¡ATENCIÓN!
¡ATENCIÓN!
Disasters are not short-term; they are long-term, society-changing events. On Wednesday, September 20th, 2017, Hurricane Maria tore through Puerto Rico. The destruction forced my maternal family in San Juan to temporarily relocate and the island struggles to regain a steady state. The blue bag sewn to the comforter in “Un Edredón para los Turistas” emulates the blue tarps in Puerto Rico, implemented by FEMA as temporary roof replacements after the hurricane. Now, three years later, FEMA still has not replaced the blue tarps with solid, permanent roofs: another broken promise from the US government to Puerto Rico. Flying over Puerto Rico, one can see the bright blue rectangles scattered below. Puerto Rico's dependence on US aid is a product of imperialism and a colonialist legacy
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that extends to Puerto Rico's tourism industry, an extractive tourism rampant throughout the entire Caribbean. Tourists are often treated to the commercialized parts of the island, while devastation remains out of view, recovery efforts minimalized. Hotels in San Juan, the main tourist hub, were some of the first buildings to regain consistent power and water after the hurricane and have private generators, unlike many of Puerto Rico's residents. Through my work, I want to bring attention to the violent relationship between the US and Puerto Rico and its ongoing recovery while people travel there as an “escape.” The bright blue body on top of the cliché tropical print is inescapable. I am giving tourists one option: to pay attention to the sea of blue tarps in their so-called “island getaway.”
ISABELA MIÑANA LOVELACE