Tag: Nicaragua
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COME TO CORN ISLAND
My Nicaraguan counterpart, Juan José, and I were real amateurs at our jobs. The Institute of Tourism sent us on a mission to go to Corn Islands to bring back some great pics and promotional material. We were really out of our league. As I recall Juan José had a degree in commerce but he was the head of marketing at Inturismo. The Sandinista Government really had to struggle to find professionals. There was a massive brain drain in the country after the revolution as many professionals had moved to Miami…
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THE NANCE VENDOR
To most viewers, this image in Masaya would just be a simple snapshot of a typical Nicaraguan street scene. But I see a whole capsule of Nicaraguan history and culture. The vendor is selling nancite (or nance) fruit. This is a small, sweet and yellow fruit found in tropical America. This photo was taken in September during nancite season when the nancite were abundant. The Nicaraguans would just eat them as is or make a sweet dessert with them. They didn’t thrill me. I’d eat them if offered but I never…
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AWAITING IN MASAYA
The indigenous city of Masaya, 30 kilometres south of Managua, saw many skirmishes between the FSLN and Somoza’s National Guard during the civil war. When I visited five years later, the signs of the battles were widespread as walls were still pockmarked with bullet and mortar holes. I worked at nearby Masaya Volcano National Park so I visited Masaya often on my way to work or on weekends. I went on one weekend for a festival and was walking the back streets of the town. I was looking at a side…
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VUELTA DE NICARAGUA
Managua, Nicaragua – 1987 Scanned from Kodak Tri-X negative film In the early 1980s, US President Ronald Reagan seemed determined to deny the Nicaraguan people the right to self-determination. He authorised Oliver North to organise a band of misfits called the Contras and attempt to oust the popular Sandinista government from power. On the other hand I felt that the Sandinista-led people’s revolution which overthrew the oppressive regime of Anastasio Somoza was glorious and helped provide hope for the downtrodden and I couldn’t wait to be a part of it. The…
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THE BLACK CORAL FACTORY OF MANAGUA
I don’t recall exactly how it all transpired as I write this nearly 40 years after it happened. I was in Managua in July of 1987 visiting some old friends and seeing how the Sandinista Revolution had been progressing since I left in 1985. I was keen to see some black coral. I had documented the black coral trade on Nicaragua’s Corn Island a few years earlier, but wanted to see some more. I really don’t know if I wanted to buy some or document the industry, which could be seen…
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