Now in Nica

After arriving back from a week-long vacation in various parts of Nicaragua, the 17 other students and I reunited this afternoon back at our home-base in Managua, Nicaragua´s capital. With the Municipal Elections ocurring soon, political tensions, excitement and, of course, advertisements have been booming. On nearly every street post and on many city walls one sees bright pink signs displaying sayings such as "¡Vamos por más victorias!" "Luchamos por el pueblo." and "El amor es más fuerte que el odio." These phrases and more have been posted by the FSLN (Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional - aka Sandinista National Liberation Front) that is a "socialist" Nicaraguan political party that is led by the current president, Daniel Ortega.
Daniel Ortega is not only in power now, but he was also the leader of the Sandinista revolutionary movement which overthrew the Somoza regime in 1979, forming a revolutionary government in its place. In the following years the Sandinistas ruled Nicaragua for 11 years from 1979 to 1990, initially as part of a Junta of National Reconstruction. Later the FSLN took exclusive power in March 1981 after some centrist members from this Junta resigned. In the 1984 Nicaraguan elections it was almost universally declared that the elections were free and fair, and it was in these elections where the FSLN won the majority of votes.
So there is a quick history but here is the deal now... Rather than running a social political party, an overwhelming majority of Nicaraguans believe that Ortega´s ruling has turned into a form of dictatorship. The key saying by the people is "We are (still) Sandinistas but we are not Danielistas." These few words hold a great deal of significance by the way they essentially purvey the people´s belief and pride in the 1979 revolutionary movement, but at the same time the words demonstrate the people´s dissaprovement with how Ortega has dramatically changed since the revolution. Lately, for example, Ortega (indirectly through "his people") has been verbally (if not in many cases physically - being broken into, etc.) harassing a number of NGO´s and grassroots social, political and environmental organizations - charging them with false claims and stating that "rather than international money going through NGO´s it should go directly to the government." But if this money goes straight to Daniel´s officials, where will it end up?? The general populous virtually does not see this money that the government uses on "social spending" or "development." Nicaragua remains to be factually the most impoverished country in Central America. This is evident when one walks and drives through the streets. Even where we are living, a block away from Ortega´s house, there are wood shacks lining many streets that people inhabit. Aren´t the above organizations (and specifically their purposes) something the Sandinista Revolution advocated and fought for?? Isn´t their mission part of the revolution - you know, for the people...
More to come-- but definitely stay in-tune with especially independent news sources and even other outlets such as the BBC (if you´re interested) because what has been going on (and continues to go on) with Ortega and his version of what it is to be Sandinista is gripping.
Tomorrow we will start classes.
More updates to come---

Much, much love to all and GOOD VIBES FOR THE U.S. ELECTIONS (El cambio viene-eso esperamos mucho)

Annika