogical and Curriculum Dreaming & Building held later in March. The series is designed to,
. . . move beyond reductive understandings of the region and instead uplift the emergence of Central American cultural and knowledge production. Rather than relying on historical narratives, research or popular culture about us, this workshop centers the work being produced by us and about us. By doing so, we hope to disrupt harmful narratives about Central America by centering the stories of radical resistance, resilience, solidarity, and power.