(ANS - San Pedro Carchá) - "Men of Maize" is the title of a novel by Guatemalan writer Miguel Angel Asturias, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. It is also the name of a recent documentary produced by Eurofilm for Missioni Don Bosco. "Angels of the Rubbish Dump” is the term used by Fr Vittorio Castagna, a Salesian missionary in Guatemala, to refer to the Q'eqchi children who live among the filth in the open landfill in San Pedro Carchá.

Between the men of maize and the angels of the rubbish dump the common denominator is the Salesian commitment to the protection and promotion of the culture of the Q'eqchi people living in Upper Verapaz.

The documentary is the brainchild of anthropologist Elizabeth Gatto of Missioni Don Bosco and was shot by Eurofilm during a mission trip to Guatemala in January 2015.

This year when the Universal Exhibition in Milan reminds the world of the close relationship between food, culture and sustainability, the documentary focuses on the link between the indigenous population and maize. For the Q'eqchi, maize is not only the basic element of their daily diet, but a cultural element and part of their basic identity: mothers wean infants with dough made from maize and when a promise of marriage is agreed, a Mass is celebrated or the new home is blessed and this always includes an offering of maize.

Fr Vittorio Castagna is a Salesian missionary who was part of the 141st Salesian Missionary Expedition. He has been working on behalf of the Q'eqchi people for five years. On 24 September Fr Castagna returned to Turin in Italy and spoke about his work with the local population. He described in particular the project started on behalf of the families living on the edge of the landfill of San Pedro Carchá, scavenging for a few cans or other items for sale at a very low price.

Many children and teenagers are involved in this work. They dig through the rubbish to help their parents to earn enough to provide a meal end of the day, and the other necessities which parents cannot afford. They all live in poor hygienic conditions, deprived of education and of any primary resource. They lack even the most basic health services, and are left to fend for themselves.

The municipality of San Pedro Carchá wants to intervene by moving the landfill to a different location, but also, in cooperation with the Salesians, to help the young people through education, moving them away from this place and providing them with food and educational materials.

Details of the campaign can be found on the website of Missioni Don Bosco, and the documentary "Men of Maize" can be viewed on YouTube.

Published 7/10/2015