“I think I saw at least twenty of my friends dying here. Some of them because they belonged to the gang, others were just innocents. We went to their wakes singing “Ve Con Dios” (go with God), it’s a beautiful song.” -Moises Cubas, 20 years old-
Gangs represent the leading institution in places like Rivera Hernandez, a labyrinthine expanse in the outskirt of San Pedro Sula (Honduras). They label areas with numbers or letters, drawing imaginary lines that become borders between the communities. I followed a group of friends in their youth, some of whom are members of the Honduran branch of the 18th-street gang. As these kids struggle with the randomness of violence around them, they are becoming aware of their own finished opportunities. They confront the murders of their friends and the inability to have a future in their home country. The environment melts their fears and hopes in the future, which remain unspoken, morphing their traumas in an omniscient presence in the landscape.
“Por Aquí Todo Bien” ( translated: all good around here) questions the role of fear and the feeling of loss among a group of young men. They play with fire, dive into dark waters but are still able to look at the moon.