Es un monstro grande y pisa fuerte
Toda la pobre inocencia de la gente
These words, transformed into a Latin American-international anthem by the late Argentine singer Mercedes Sosa, were brought to life at a recent tribute concert by Nicaragua’s most famous musicians. The words rang throughout the open-air restaurant, echoed by hundreds of Nicaraguans, all of whom knew them by heart. Mercedes Sosa was an enormous, deep voiced woman famous for taking little-known songs and transcending them into profound, revolutionary, and almost spiritual Latin American hymns.
I was overwhelmed with joy to be present among so many adored local musicians and to take part in the singing of songs written in distant countries but known so well by people in so many different countries. Especially exciting for me was the performance of three songs by Victor Jara. He was a Chilean musician from the 1960s and 70s, tortured and murdered by a U.S.-backed military dictatorship for daring to utter words of peace, love, and revolution in his songs. In Managua, Nicaragua in 2009, everyone knew every word of his songs. Victor Jara’s music and the songs made famous by Mercedes Sosa seem to transcend their artist, their nationality, and time.
The last act of the concert was Luis Enrique Mejia Godoy (my favorite live local artist) accompanied by his brother Carlos Mejia Godoy (Nicaragua’s undisputed greatest musician). Seeing Carlos live in concert has always been a dream of mine since coming to Nicaragua. He is the author of most local revolutionary hymns and pseudo-national anthems, and has been making music since the 1970s. The two brothers, now in their 60s, to me touch the soul of Nicaragua through their music. They are a part of its history, its politics, and its culture. Watching them sing of the beauty of their country and its people with so much energy and emotion was a profound encounter with the culture and the soul of this country.
My health and that of this country
I consider myself around 90% recovered from my bout with dengue fever. I still have remarkably little energy and cannot do anything for half a day without some deep rest. But I feel much better each day and each week and am much more active than I was before. It is physically challenging to get back into my work rhythm, but it is very rewarding as I enjoy being back in the company of my coworkers and the bank women.
Apparently I am not alone in my struggles with dengue; the disease has turned into a bit of an epidemic here, according to newspaper headlines and warnings from the U.S. embassy. Everyone knows someone who has dengue- Norma Helena Gadea, a famous local musician, would have played at the Mercedes Sosa tribute concert had she not come down with dengue the day of! Needless to say I have gone to extraordinary measures to avoid mosquito bites. Luckily the country is experiencing a bit of a drought, because heavy rains would make the already out-of-control dengue even worse. Unfortunately that means farmers don’t grow food and Managua gets in a pinch for fruit, veggies, beans, and rice.
El Recreo
Work and life in El Recreo is great (aside from the extreme poverty and violence of course). The banks continue to grow in size, which spells more work for me but more women who get loans (over 300 now). For a recent cultural celebration I asked Dona Aura (the 65 year old cook at the Project) to accompany me in singing De Colores, a good old fashioned Central American sing-a-long. I was a little nervous to play guitar and sing in front of a big crowd, but Dona Aura’s energy and joy calmed my nerves and helped me savor the moment.
I´m attaching a few pictures below- the first is of Nicaraguan traditional dance at a celebration at the Project. Picture #2 is Amber and me sporting our brand new Proyect Generando Vida shirts (I´m unhappy to have my picture taken at the end of a long day). The third is a picture of my community on a weekend retreat, overlooking the Laguna de Masaya. The last two were taken during a bank desembolso, a meeting with the women in which we give out the loans and eat delicious food to celebrate. Thanks for reading!
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