Dancing with the Socialists

Monday was the anniversary of the Nicaraguan Revolution which was really interesting to observe from a political standpoint. The host mom of David, another CIEE student, is a hardcore Sandinista and bought us all t-shirts to wear to celebrate. But first, a little background. For decades Nicaragua was ruled by a family of dictators called the Somozas. In 1979, a group led by Augusto Sandino, calling themselves the Sandinistas, or FSLN, led a revolution. The US led a contra war against the Sandinistas in the 80s, but today, they retain power under the president Daniel Ortega. Daniel’s slogan is “A socialist, Christian, and solidarity society,” which is a combination of words not often heard in the US. So Monday, thousands of people went nuts in a big plaza in the city to hear the president speak, wave FLSN flags, and drink rum and coke (a national favorite; I saw someone selling it yesterday and calling it “leche,” or milk). Sarah and I went for the cultural observation and people-watching opportunities. On the way there, dozens of buses drove past us, filled to the brim with people wearing “Yo amo a Daniel” t-shirts and even riding on top of the bus. It was a neat feeling of unity and solidarity. We had fun just strolling around, buying food off of street vendors, and making friends with a guy named Junior who was eager to tell us all about Managua and learn about the United States. Lots and lots of people here have family in the US, so they are generally pretty curious about it.

Interestingly, my family is not sold on Daniel and his politics. My host family and some of their neighbors were chatting about how the government isn’t really doing much for the people. Apparently the government pays a lot of poor people to come in from the countryside and show their support for the government. I'm curious to learn more about this in class.