Searching for the Songs of Wanaragua
About the Film
A Honduran Garifuna teacher and an American filmmaker travel across Honduras to record traditional songs to use as teaching tools to help ensure the survival of the endangered Garifuna language.
Directors: Eli LaBan, Cesar Vargas
Producer: Cesar Vargas
Honduras, United States // 2025 // Documentary, Suitable for All Ages // Los Features
40 minutes
About the Filmmaker
Eli LaBan is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker based in Philadelphia specializing in projects pertaining to social development, cultural preservation and education across the world. He began working with endangered language preservation in Nicaragua in 2016, and has since served as a Princeton in Africa Fellow in Rwanda and a Fulbright grantee in Honduras. He currently works as a Production Supervisor & Teaching Artist with Big Picture Alliance, overseeing youth apprenticeship programs and leading several award-winning projects in the Philadelphia area.
Cesar Vargas Sabio is a language educator, researcher, and dedicated preservationist of Garifuna language and culture. Born in Sangrelaya, one of the last remaining strongholds of traditional Garifuna culture, he received his Master's in Didactics of Languages and Cultures from the National Autonomous University of Honduras and oversees primary school language teachers in Honduras. A Wanaragua dancer since childhood, Cesar witnessed the disappearance of traditional songs first-hand, and advocates for didactic language education that utilizes activities, poetry and music to engage and inspire the next generation.
