Revolutionary Medicine

    Revolutionary Medicine

    Directed by Beth Geglia, Jesse Freeston  |  2013
    Published by NYU Press

    $14.95

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    On the Atlantic coast of Honduras live the Garifuna, an Afro-Indigenous people with their own language and traditions. Revolutionary Medicine covers what happens when they decide to build their own hospital — run on solar energy, in a community without paved roads or electricity — and offer an alternative to the increasingly privatized national health system.

    ”We defend the hospital because it truly belongs to the communities.”

    — Revolutionary Medicine

    Revolutionary Medicine tells the story of the Garifuna community’s project to build a free, holistic healthcare system in Ciriboya, Colon, on Honduras' Caribbean Coast. Built and defended by the communities it serves, and led by the inspirational Dr. Luther Castillo, the project has become a symbol of Garifuna self-determination.

    Filmmakers Beth Geglia and Jesse Freeston depict the Garifuna struggle against exclusion, discrimination, and land dispossession; highlight the role of the health center as a site of education, empowerment, dignity, and improved health; and critique medical systems that succeed primarily by excluding those who most need care.

    Praise for Revolutionary Medicine

    “I just watched Revolutionary Medicine and immediately called for more copies. Here is the real medicine, a gift to the people. It sweetly shows why I’ve been a free doctor for 43 years. Please watch and be changed.”
    — Patch Adams, MD