Dear Mrs. Bruce Lockhart,
I had a hard time placing why I felt so drawn to Nicaragua’s
history until yesterday. We took a bus into Managua and were given an overview
of the country’s history from a man named Mark Lester. He repeated FDR’s famous
quote about Somoza.
“He may be a son of a bitch, but he’s our son of a bitch.”
Shortly after we saw the iconic photograph of the women with
the rifle across her back and a baby in her arms. It all came together.
Somewhere in the back of my mind there were bits of Nicaraguan history from our
American history classes.
The other interesting thing about Nicaragua is that it is in
the same position that South Africa was when I visited in 2009; fresh from a
revolution and approaching the re-election of the same party responsible for
the nation’s liberation. Jacob Zuma and Daniel Ortega both represent freedom
from their tyrannical predecessors, but also have controversial ruling styles
themselves.
It’s all tying in beautifully to the things I learned in
your class. More than that, Managua and Granada remind me of a strange
combination of Johannesburg and Buenos Aires, as if they had been written by
Gabriel Garcia Marquez. There is such beautiful humanity here. It is green and
dirty. Colonial and poor. Bright and Loud.
The resilience of the people here is stunning. I think it is
the perfect place to do really meaningful community arts work. I feel
challenged by the language and supported by the people who have committed
themselves to their art here. If I ever wanted an example of a place
transformed by art, Esteli is surely it. The streets are filled with paintings
of Daniel Ortega, there are museums dedicated to the mother’s of killed
soldier, and specifically and film collective that just finished a piece of the
life of Sandino.
Sending love from Nicaragua
Emma (Amelia)
1 comment:
Your outlook on the world and observations are wise.
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