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The Lost Songs of Wanaragua: Gusunougati Castillo Quintet
Thu, 09/28/2023 - 12:00 | Videos

Eufemio "Heñu" Castillo and his family singing group in Gusunougati are some of the last people in Honduras who remember the lyrics to Wanaragua songs. They are retired now, but they sang for over 3 hrs straight on the day we filmed, without repeating any song twice. We had to stop recording once we lost the sunlight, but they could have continued for hours more. Unfortunately, although Gusunougati is considered one of the last outposts of traditional culture, Wanaragua hasn't been performed there in years.

Wanaragua is a dance performed by the Afro-Indigenous Garifuna people across the Caribbean Coast of Central America manifesting a history of resistance against colonizers. However, due to the lack of standardized Garifuna language education, the songs are now at risk of disappearing.

This series aims to record these songs and the people who sing them so the tradition lives on.

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