BRIC: Margarita, Mercedes y Dementia (work-in-progress)

Event by BRIC.

Margarita, Mercedes y Dementia (work-in-progress) is a multidisciplinary work inspired by Modesto “Flako” Jimenez’s mother Margarita and grandmother Mercedes, and the legacy of Latinx individuals she helped migrate to the country. After immigrating to America as a kid, Flako was raised by his grandmother in Brooklyn. Now as an adult, he serves as her main caregiver as she battles dementia. In the process of taking care of his “mama,” he uncovered years of letters, receipts, and papers that documented her impact on the Latinx community.

For years, she helped individuals immigrate to the US and gain their footing in the city. Her impact was far larger than he ever knew, and yet, today very little of that sacrifice is acknowledged. Then in 2019 his Mother Margarita came from the Dominican Republic and worlds collided. Margarita, Mercedes y Dementia is a new multidisciplinary theatrical work in which we explore our relationship to the matriarchy and our ancestors, familial bonds and inherited trauma, and how our own identity can impact our mental health.