Art, Film, Music & Dance,  Sounds of Lima

El loco y el mar

Creador , c. 1989, Jorge Vera
Creador , c. 1989, Jorge Vera

El Fotógrafo took this photo in 1989. He was walking along the Malecon, in Miraflores, when he saw a man standing on the cliffs, waving a stick back and forth in front of the ocean, like a conductor. There were no violins or flutes or kettle drums — just the crashing of the waves on the rocks below. The stick rose in the air, sliced down, swept to the right, then rose again. He swayed back and forth, then lifted his finger to his lips: Shush.

El Fotógrafo calls this diptych “Creador.” Creator.

I am an American writer who lived in Lima for seven years (2007-2014), where I covered Andean traditions, melting glaciers and daily life in the capital for Miami Herald, MSNBC and Huffington Post. I now live and work in northern Florida where I champion climate change advocacy and compassionate, affordable eldercare.