Viva la revolución Sandinista

Long live the revolution,
not the rightist molesters

Yesterday, July 19th, was the official anniversary of the Sandinista revolution.  The government recently decided that no one should have to work today either, so the month-long festivities continue.

The anniversary celebrates when the Sandinista revolutionaries overthrew the dictator Somoza on July 19, 1979.  His family had been in control of the country for over four decades thanks to the support of the United States government.  When the Sandinistas finally gained power, they were framed as Communists by the Reagan administration.  Reagan cut off aid to Nicaragua and secretly funded Contra rebels to destabilize the government.  The Sandinistas were leftists but nationalists first.  The most important goals of were independence and empowering the masses.  The legendary inspiration of the movement is Sandino, a short man pictured with a large hat, who fought as a revolutionary against U.S. military occupation of Nicaragua in the 1920’s and 30’s.  His shadow can be found in all corners of the city.

These are EVERYWHERE in every size

The next Nicaraguan national elections are coming up at the same time as in the States.  Daniel Ortega, who was a leader of the provisional Sandinista government in the 70’s, is seeking reelection as president.  It was only when a taxi driver asked me if I'd heard about the alert out to all Americans that I learned the U.S. embassy has recommended its citizens stay out from Nicaragua during the highly political climate. [So, Mom, don't read that paragraph.]

While the government is technically a democracy, all other political opinions are stifled, and elections are rumored to be rigged.  Ortega and the FSLN (Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional or the Sandinista National Liberation Front) don’t want international observation because they claim the U.S. has rigged elections in the 80’s and will do it again.


For learning more about modern Nicaraguan history, I highly recommend the book The Country Under My Skin, “an electrifying memoir from the acclaimed Nicaraguan writer and central figure in the Sandinista Revolution,” Gioconda Belli, who I will get to see speak later this month!!!!

Ortega’s government does not commit the abundant, horrific human rights abuses that Somoza’s government did; however, it has created a virtual dictatorship of unchecked power.  Especially in this month of celebrating the revolution, the FSLN party portrays itself as synonymous with Nicaraguan independence.  It is the youth who are most disillusioned with the party.  This is because unlike the older generations, they were never led to freedom by the original Sandinista revolutionaries.  The current FSLN is aggressively courting the youth vote.  They have a huge youth organization that is very closely tied with the schools.  I’ve seen a lot of dances put on by the children of the Sandinista Youth Organization (some traditional dances and some disturbingly sexual).

Youth dances at a FSLN demonstration

Piñatas are incredibly popular here, for every type of festivity

On July 7th, in honor of the Sandinistas recapturing a prison in Leon from the Somozas, the entire town marches all together to the nearby hills where the prison used to be.  While the Marcha al Fortín is officially celebrating this moment in the path to Nicaraguan liberation, in reality the parade was more of a political rally for Daniel, as they call him.  I walked with the parade off to the side on the sidewalk for as long as I could.  The line of people filling the streets stretched about ten blocks.  Street vendors and ice cream sellers also walked the whole march providing their invaluable services.  There was a stage with someone shouting political slogans into a microphone, drumming troupes, dance groups, children dressed in traditional clothes, university students holding large posters, large paper mache figures, men in animal masks, and endless people in black and red bandanas.  When the march turned a corner to go up a narrow road to the Fortín prison in the hills, it got so crowded that I decided I shouldn’t be alone in the middle of the march.  The only other white people I saw were tourists peeking out the window from a hostel taking pictures.

Song of the month, all about Nicaraguan pride in its revolution


On the actual day of the anniversary of the revolution, most of the country goes to Managua to celebrate.  I figured one packed Sandinista rally was enough for me, so I stayed in Leon where it is supposed to be much more quiet.  Yesterday morning though we got news that anti-Sandinistas were protesting by blocking the local party members from entering their houses.  The demonstrators were burning tires in the street where I walk to go to one of the clinics during the week.