Youth
Saving the Old Buildings of Tegucigalpa
Young people need spaces where they can make their ideas come to life and demonstrate what Honduran art -- sculpture, painting, graffiti -- is all about.
By Alejandra Elvir
It is sad to see how so many beautiful antique buildings in Honduras' capital have been neglected and forgotten. Now, all that stands in many old areas of Tegucigalpa are decaying structures that serve as city dumpsters. The only reason these buildings have not been torn down is because of the legislation known as Decree No. 220-7, the “Cultural Heritage Protection Act”. One of the most important of the protected sites is the National Penitentiary, which was declared a national monument in November 2002.
The Vagina Monologues
If you take this small island of Roatán, women have nowhere to go. Even if they did tell the police or someone who could put the violence perpetuator behind bars, they will get out, find the women, and if they don’t up the ante in brutality, they will kill them.
By Cheyenne
For the past three years, there have been annual performances called the "Vagina Monologues" on Roatán. The show consists of women worldwide telling stories, or monologues, about different situations they may go through, such as puberty, relationships, sex, and abuse. I saw the first show in 2008 and was eager to take part in the next year. My stories were always fun to perform, even though I was younger than the dozen women that participated. Each rehearsal, I’d listen to everyone’s monologues. One in particular was written by a Honduran college student from Roatán, but performed by another woman. She described the sexual assault on her by a close relative. I’d always cringe when she detailed the blood dripping down her thigh. My story, on the other hand, dealt with a girl who had forcibly gotten a nose job, how it changed her life. The whole Monologue experience was powerful, and made me wonder what I could do to help with battered women.
Halloween: Much Ado About Nothing
... if the people of Honduras are gullible enough to be the victims of con artists during a holiday celebration, then they have bigger problems to worry about.
By Kaela
Do you think there is a day where the wall between the spirit world and the material world dissipates? I didn’t think so before I moved to Roatán, I thought Halloween was just a fun celebration. However, there are a few reasons that might explain why Halloween is considered an evil, taboo holiday to some. Because of this belief, the Honduran government has taken extreme measures to ban witchcraft and Halloween celebrations which have created controversy. While living in Roatán, I have encountered various opinions about Halloween as a holiday. (10/30/10)
In Service of the Greater Good
Life is not about us and what we want, but about others and what they need.
By Adriana Bendaña
While I sit here, typing, resting, reading, and trying to be a technically normal teenager wondering what to write, I have realized life is not about being normal and selfish in what I do. While many people are out drinking in bars, or watching a football or soccer game, many others are yearning for a bite of clean bread and a cup of warm coffee. As a fifteen-year old, my heart aches when I see how many kids in my country have little to wear, practically nothing to eat, and most likely not a safe place to sleep. How I wish I had more opportunities to serve. I wish I could go to the streets and give everything I have to those who live in misery. But how? (9/19/10)
