Central America Travel Seminar: Echoes of Womanists

BY AYO M. MORTON

As the morning breaks, we headed toward Guatemala from El Salvador. I was excited about the experience in Guatemala. While the history was rich and the culture was intriguing, I struggled with the air in El Salvador. I could not breathe! I mean this literally and figuratively.

Because of the daily voyages calling for excessive time traveling up and down the mountain and the air thinned as we elevated, it literally became harder for me to breathe. The figurative breath escapes when I start to think about the stories we were told in El Salvador. The depth of sorrow that brews below the surface is heavy. Knowing that the people have this history where violence and corruption has been very present makes it hard to understand how they are so pleasant.

While the humidity is much lower in Guatemala, the elevation is much higher. The initial appearance leads one to say, “life is better in Guatemala than El Salvador.” But, one is quickly corrected with the historical accounts from the priest we met with.

As a womanist, it is only right that I listen closely to what affects the mujerista movements here in Central America. The priest began talking about the women being the most depressed people in the population and the focus of the church. So far, what we are hearing about the women here echoes the stories of womanists down throughout history. My prayer is that there will be a bridge built that will allow us to work together toward true freedom.

Ayo M. Morton is a Master of Theology student at Union.