Stephen Fry in Central America s01e02 EN SUB WEBRIP [MPup]

Stephen.Fry.in.Central.America.s01e02.EN.SUB.WEBRIP.[MPup]

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Stephen Fry explores Central America. In episode two he moves on to Belize - the only British former colony in Central America - and Guatemala.



In episode two, Stephen’s journey continues through Belize and Guatemala. Belize is the only country in Central America to have been a British colony. It has English as its official language and the Queen is head of state.

At Wildtracks Animal Rescue Centre in Belize City, Stephen learns how to bottle-feed an injured baby manatee before meeting up with the last vestiges of the British Army.

The garrison used to house 1500 troops but now Commanding Officer Major Caine has just six men to command and the next defense review may close them altogether.

Stephen heads onto Turneffe, some 40-miles off the mainland, to meet a latter day Robinson Crusoe called Alan, who has found the lifestyle there has served as rehabilitaion from his drug addiction. Others who have sought sanctuary in these remote islands are the famed red-footed boobie birds who Stephen finds nesting on Half Moon Caye.

He then moves onto Hopkins which is a haven for the Garifuna people, a mix of Arawak Indians and shipwrecked West Africans, who were never enslaved. They have their own language, separate from Belizean Creole and a powerful musical tradition. Their infectious rhythms entice Stephen to a beachside gig of the Garifuna Collective band.

With the sound of the Garifuna drums still echoing, Stephen heads into Guatemala. Unlike the rest of Central America, Guatemala has a much more indigenous culture. Around 50% of the population are of Mayan descent and their origins date back thousands of years. The local architecture is of the classic period [250-900 AD] and is testament to their knowledge and appreciation of the arts and sciences.

Stephen takes part in a sacred Mayan ritual with shaman Tata Gilberto and his acolyte Ricky Lopez, in the temples of Tikal. At its zenith in the seventh century, Tikal housed some 100,000 inhabitants, but was then mysteriously abandoned. Most of the Mayans fled into the highlands, where they were also protected from the Spanish when they colonized the isthmus.

From Tikal the bus rumbles into the mountains of the Ixil. The Mayans of the Ixil are the most remote of any of the 21 different Mayan groups that live in Guatemala. They remained almost untouched by the events since the conquistadores arrived. But for two decades during the civil war, the Ixil were subjected to a state sponsored policy of genocide.

In Chajul Stephen finds women predominate, with so many of the men having been killed during the conflict. They try and teach him the essentials of weaving, which is so important to all the Mayans. At one of the exhumation sites, where they are still uncovering victims from the war, Stephen speaks with forensic anthropologist Freddy Peccerelli.

Pausing to reflect on his time in Guatemala so far, Stephen says: ‘I’m not sure what I expected before coming to Guatemala, probably jungles, palm trees, or something more like Mexico. Not this, frankly, Alpine or Tyrolean scenery. It’s extraordinary, so green, so beautiful.’

He heads next to Lake Atitlan, widely regarded as one of the most beautiful sites in all Central America and described by Aldous Huxley as: ‘Too much of a good thing.’

There, Stephen meets up with former Miss Guatemala, Alida Boer, who has developed her own line of handbags based on the huipil, the traditional embroidered blouses worn by the Mayan women.

Onto the capital, Guatemala City, Stephen finds out more about urban life, including the extreme poverty and the victims of gangland murders (on average 100 a week). He then goes out on patrol with Dr Jorge Chui, Guatemala’s leading cardiac surgeon by day and a volunteer medic within the Fire Service by night.

Stephen says: ‘With so many murders a night, I can’t say I’m entirely relaxed about joining him on a shift.’

But there are positive signs as he joins Mario Lopez, Central America’s only billionaire, in his helicopter to view his latest project: a giant solar power array which he sees as one of the promising future industries for Guatemala.

Stephen then goes coffee picking on the volcanic slopes that surround the former capital, Antigua. At the Finca Santa Clara he learns how making coffee is as complex as wine – altitude and orientation all make the difference.

In Antigua Stephen meets national treasure, composer and singer Luis Galich who tells him that the key to Guatemalans is their abundant creativity.

As Stephen reflects on the latest part of his journey, he says: ‘An abundance of creativity, firmly rooted in such rich Mayan soil, gives Guatemala its unique character, which I for one find intensely lovable.’