Art of Solidarity

Nuevo y Diferente

Since we arrived in Nicaragua, I've seen and experienced many things I'd never come in contact with before. For example, our second day in the country was spent at an active volcano (the first active volcano I've seen up close in real life), Volcán Masaya.

 Before this trip, I had never seen a cave formed by lava, 

or stared down into a crater as smoke poured out of it. 
We didn't see any hot lava up close, but given that we were only allowed to be next to the crater for 5 minutes and require to wear a hardhat the whole  time, I'd say it was active enough for me. Our tour guide was amazing, and told us to imagine we were the indigenous, who had met in the cave to decide who to sacrifice to the volcano. I was declared chief, but we never did settle on a sacrifice. Oh, well. Maybe next time.

I had never seen a private island inhabited by 

 monkeys before this trip, but now I can check that one off my list as well. Each of the first few days seemed like a surprise, even when I knew in my head what was coming. This place in its entirety is new to me; I'd never seen the soil, plants, culture of Central America before this trip. 

     The difference from home was underscored by a festival in Esteli marking the anniversary of the city's liberation from the Somosa dictatorship. It seemed to start normally enough. But quickly, the event took on a theme: Daniel Ortega. The songs blasting from the speakers were popular US tunes rewritten to glorify Nicaragua, and then more specifically, El Presidente himself. 

In a clever (but creepy) political move, Ortega was funneling the enthusiasm of the people into support for his continued reign as president. The songs even told the people which box to check off (#2) when they vote. I've witnessed political demonstrations and rallies for both ends of the spectrum in the US (which I had thought were a little too hive-mind for my taste), but none of them demonstrated the type of politicking I witnessed here. People came out to dance in the streets to celebrate the freedom of their town, and left dancing to celebrate Ortega.

 

It definitely made me think. Which, ironically, was the opposite of the intention. I left worried about the political state of Nicaragua, but hopeful that the people might ultimately see the difference between the idealism and the reality.

Until next time, 

this is William Spitler, 

signing off.