ELI LABAN
CO-DIRECTOR,CINEMATOGRAPHER,
EDITOR
Eli LaBan is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker based in Philadelphia. After learning about endangered language preservation in Nicaragua in 2016, he focused his career on supporting social development, cultural preservation and education across the world. He has since served as a Princeton in Africa Fellow in Rwanda and a Fulbright grantee in Honduras, where he first connected with Cesar and Dr. Ruíz. He also 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
CO-DIRECTOR, EDUCATOR, WANARAGUA DANCER
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.
DR.SANTIAGO RUIZ
ADVISOR, LANGUAGE RESEARCHER
Dr. Santiago J. Ruiz is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH), and one of the most prominent Garifuna scholars in the region. He served as Director of Scientific, Humanistic, and Technological Research at UNAH from 2018 to 2023. He received the "José Cecilio del Valle" National Science Award (2018) from the Honduran Ministry of Education and the Gold Plaque and Scroll Award (2024) from the National Congress of the Republic, bestowed upon distinguished Afro-descendants who have contributed significantly to Honduras. He is an Academic Member of the Advisory Board of the Journal of Higher Education and Society (ESS) of the UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNESCO-IESALC). For decades, he has been working to standardize the teaching of the Garifuna language in primary schools and higher education in Honduras, and to ensure its revitalization and survival.