The Story

“All of my ancestors lived in poverty. They all worked on the fincas and left nothing for their children. I may live in poverty as well but I hope that my children can harvest the fruit of my labor here. And break the circle of poverty.”
—Jose Abel, Community member in La Florida.

They came in the dark with their children, their dogs, their chickens, and their meager possessions. In the early dawn hours of October 11, 2002, fifty campesino (migrant farm laborer) families illegally occupied La Florida—an abandoned coffee finca (plantation). While negotiating a loan to purchase the property they were allowed to remain on the land as long as they built no permamant structures and cultivated no crops. No one imagined the occupation would last for over two years—living in bamboo and plastic shelters with little access to basic life necessities.

However, on April 28, 2005 their lives changed forever. A life of sacrifing their backs and blood and bones for the profits of others had come to an end. They were now the owners of thier own land. Thier own finca. Their own future. Twenty long years of planning and organizing had led to this one extraordinary moment.

But nothing could have prepared them for what lay ahead......

Poco a Poco is a documentary film following the remarkable journey of a small community of Guatemalan campesinos. Filmed over a number of years in the lush coffee growing region of Colomba Costa Cuca the film chronicles the precarious evolution of the community La Florida; capturing the spirit, courage and vulnerability of people who have dared to fight for a scrap of justice in this world.