From Banana [ ]: A History of the Americas

Abstract

from Banana [ ]: A History of the Americas Paul Hlava Ceballos (bio) Black Sigatoka, also known as black leaf streak, is the most economicimportant leaf spot disease of bananas5 Banana chlorosis6 is a seriousbacterial wilt of banana caused by the blood disease7The pathogen enters the banana finger through theflower causing a dry rot,8 root and rhizome necrosis Wounding of banana roots by the burrowingnematode induces9 full virulenceof the Fusarium wilt towards Cavendish banana10 The banana scab moth infests the inflorescence11The banana weevil borer or corm weevil attacksthe base of the pseudostem and tunnels upward12Spider mites mainly attack banana leavesdelaying fruit ripening and reducing yields 13 Banana bunches, caterpillars, rust thrips & mealy bugs14prepupa of banana silvering thrips15lesions along banana leaf midrib16bacterial oozing from any banana plant17responsible for yield losses and low productivity of banana—18 The company required generous amounts of extrafallow land as protection against banana disease19 [End Page 98] On 8 December 2017, Hernán Bedoya – another Afro-descendant leader from Chocó – was heading home on horseback to his village. A new paramilitary group intercepted him on a bridge and shot him 14 times, killing him. Hernán had objected to the palm oil, banana plantations and20 note the arthroscopic banana / knife21 [End Page 99] knives dull knives or raggedcuts during de-handing of banana22 farmers who grow / banana23 [End Page 100] banana fruits after deflowering fingers24 cut banana workers25 with a banana knife / cutting at soil level and fillingthe base / with kerosene26 [End Page 101] banana marketopened29 / a well-developed banana spathe30 in banana producingregions soared31 banana stalks rose through a deep tangle of limbs32 [End Page 102] from the branchesof a banana33 / the company divestedtheir banana holdings34 the banana’s fleshbursts through its skin35covering their noses and mouths with their hands and placing banana cartons on their heads36 [End Page 103] We created a school supplies store and have used the earning from the store to carry out seminars with rank and file compañeras. In the seminars, we talk about gender, class, union participation, the banana industry, and domestic issues.258 [End Page 104] We were almost evicted again because they had demolished our house twice, once on Saturday and once again on Monday. On Monday, the very few of us that were left, together with the workers from the ranch, had to resist. That is how we managed to stay here until now. Now here, as you can see, we are growing bananas. We are growing only food: bananas, rice, corn. I don’t have yucca—I planted it when I came back, but now I have pigs and they eat the yucca.289 [End Page 105] Paul Hlava Ceballos Paul Hlava Ceballos has received fellowships from CantoMundo, Artist Trust, and the Poets House. His work has been published in Poetry Northwest, BOMB, the PEN Poetry Series, Narrative Magazine, the LA Times, among other journals and newspapers, has been translated to the Ukrainian and nominated for the Pushcart. His chapbook, Banana [ ]: A History of the Americas, is coming out in 2021 from The 3rd Thing Press. He has an MFA from NYU and currently lives in Seattle, where he practices echocardiography. Copyright © 2021 Pleiades Press