Current Status

Fundacion ProPeten and MACHI are making preparations to begin a second phase of our collaboration in 2008. ProPeten will be hard at work in the upcoming months writing and producing 15 new radio soap opera episodes. New episodes will deal with themes of cultural heritage and archaeological conservation, as did past episodes, and will include new stories on ancient agriculture, caves as spiritual sites, interactions between archaeologists and local people and ancient sacrifice, among others. These new episodes along with the 25 episodes written and recorded in 2007 will be adapted to reach a new audience in Belize. The episodes will be played beginning in Fall 2008 on a small radio station in southern Belize in the Q'eqch' Mayan language. ProPeten is also currently seeking new venues for the radio episodes in the Alta Verapaz and as far west as Quetzaltenango. Enthusiasm about the program continues to grow and episodes have recently been distributed to interested parties including the new director of the Guatemalan Institute for Anthropology and History (IDAEH). Both the 2007 and 2008 episodes will run again on new and old radiostations throughout the Peten and beyond beginning this fall.

Listen to a recent radio show on Radio Peten that featured Rosa Maria Chan from ProPetén and MACHI’s Shoshaunna Parks as guests, who talk about this project! (En Español. You may need the most recent version of Adobe Flash Player).

Listen to two radio “spots” that advertise the upcoming show.

Q’eqchi’ voice talents in a recording session.

Flores residents lend their vocal talents to the Spanish version of the radio soap opera.

Young women look through the MACHI coloring book in the Q'eqchi' community of Kanlech, Alta Verapaz.

Soap Opera director Edy Romero interviews listeners in the village of Habanero, Peten (above and below).

A focus group in the village of Monte Rico provides feedback on the radio soap opera.