Film Review: ‘Revolutionary Medicine - A Story of the First Garifuna Hospital’
Film Review: ‘Revolutionary Medicine - A Story of the First Garifuna Hospital’
Written by Jim Sugiyama
Saturday, 13 September 2014 11:08
In an era in which 48 million Americans and half a million Canadians are living without health insurance, a time in which health has become a commodity, "Revolutionary Medicine-a story of the First Garifuna Hospital" is a fresh, tropical, breeze, pushing away the smog that most of us have come to accept as our realities.
Revolutionary Medicine, true to its title, is a provocative, 45-minute documentary by Beth Geglia, an independent, activist documentarian based in Washington D.C., and Jesse Freeston, a film maker based in Montreal, who had been a key member of the Real News Network.
Dr. Luther Harry Castillo, a Cuban-trained Garifuna doctor is our lively guide. He retraces the journey of the people of Ciriboya, a town in northeastern Honduras, to self-determination and empowerment, through the building of a community hospital. It is a heroic and inspiring struggle, told with intelligence, strength and humor, through the power of story, song and dance—and with an ever present historical context. The music of Aurelio Martinez and the Garifuna Soul Band provides the film's 'trilling wire.'
Honduras, the original 'Banana Republic' has struggled under the yoke of colonialism and imperialism for over five centuries. It holds the dubious distinction of being one the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, as well as having the highest murder rate in the world.
The average life expectancy amongst poor Hondurans, is 52 years, with deaths due to respiratory illnesses and otherwise treatable medical conditions. Access to health care for most Hondurans is a challenge. For marginalized, remote communities such as the Garifuna, it has been a distant dream.
More:
http://upsidedownworld.org/main/honduras-archives-46/5043-film-review-revolutionary-medicine-a-story-of-the-first-garifuna-hospital
