Day out of the office..

It's been too long since I last wrote, but instead of trying to recap the last 3 months, I'll just share with you my field trip last Friday (it will kind of be like watching the TV-soap Glamour after a 6 months break...not much have changed, same stories, dramas and intrigues - In my case maybe less intrigues and drama, and slightly more changes even:))

As I work for a federation of small scale farmers' cooperatives it's quite curious that I sit in an office (also known as a supermarket - video evidence of my work space can be found here) smack bang in the thickest of the City of Managua. Therefore it is always a relieve when I get to go out and play with farmers around the country. I have been very lucky to have traveled to almost all regions of the country with work - last Friday I headed up north, 6 kms away from the border to Honduras, to a town called Somotillo. Purpuse of travel: visit a women’s cooperative who produce, process, package, sell and export cashew nuts AND serve as a local (!) guide to a visiting Spanish coffee and nut importer on his first visit to Nicaragua, visiting the cashew nut plant.

After 5 months (1 year in total of my Nicaraguan adventures since 2006) of being here, I was really pleased when it turned out I was able to inform our visitor how long it takes to drive from Managua to León, the names of the volcanoes we passed along the way, how the cooperative system works in Nicaragua, what participatory plant breeding is and how it’s being done here, what is a typical nica breakfast and about the challenges cooperatives situated far from the capital experience due to lack of proper infrastructure and resources. I must be learning something :)

So, this Spanish man was quite the character – communist, anti-capitalist, revolutionary – singing revolutionary I must add. And seemingly 100% supportive of any leftist labelled government in Latin-America, including the current Nicaraguan government.

I completely understand the fascination people have with the Nicaraguan revolution anno 1979. I am/was/am/was rather fascinated myself. People stood up and spoke out against the inequality, injustice and increasing poverty Nicaragua was experiencing – and on July 19 1979 the victory was a fact. The Sandinistas had come to power after more than 40 years of dictatorship under the Somozas. Victory of the poor and the marginalized; and not to forget, an inspiration to all those internationalists fighting similar anti- capitalist, anti-fascist, anti-dictatorship struggles world wide. And the illusion of the Nicaraguan revolution lives on today, as the Sandinistas are back in power, …also for our friend the Spanish.

Driving along the Nicaraguan countryside, the Spanish, who shall be called Señor J, was continuously singing one revolutionary song after the other – mainly Nicaraguan and Cuban songs. He laughed arrogantly when seeing spray-painted anti-government slogans on house walls exclaiming “Haha, afraid of the people and the power of the people, ha! Of course, the rich are afraid!”. Meeting with hard working cooperativist women Señor J kept on telling them how they back in Spain worked for almost no pay and that we had to fight together against the global capitalist forces. The women just nodded and kept explaining the process of how to get the actually cashew nut out of its shell...humbleness is a deed..so is adapting to new situations...

There is nothing wrong with singing. There is nothing wrong, rather the contrary, in believing that a former leftist revolutionary would be running the country according to the ideals of his -79 revolution. There is nothing wrong in showing solidarity with small scale farmers and with opposing a capitalist economic order.

However, this is Nicaragua anno 2009. And even though there is a need for singing, believing and solidarity things “they are a’changin” (however maybe not with in the say way Bob Dylan was hoping). Nicaragua is not what it was in 1979, neither are its leaders and politicians. That is an important footnote for all those internationalists who back in the days was waiving the red and black Sandinista flag proudly above their heads, fighting with the people in the country side, picking coffee and digging ditches and following the revolution from the homes in Spain, Norway or the US. We need to update the struggle, face reality and keep luchando (struggling!)..

This is not a protest against the current government of Nicaragua, however more a cry out to those who visit Nicaragua – be humble, open and listen to what people tell you about the situation here today….you will learn a lot more than if you are blinded by romantic ideas of 1979.

So, Señor J, wasn't curious that the guy who drove us to the cashew cooperative, every time you started a new song, turned up the reggaeton/bachata music blaring from the radio...

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I was also going to share a bit from the visit at the cashew processing plant, however realizing that this is getting too long…lunch was fresh fish “ceviche”(fish “cooked” in lemon instead of on heat, onion and capsicum) barefoot on a Pacific beach (we were offered turtle eggs, but politely turned the little boy down), drove past Nicaragua’s highest volcano (alive and still fuming!), watched the sunset over Lake Managua, trying to hold on the hand rest in the car as the mad traffic and rather liferisking overtakings done by Nicaraguan drivers will outdo my dad any day. And this was just a day out of the office..

..la lucha sigue!! (..the struggle continues!!)