Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel

Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel was born in 1966 in Equatorial Guinea. By Night the Mountain Burns is based on his memories of growing up on the remote island of Annobón.

He made headlines in 2011 by embarking on a hunger strike in an anti-government protest, and again in 2014 when he was threatened with imprisonment for his activism. He now lives exiled in Barcelona.