Post Trip Notes: a final mtg with Maria Lopez Vigil

I had wanted to add a few thoughts about the last meeting we had in Nicaragua on the study tour. We were privileged to meet with Maria Lopez Vigil, director of the magazine Envio, which is linked with the UCA, the Jesuit university. If you would like to read more about Nicaraguan politics and culture, and English language version of the magazine is on the web, including back issues. I can't say enough about what a great resource this is. It is analysis that is fresh, free of the U.S. political perspective, full of sandanismo, and yet critical of the FSLN leadership.

Ms. Vigil is part of the intellectual left in Nicaragua that has lost faith in and broken away from the FSLN. Much of that group has put its support in the political party, the MRS. She had much to say about the new Ortega government, and was very honest and open with her critique. She stated "It is a time that is interesting in the sense that it is new; but with with the same old actors."

Ms. Vigil gave us her initial reaction to the inaugural events earlier in the week and to the first announcements made by the new FSLN government.

• First, she felt it was offensive to all Nicaraguans to have Arnoldo Aleman not only present at Ortega's inauguration, but sitting in the front row. She said he is a symbol of corruption in all of Latin America.
  
• She also feels that the strong presence of Rosario Murillo (Daniel Ortega's wife) in the new government is offensive. She feels Rosario has promoted a very unhealthy mix of religion and politics in Nicaragua. [Personal note: even back in the late 80's when I lived in Nicaragua Rosario was seen as an antagonist in Nicaraguan politics, and was not a well loved figure. This feeling appears to have deepened even further.]
  
• Another critique Maria Lopez Vigil made of the new Ortega government was that of its relationship with Venezuela. While she feels that Venezuela will indeed help in some instances, such as the need for oil, and things will improve slightly as a result of the Chavez-Ortega relationship, she feels that Venezuela is replacing the old Soviet block in terms of Nicaraguan dependency on the outside. She feels that Nicaragua is "begging for crumbs" from Venezuela. She went on to say that she feels under development in not just a question of capital. This, she feels, is a neo-liberal theory. She feels it is, in part, cultural. My sense was she felt great frustration with the popular belief inside Nicaragua that someone must come from the outside to "save" Nicaragua.
  
• Finally, Ms. Vigil talked about the new cabinet positions which are being announced for the new government. She says many are unknown in Nicaraguan politics, and as a result one can assume they are Ortega loyalists. It was clear there was uncertainty and a level of mistrust in the new FSLN government.
  

I think it will be very interesting to see how things unfold in Nicaragua in the coming few years. And I believe the presence of the MRS as a counter-weight to the FSLN will prove to be important. Much of Nicaragua is divided along the lines of "Sandanista" or "anti-Sandanista". The MRS is a political movement which embraces sandanismo, but is highly critical of the FSLN leadership. It adds dimension to the otherwise black and white picture of the country simply being pro- or anti- Sandanista. I greatly appreciate the ability to read Envio online, as I think it is an invaluable resource to following & understanding this internal debate.

Goodbye to Nicaragua

If you ever find yourself in Managua, Nicaragua, Casa San Juan is a reasonably priced guest house that welcomes many tourists and delegations of all kinds ("pinkos" adds Alex). While we were here, coincidentally, there was a delegation which included a few folks from Equal Exchange.

You can contact Casa San Juan by email at: sanjuan@cablenet.com.ni
or telephone: 278-3220 or 267-0419

Remember to consider traveling with WCCN if you are looking for an insightful study tour rather then general tourism. Below is a picture of the group participants' on this tour:

Tourism Day

Lago de Apoyo. Catarina, Nicaragua.

Alex at the Masaya Volcano.
(Notice the hilltop cross behind his head.)

The Masaya Volcano is one of those experiences that leaves you wondering. The brochure they give you at the entrance to this national park advises you in a very matter-of-fact manner to park your vehicle "downhill", to facilitate a speedy exit in the event of an eruption. And it left quite a pit in my stomach when we were shown where the other parking lot "used" to be. Originally one parked their vehicle on the other side of the volcano, however it was covered in a landslide not that many years ago! The staircase up to a cross is another reminder of just how active the Masaya Volcano is -- those stairs are now cordoned off, as part of that hill has been eaten away by the lava. It is now considered unsafe. A student from Managua explained how 7 or 8 years ago when his elementary school class made a trip to visit the volcano, those stairs were still open. He said that students would be vomiting over the rails all the way up the staircase (in part because of the height of the staircase, and in part from the gases of the volcano)! Today visitors still frequent the volcano, but are advised to only stay approximately 15 minutes, so that the gases don't make you ill.

Finally, this evening we went dancing at a local popular fresh air discoteque called "La Discoteca Palmera". It was a very open and friendly place with traditional latin music mixed with some Euro-Tecno. It was fun to unwind and cut loose on the dance floor after a week of meetings and discussions. Even Alex was out there quite a bit. (But not directly near me, mind you. I can't say that I blame him.)

Mural in artesan market in the city of Masaya

The organizers of the neighborhood Carlos Fonseca

"Carlos Fonseca" is a neighborhood of tin shacks and dwellings put together in whatever manner possible. A shanty town, really. It is an organized neighborhood which began when a group of squatters moved onto a piece of land in Managua in 1989 (if I remember right). Since that time they have struggled and won legal land titles for their lots, electricity service, potable water, etc.

A Nicaraguan NGO called Habitar has worked with them in their organizing efforts, and hopes to complete a modest campaign to begin rebuilding homes in the neighborhood one by one so that the families have modest, but well built homes made from durable construction materials. The last government did not follow through with funding for the first phase of a planned project, and families are waiting to see if the new government will approve funding so that they may begin to further improve their neighborhood. To listen to the organizers of this neighborhood tell their story and express their great frustration over the project not moving forward was both heartbreaking and inspiring. My true hope is that they will be able to move on to the next phase of developing their neighborhood, and that true homes will begin replacing their current structures.

The Value of a Plastic Chair

Look closely at this chair. (If you click on the picture, you will get a close-up.) This chair is owned by the family's whose house we visited in the neighborhood of Managua known as Carlos Fonseca. The chair is made of plastic, the kind you would buy at Walmart for a few dollars. If it broke in two, you'd probably throw it out. Right?

But it is valuable enough to this family that when it broke into two piece they carefully sewed it back together. (Look closely and you can see the thread.)

Credit Cooperative "20 de Abril" in Quilali

Once again it is nearly midnight. The last few nights we have been up in the mountains of The Segovias, without a good opportunity to gain internet access. I must say that even though we were in town up in the mountains there are internet cafes in town. I just didn't have the chance to go to one because we were in meetings from morning to night. It just wasn't practical to visit one.

At any rate, we had the opportunity to travel to the town of Quilali to visit a Credit Cooperative (Credit Union) called the "20 de Abril" Cooperative. They serve some of the poorest micro enterprise men and women in the country. We were privileged to be able to walk through the town with one of the cooperative's Credit Promoters (loan officer) and meet some of the borrowers of this cooperative. We met with a tailor, a small store owner, a woman who sold coffee and tortillas, and raised pigs to supplement her family's income, and with a married couple who were elementary school teachers. We also traveled up the moutain side a short ways to visit a woman who runs a small bakery. They were happy to tell us how they used very small loans to build their businesses little by little. Many of these borrowers had taken out a number of loans from the cooperative. The Credit Promoter was a young woman who clearly shared a close relationship with the borrowers, as well as with nearly everyone who passed us in the street. This type of lending clearly takes place in a community where everyone knows each other.

This woman owns a small bakery and neighborhood store

This man is the local tailor.

The NICA Fund has an investment in the "20 de Abril" Cooperative, and it was quite inspiring to see how that money has gone right into this village to improve they quality of life for these very small business owners. It is very clear with every visit we make that if The NICA Fund could easily double or triple its investments in Nicaragua, and this money would still have plenty of demand. There is much more demand than there is supply. If you are considering a social investment, this is a fund that can put your money to work quickly and effectively. You can donate to them as well.