Managua billboards

Hello faithful blog followers. We have long been fascinated by the government-sponsored billboards all over Managua (and along the highways in the rest of the country). Here are a few of them with my (Beth's) explanations and/or commentary.

"We turned 30 fulfilling our promises! Country and freedom!"

Happy Birthday, Alan! He was born in 1979, just a few months after the Sandinista Revolution triumphed in Nicaragua. So last year was all about celebrating turning 30! But there are still several of these billboards around, so we are still celebrating. Sometime you should ask Alan to model for you his pink t-shirt that says the same thing (a gift from our neighbor, who is part of the Sandinista youth movement). The face on the billboard is President Daniel Ortega (also one of the military commanders in the revolution who became president for the first time in 1980).

"Nicaragua: Christian, Socialist, In Solidarity! 31 years of triumphs: The revolution lives on!"

Now we are completing 31 years since the revolution. Here we have Daniel Ortega alongside other Nicaraguan heroes--Sandino (in the hat) was a revolutionary in the 1920s/30s, struggling for national sovereignty and the expulsion of US troops. Rubén Darío (black suit) is a very famous poet from Nicaragua. On the left, a famous painting depicts a "Yanqui"--one of those occupying Nicaragua in the 1850s--disarmed by Nicaraguan legend Andres Castro throwing a rock.

According to this billboard, we're still Christian, socialist, and in solidarity. Rhetoric does not always match reality. Nicaragua does provide some semblance of healthcare and education to all its citizens, but the economic system is far from socialist. The wealthy of the country (including current and former political leaders from all parties) enjoy all the advantages of capitalism while trying to win the favor of the masses who live on less than $2/day.

ALBA is the inter-Latin American trade agreement designed as an alternative to CAFTA and other free trade agreements between the US and the rest of the Americas. The other day we drove past a new power plant under construction with ALBA funds. It is difficult to see very many other impacts from ALBA, either due to the lack of transparency about the spending of the funds or to the minimal impact of the agreement.

"Wanted: thieves. Would you vote for these thieves?" The presidential elections are coming up in 2011. Ortega is doing everything in his power to be re-elected (something that was not constitutionally permitted when we arrived in Nicaragua), including early campaigns against his two major opponents: Eduardo Montealegre (left) and Arnoldo Aleman (right).

"Giving Hope. Giving Happiness. Giving money to your national lottery." Look at how this nice, pink, Christian, socialist government is giving happiness to its people! Buying and selling lottery tickets can be seen everywhere in Managua, from our local street corner to the airport. Incidentally, the guy in the yellow shirt goes to our church.

"Keeping our promises to the people is keeping our promises to God!" I think I may have posted this one before, but as one who has always been fascinated by civil religion, I am interested in all the religious rhetoric by this government. As in many countries, invoking the name of God is very unifying for Nicaraguans. In everyday conversation it is also very common from the mouths of both Catholics and Protestants. "See you tomorrow if God wants it." "I am fine, thanks be to God."

Hope you enjoyed this brief Managua tour and are now sufficiently familiar with the contours of Daniel Ortega's face! See you next time, si Dios quiere.