Character development

Initially we thought about filming three characters in different cultural contexts: a Lenca woman, a Chorti woman and a Garifuna woman. But when we found out about the real life of Betty Vázquez we realized that that there was a whole new documentary centered on the stories of the women who revolve around Betty’s life and the movement she leads. We therefore decided to film the production in Lenca territory and visibilise the struggles beyond those that circulate in public discourse, telling the stories of characters who have not featured in national or international spheres and who have not received any awards or public recognition for their defense of land. Characters who nevertheless organise everyday to resist against extractivist projects, confront patriarchy within their own families and communities, and build a better life.

The character who coordinates the other women is Betty Vásquez, a feminist, Lenca woman who has acted as defender of her land, leading the Movimiento Ambientalista Santabarbarense (MAS), or Environmentalist Movement of Santa Bárbara, since its establishment in 2011. She has fought especially against mining and hydroelectric power plants in Santa Bárbara. She has a strong discourse against extractivism in general and encourages different groups all over the country to value and practice cultural traditions compatible with the good life, and eating and drinking well. Betty loves how art and crafts can act in rebellion. She brings hats and baskets made by Lenca women to sell whenever and wherever she participates in an event, emphasising the need to have a sustainable organisation. Betty also represents the Network of Human Rights Defenders of Honduras and supports the work of several affiliated organizations.

Betty is also a mother and a friend. When she is not travelling around communities to conduct workshops, give talks or organise women, she enjoys cooking at home, taking care of her chickens and sowing her own produce. She is someone who finds the beauty of life in the smallest details, smiles almost all the time and spreads her joy to those around her. But she is also a woman who suffers from the memory of losing her father and owing to her mother’s illness, which causes her to remember less and less.

Waldina is another character in the documentary, although she would not identify as one herself. She is a defender of her land and a feminist in the community. She has organized women from her community to fight against a dam that threatens to disappear her town. She also has organized spaces with other women to talk about patriarchy and the good life.

Dunia identifies as feminist. Like Waldina, she has organised women from her community to occupy spaces of power, encouraging women to take on political positions in the community. Her home is often a place for meetings and workshops with women, something that has made some local men uncomfortable. In her speeches she talks about eating well as an act of resistance. She lives in the country sowing her own produce, although this life is not altogether sustainable for her. She has occasionally expressed a desire to migrate in order to cover the cost of education for her daughters and son.

Rosi is the youngest of the characters. She is single and lives in the mountains with her family. Even though she spends part of her time supporting the Environmental Movement of Santa Bárbara and the organisation’s initiatives, she also works the fields with her family. As a young woman she has been called out and frowned upon for liking tattoos. However, she is a person with great social commitment who does not mind walking for hours from home to reach the closest public transport stop to head to the city and attend workshops and meetings with other women. Aside from being a farmer, she makes handicrafts out of “tuza” (corn leaves) to sell.

Like the rest of the characters, Carmen is a leader who organises women in her community to engage in activities like making bread, tamales and embroidery to eventually sell or exchange for products as a way to make life in the countryside more sustainable. Carmen also likes to recycle, and her house is filled with details that she has made from with recycled materials. She grows her own crops and medicinal plants. She also keeps chickens but not for personal consumption because she is vegan, a decision she only took after learning about veganism at a workshop. She says she did not know what the term meant and why people always introduced her as a vegan woman. After talking and sharing with her in her house I have the feeling her disgust for animal meat and by-products stems from childhood memories of duties she would have to fulfill as a girl, including preparing food.