Music and Solidarity in Honduras

The National Movement Against the State Coup in Honduras.We heard about a music festival, with artists from across Latin America, organised in protest against the military coup in Honduras. It sounded like fun and we wanted to find out more about the situation there so we set off with a group of friends representing Nicaragua, the UK, the US, Taiwan, China and Sierra Leone, in solidarity with the Honduran people.

Briefly, for those interested but uninformed, on June 28th the Honduran military arrested the president, Manuel 'Mel' Zelaya, sent him off in his pyjamas to Costa Rica, and won't let him go back. From outside, it is hard to know what to think as huge sums of money are being spent by unknown big businesses to pay for lobbyists and to ensure media coverage is scewed. It has been implied that Zelaya wants to be 'another Chavez' (which might not actually be such a bad thing in the eyes of people who can see beyond a strongly pro-capitalist western media) and that he was ousted because he was illegally looking to be re-elected. That angle, which was accepted by mainstream media, is a huge exageration and distortion of the truth. In fact Zelaya is a moderate reformist who was asking for the country's opinion on future amendments to the constitution which was written in 1982 by the military and could not possibly have allowed him to stand in the elections this coming November. The main reasons for the coup are of course money and very rich people, as is the case with nearly all state coups. Zelaya wanted some state ownership in a totally right-wing owned media and importantly, he achieved a significant increase in the basic wage (can't find hard figures but around $5 per day). In 2005 the president of Haiti was overthrown for supporting an increase in the minimum wage. Since then the military have assumed power (illegally) and looked to control opposition to the leadership by shutting down media, removing freedom of speech, resricting movement in the country and violently disrupting peaceful protests. Of course, the lobbying happens in the United States which is where all the trade flows on the back of a poorly paid workforce. And while Obama speaks out in support of democracy, Hilary Clinton bad-mouths Zelaya, US aid continues to flow and the US military happily carry on as normal in their Honduran bases.

Enough with the politics for now; this is what we got up to in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, last Sunday.
It was nearly a six hour journey each way from Leon in the north of Nicaragua to Tegucigalpa but it's not too arduous when travelling in the back of a pick-up though some lovely scenery from the coastal flats, past great volcanoes and up into forrested hills.
We were half expecting to be turned back at the border or at one of the military checkpoints on the Honduran main roads, so were pleasantly surprised to make it all the way to the capital and find a well-organised festival underway on a sports field of the University (which importantly is autonomous from the government).
The festival was flying under the banner of Voices against the Coup
.There was already a healthy crowd around by early afternoon, despite the fact that poorer people from outside the capital cannot travel in the country and an increasing fear of the police and military. Luckily, this peaceful protest had been allowed to go ahead, although radio coverage of the event was pulled halfway through.No festival is complete without a bit of merchandising. This man had optimistically turned up with leather hats, Honduran flags and some random ankle supports- presumably just because he had some lying around in a box at home, rather than specifically targeting people injured by military beatings.
There was lots of talking to be done with the good people of Honduras. In the middle of things in this picture are 2 Rachels, Nick and Albert, making connections and getting the low-down. Several spokespersons for the movement against the coup are dotted about, and on the right is a man with a mightily impressive belly. Apart from news of human rights violations, there were more positive messages also. Mant citizens of Honduras have been fairly docile for years, happy to believe what they were told in the media, but now realise they have been reading gross lies compared to what they have witnessed with their own eyes, and it's leading towards a new age of awareness. As was very evident at the festival, the middle classes are joining the movement against the coup in great numbers as the truth becomes obvious that Zelaya was representing the majority while the current leadership serves only a very small and very rich majority.
Umbrella-ella-ella. Not Rhiana and no sign of rain either, but there was plenty of fierce sun to be avoided.
A more impressive merchandising venture was offered by students. Rachel joined hundreds of others in buying her blank t-shirt from a big pile for about £1.30 and then taking it to be silk-screen printed right there and then with a fetching design.
Voila! A blury t-shirt. Actually a blury photo of a clear t-shirt- it must be pointed out that our photos were mostly taken on my phone as we didn't risk taking our camera in case it was confiscated and that it was accidently on low-resolution. Some of the better pictures were taken by friends.
.The crowds built up and everything passed smoothly. There were some good bands so we managed a bit of a dance, mainly to professional, traditional folk groups in the afternoon. There were also some inspiring speeches, which Rachel had to mostly translate for me, and an impressive turn on guitar by Zelaya's daughter. As the evening drew in, the crowd were also addressed by the man himself, desposed president Zelaya, by a telephone link facilitated by the radio station, which may well have been the moment the transmissions were pulled.
We had an enjoyable and fascinating day out and were sad to be leaving while the concert was still in full flow, although the Argentinean hard rock band that were hitting the stage were not quite to our taste. Still, a six hour journey awaited, which again passed painlessly, with a clear starry night, some singing and a good splash of rum.

A lunchtime spot in Leon

There is less of a fussy divide in Nicaragua between inside and outside and between who can and cannot cook and sell food. It is quite normal for anyone to prepare a spot of lunch and set up a table outside their house, or invite you inside, to eat it. Typcially, it consists of some sort of stewed meat, beans, tortilla, salad and a fresh fruit drink of something like lime and dragon fruit, all for less than £1. If you have a car, and it fits in the house, then logically, you bring it in too, like in this yummy lunchtime spot in Leon. The kitchen at the back has a double bed in the corner. Simon awaiting his lunch in the family home.

More food

Rice, beans, tortilla and salty cuajada cheese continue to be central to our diets, particularly when we're in the countryside, but there's lots of other delicious alternatives on offer too.

A takeaway lunch in Matagalpa from an organic cafe opposite the coffee cooperative's office. I opted out of having meat with this feast of tortilla, beans, cuajada cheese, beetroot and potato salad, shredded cabbage and carrot salad, and a tomato and onion salsa.
Walmart strikes again. Pali is the biggest supermarket chain in Nicaragua, and along with another one, La Union, is owned by Walmart. As is ASDA. Argh, they're taking over the world.
A rich bean soup, sometimes with the offer of scrambled, poached or hard-boiled eggs mixed in with it. Simon opted for chips with this one in a Cuban restaurant in Esteli.
Anything that can be done is done with maize/corn in Nicaragua. These are similar to really sweet, toffee popcorn but less fluffy.
An amazing looking dragon fruit, which is very good in juices with lime.
A big birthday cake carried through the dark in Lagartillo by Balta to a 15th birthday celebration. There aren't many sweet treats in the countryside, but when a girl turns 15 it is a big event.
Corning from the cobs fresh maize with Rufina in Lagartillo, in preparation for making tortillas. A surprisingly tough job.
A sweet guirilla tortilla made with a sweeter maize variety, very delicious and makes a change from the usual savoury ones. Served with fresh, salty cuajada cheese.
This looks like pureed potato but it most certainly is not. This, of course, is a maize-based dish of ground maize mixed with milk, water and sugar, called atol. People eat bowls piled high with it, which if you've been out in the fields all day like they have is a good idea, but if you haven't, you quickly feel like you might explode. That said, in smaller portions it is a tasty treat. There's a deliciously ripe mango in the background on this photo too.
Eating ceviche with Rachel in a friend's mum's house - fresh fish marinated in lime juice with chile and onion. A refreshing snack and it reminded us of Peru.
A grizzly Simon on the streets of Managua eating a greasy bunuelo - a deep-fried dough ball dunked in a sweet, sugar-cane syrup. Very tasty and very unhealthy.

Singing at a rural town festival

This was a couple of weekends back now but it being our first, and perhaps only, festival appearance, it's worthy of a belated blog entry. Near to the community Lagartillo where we have spent a couple of weeks and where the language school is based, is the small town of Achuapa. Our friend Nick knows lots of people here and works closely with the local farmer's cooperative which supplys sesame seed oil to the Body Shop for its cosmetics. This meant that somehow or another, we were 'connected' to the festival and a performance of some sort or another was expected of us. The annual arts festival began nine years ago, and participation by all seems to be one of its overriding features. The festival kicks off on the Friday night with the 'Golden Festival' for performing old timers who played the fiddle, sang and danced. The Saturday festival began around 4pm and went on until 2ish. The silk blazer band.

It involved anyone who wanted to get up on stage, from local children's dance groups to a rock band from Managua and a brilliant Nicaraguan singer-songwriter Salvador Cardenal. Together with our friends Nick and Rachel, we sang Nina Simone's, 'I wish I knew how it would feel to be free', which was probably bearable only because of Felice's fantastic effort on the piano. I fought off the urge to be sick or run away before we went on stage, translated the fourth verse to the audience of a few thousand people, because the words of the song are incredible, and actually quite enjoyed the whole thing. We were back up on stage later on as backing dancers doing a side step shuffle whilst Nick played the piano. We sat down for the next part when our American friend Rachel dazzled everyone with her impressive Irish dance moves.

Small festivals beware, maybe we'll start looking for more places to put in a performance. Simon during one of his more inspired moments

The festival did sum up something special about Nicaragua - music and dance is a big part of people's lives, and no matter your ability, you are encouraged to get stuck in and are treated as equals. The most talented musicians don't seem to put themselves on a pedestal here and the audience does its best to be enthusiastic about everything.

A new photographer

In the lovely village of Lagartillo, our camera was borrowed by one of the many delightful children. We were impressed with 6-year old Cynthia's efforts, which include all of the photos below.

The beautiful sky

In our matching festival t-shirts

The trees

Simon's headless etch-a-sketch man. Cynthia didn't recognise it as a person, just as 'clothes'.

Neighbour, Helen

Negro, one of the better presented dogs in Nicaragua

The photographer, Cynthia

Cynthia's feet

Lagartillo

A few weeks ago we spent the week living with a family in the rural community of Lagartillo. They have set up a small scale language school, with one-on-one tuition in people's houses and a determined effort to get their pupils involved in the community and up to speed on the Sandinista Revolution and the history of the community. Simon is back there this week for another week of classes. Whilst Simon went to classes with Ermelinda, I focussed on learning about food. With the help of the extremely patient Tina, starting at 6am, I learnt to grind maize, shape it into flat, round tortillas and place them carefully onto a hot plate. My first few efforts were a flop, and although I got better, there are still a few tricky bits which probably make all the difference between a successful or a disastrous tortilla and Tina discreetly avoided entrusting me with these tasks (further grinding of the maize with a stone rolling pin; adding water to the maize to the right consistency; flipping the tortillas). Tina's stove

I also learnt to make this fresh, salty cheese called cuajada. It's just fresh milk, a bit of water and a mysterious clotting tablet left together for a couple of hours and then with both hands in the milky, watery tub, you slowly squidge the cheese together and squeeze the water out, and then lift it out of the tub, knead it like bread and form it into an attractive lump. Again, there's lots of skill to this, where if I were to try it myself, I would end up with bits all over the place; it was only under the guidance of Tina that it all seemed simple. Rice, beans, tortilla and cuajada cheese make up the staple diet here.

Having made the cheese, and given that I grew up on a dairy farm and have never done it before, I decided this was the week to learn to milk the cows by hand. It turned out to be surprisingly tricky and exhausting. I assisted a lad who does this every morning. He grabbed two udders at a time, squeezing one and then the other, as though he were flicking a tap on and off. I tried and after a good amount of tucking on the weathered, wrinkly udder, a piddle of milk shot out at an angle and hit him in the face. I got marginally better, but were we to have relied on me to milk the four cows, I would have been there all day with milk curdled in the heat by the end of it all and me in a heap.

Lessons weren't just in people's houses, they included planting coffee trees, lopping down weeds and overgrown grass with machetes, playing football and walking through beautiful countryside to a lovely waterfall. There were lots of semi-solid cowpats in this field.

This looks a little half-hearted but that's just the photo treating me unfairly.

All were suitably impressed with Simon's diving technique.

On the way to the waterfall

Kids from the local community sang traditional and revolutionary songs to us one night. They're part of a group in the village who are gathering popularity in Nicaragua. They're playing at a small music festival we're going to this weekend in their nearby town of Achuapa. (We're also expected to sing at this festival. We practiced 'Jackson' by Jonny Cash and June Carter this weekend, but we were sounding pretty ropey and there's no chance to practice again, so we'll just have to try our best to merge into the crowd and avoid the stage)

We also went along to a few English classes at the local school. I taught them the English classic of 'We are Derby, Super Derby, Super Rams', which they quickly got the hang of and hopefully are still singing. We have a video of this but our laptop has gone wrong and so I can't reduce it and load it up.

There is so much more to say about this community but I'll leave it there for now. Simon can write a more inspired update next week.

Matagalpa

This is Matagalpa, a bustling town in the mountains in the heart of the country's coffee growing region. We were first here a couple of weeks ago, and I'm back this week to begin work with a coffee coop that has its base here, Cecocafen. If all goes according to our semi-plan, I'll be back here for 3 days a week for about 5 weeks over the next few months. It was pretty cool and stormy when we were here last time. This week it's sunny and hot with lots of mosquitoes. We found a nice local park with this impressive mural marking the entrance to a short commando slide. The down side of the park was its efforts to provide a zoo. The cages were all far too small and thoroughly miserable.

Moving on and changing themes, the main square pays homage to the fight of the Sandinista revolutionaries in 1979 with this statue surrounded by Sandinista and Nicuaraguan national flags. 'SADRACH' can just be made out written on the pink wall to the right of the man. I was feeling quite sad when we first arrived here and I discovered my i-pod had been stolen. Seeing this sprawled all over the town didn't help to improve my mood. It is either the name of the current mayor or a mayoral candidate for the next elections. SADRACH is everywhere in Matagalpa.