Supamodu was initially conceived as a way to learn about the world without traveling.
Of course, travel is incredible. But it can be tricky, cost-prohibitive, or even dangerous.
Yet when you travel with the help of an exciting movie, or a book, a music album, or someone’s paintings, the risks are minimal, yet the rewards are plentiful.
With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world became smaller—all countries linked in their efforts to prevent and cure—yet inaccessible.
So what else can we do if not think about the faraway beautiful places we’ve never been to and will not have a chance to travel to soon?
At least we can find a connection with them through art.
Here’s our remote places map:
Kyrgyzstan, a landlocked country in Central Asia, has luscious rolling hills, ripe berries in summer, and a delightful cuisine of Turkic staples. It’s also known for the work of legendary writer Chingiz Aitmatov. In “Jamilia,” a French ethno-filmmaker explores ways in which Kyrgyz women respond to his eponymous novella: a breathtakingly beautiful, poetic film.
FROM KYRGYZSTAN and FRANCE:
The Many Facets of Kyrgyz Womanhood—‘Jamilia’, dir. Aminatou Echard, 2018
Ethnography meets experimental film in a stunning, sprawling study of Kyrgyz femininity and its relationship to the culture’s defining novella about a rebellious woman
Cabo Verde is an archipelago of 10 volcanic islands in the Atlantic ocean. But you will not see the famous azure waters in “Vitalina Varela.” The latest masterpiece from Pedro Costa is set in excruciating chiaroscuro. It follows a woman whose late husband migrated to Lisbon with a promise to return for her—but never did. And yet, we learn a lot about being Cabo Verdean in this film’s eloquent darkness.
FROM PORTUGAL and CABO VERDE:
A migrant’s forgotten widow tries to process grief in a Lisbon slum where he used to live: a vigorous, visually-stunning work based on the leading lady’s lived experiences
You’re still getting these azure waters, don’t worry. Plenty of them in the paintings of Pen Cayetano, a Renaissance man from Belize, the lesser-known gem of Central America with abundant sea-life and fascinating indigenous culture. This one here is a straight-up recommendation: if you ever end up going to Belize, now you know that the Cayetano family cultural center is the place to visit.
FROM BELIZE and GARIFUNA NATION:
A family of five, led by visual artist and punta rock legend Pen Cayetano, runs a cultural center dedicated to indigenous Garifuna heritage: a masterclass in cultural management from Belize
So, where would you prefer to go? Kyrgyzstan, Cabo Verde, or Belize? Maybe all three?
If only we could.
But what no virus will take away from us is a connected world.
So, for now, let’s feel blessed that we have homes in which we can curl up with a good film or book while thinking of fresh tandoori bread with sesame seeds, azure waters, and families of artists and musicians.
And let’s hope that life—where remote places are not just things of dreams, but slightly less accessible reality—will begin again.
Soon.
Hope you enjoy Supamodu and feel compelled to forward this email to your friends.
Thank you for being with us! 💛
— Katya Kazbek,
editor-in-chief
