So, many of you know I grew up in Nicaragua. Or, like my husband likes to put it, “she grew up in Communism”, as he lovingly makes fun of my stories about when we only had oatmeal and water to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner during the Revolution in 1979. The Sandinistas took over and after that, the unwritten rule was that you never wore the colors red and black together, unless, you know, you were with *them*. Many women were angry because those were great fashion combination colors. But, you just didn’t want to be associated with the little, tattered red/black flags hanging on TV antennas on people’s roofs.
I saw on facebook that many of my high school friends were joining this “march for democracy” in Managua yesterday and I was ultra-curious about what this was. (My friends don’t *march* on the *streets*). So I was surprised to see that people of all socio-economic classes, ages, and political affiliations, had joined the “blue and white” march (for the colors of our flag). They’re all protesting the current socialist president’s pact with the liberal ex-president who happens to be convicted for money-laundering (I went to school with his son). They’re protesting against hunger (the price of beans has tripled in the last few months and some can only afford to eat beans twice a week now, THIS is horrendous in my eyes, haha), and they’re also protesting against this institutional dictatorship. So women holding babies on their hips, old men, young, ex-revolutionaries, feminist women, bohemian poets, idealist students, the bourgeoisie, all backed up the “blue and white” flag. And this ladies and gentlemen, is a step forward for our country!
I found this funny picture that only Nicaraguans would understand, but I think if you love sarcasm you can still catch a glimpse of how spunky this united march was. Use your imagination and guess *who* in Nicaragua is being *sent* to Venezuela. The little girl alligator is his wife. (you can click on each picture to enlarge)
~Ines