Xaragua
 
by Fola Akinde
 
Created by Fola Akinde, Xaragua is the first work of art to come from the Islandia Journal Artist-in-Residence ("Islandia Air") program. 
 
Xaragua is the Taino word for a lake in the Dominican Republic known as Lago Enriquillo. In the last few decades, Xaragua has experienced mysterious lake level rise. Some suspect a new, unidentified connection between the brackish lake--the lowest point in the Caribbean--and the Caribbean Sea has opened up. Others suspect that rampant deforestation of the steep hills above and increased rains have expedited runoff into the historic lake.
 
Some more tidbits about the lake: 
 
Not only is Xaragua the lowest point in the Caribbean, it's also the largest lake.
During Spanish colonization, an island in the middle of the