They are stories of the street that, in some way, show the local culture and, above all, of those who build the city every day
After a hard blow from the COVID-19 pandemic in Guayaquil, the “Boca 9” project presents, in a series of micro documentaries, the memory of a happy city. In the midst of a flow of information about diseases, violence and crisis, four young people from Guayaquil take up stories to reconnect with the true heritage of their city: its inhabitants.
In a quest to reinvent communication channels and places for cultural reflection, in 2016, Jéssica Zambrano, Sara Carrozini, Guido Bajaña and Gabriela Logacho decided to create the audiovisual project “Boca 9”.
“We wanted to tell things about the street that show the local culture and how contradictory we can be with our own traditions,” said Jéssica, mentioning the importance of recovering the stories and stories of the inhabitants of her city.
The Government has declared intangible heritage to many of the typical dishes in Ecuador. But who is behind its preparation? Boca 9 seeks to be the answer to that question with its micro-documentaries in this first season.
Sara explained that the name of the project is for a well-known neighborhood in the Buenos Aires city where the transfer of “word of mouth” traditions among its residents is still maintained. In addition, she explained that they seek to present the local culture in a creative and different way.
Mr. Palma is an Afro-Ecuadorian from Guayaquil who is well known for preparing coconut juices. His cheerful and uncomplicated portrait was the first installment of the project.
The registration of his characters, in this first season, was made four years ago. Today, in the midst of a pandemic, its protagonists reflect the anguish of those who lived through the devastating passage of COVID-19. In the new seasons, Guido said, a change between people in a 2016 vs. a 2020 with a pandemic. “It is an interesting exercise in observing how they are represented now,” he said.
“The city needs to remember how we were four years ago to meet again,” said Jéssica, specifying that, for this reason, the project takes much more force in this context.
The four young people believe that the great stories of politics, environment or gender are just as important as the stories of those who build, little by little, a city.
“We believe in the importance of short stories and that, sometimes, one dies with a journalistic story without anyone remembering them,” he said.
Boca 9 delves into these people, who build oral stories and turn a city into heritage. In the future, by the hand of Sara –heardless traveler-, they seek to capture the stories of other parts of the country to reflect those contradictions of identity.
The microdocumentaries are available on their social networks so that citizens, in the words of Jéssica Zambrano, can have a little joy in the midst of the health emergency.
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