Somehow autumn happened and I didn't post a few final photos from my summer with the ATC in Nicaragua:
Visit to the community of Santa Julia
Santa Julia (a small community outside of the capital city of Managua) is home to the Gloria Quintanilla Women's Cooperative and its founder, ATC leader Doña Lola. This community has a long history of women-organized resistance against oppressive employers and land policies. We spent two days with the women of Santa Julia learning about their community organizing and adoption of ecological farming methods to face challenges from climate change to machismo. We also dialogued about the community's hosting of foreign visitors and volunteers (the town has frequent visitors from around the world), and marketing of agricultural products to the local community.
Final days at the Escuela Campesina
I organized a practicum for myself in lombricultura (worm composting). I had some experience doing home worm composting but wanted to learn the techniques that I was seeing at a number of the projects I had visited while traveling around the country. ATC Matagalpa member German brought some worms down from Santa Emilia's Rudolfo Sanchez Bustos Agricultural Institute and talked about how he does worm composting.
Then, at the end of August, it was time for the Central America Assembly of La Via Campesina organizations, which took place at the school. Each country shared its strengths and struggles and many discussions were held about how the Central American countries can work together to address climate change, challenge patriarchy, and implement agroecology.
Some of us even took an excursion on the last day of the assembly to the little islands of Granada:
The work continues:
While I left Nicaragua in September, I continue to stay involved with the ATC as a coordinator of Friends of the ATC, a Global North-based institution that strengthens network of solidarity & support for the ATC and the connected Via Campesina movement. I'm happy with the work so far, and I'm glad to have finally found a place where those I work with are articulating struggles for social justice that are in alignment with my own world view.
I represented Friends of the ATC at the School of the Americas protest in November, an annual convergence of people who are working to resist US empire and militarization. I met people on the Left from throughout the States and Americas and talked to them about food sovereignty as a response to neoliberal economic polices and US empire. I received a positive response and was also reminded of the potential for many different movements to effectively work together.
The puppetistas at the SOA vigil were especially memorable for me. The story depicted peasants who overcame free trade policies and agricultural corporations in order to re-gain autonomy and community health. The puppetistas provide a hopeful note after the the solemn funeral procession where names of hundreds of innocent people who have been killed by SOA graduates are read.
My first big project with Friends of the ATC is organizing a delegation to Nicaragua that will focus on food sovereignty and agroecology through the lens of social movements. We'll be visiting some of the places I featured on my blog over the summer. Please consider joining me and what will be an inter-generational group of students, activists, and farmers. You can contact me at erikatakeo.atc@gmail.com for more information or an application. And, if you're on Facebook, please keep in touch by liking and following the Friends of the ATC's page.
Saludos,
Erika
Visit to the community of Santa Julia
Santa Julia (a small community outside of the capital city of Managua) is home to the Gloria Quintanilla Women's Cooperative and its founder, ATC leader Doña Lola. This community has a long history of women-organized resistance against oppressive employers and land policies. We spent two days with the women of Santa Julia learning about their community organizing and adoption of ecological farming methods to face challenges from climate change to machismo. We also dialogued about the community's hosting of foreign visitors and volunteers (the town has frequent visitors from around the world), and marketing of agricultural products to the local community.
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| Saturday agroecology course in Santa Julia - drawing farm maps. |
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| Pitayaha (dragon fruit) on Doña Lola's farm. |
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| Dragon fruit. |
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| Delicious elote from Lola's farm. |
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| The ubiquitous Nicaraguan red bean. |
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| Lola's red beans and coffee being sold at the local feria (market) in Crucero. |
Final days at the Escuela Campesina
I organized a practicum for myself in lombricultura (worm composting). I had some experience doing home worm composting but wanted to learn the techniques that I was seeing at a number of the projects I had visited while traveling around the country. ATC Matagalpa member German brought some worms down from Santa Emilia's Rudolfo Sanchez Bustos Agricultural Institute and talked about how he does worm composting.
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| Taking notes, next to the big worm bin. |
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| Cleaning the cow manure for the worms. |
Then, at the end of August, it was time for the Central America Assembly of La Via Campesina organizations, which took place at the school. Each country shared its strengths and struggles and many discussions were held about how the Central American countries can work together to address climate change, challenge patriarchy, and implement agroecology.
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| Mística by LVC Central America's political commission. |
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| Cuban and Nicaraguan leaders share political updates. |
Some of us even took an excursion on the last day of the assembly to the little islands of Granada:
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| A packed bus: Central Americans, US Americans, a Canadian, and a European. |
The work continues:
While I left Nicaragua in September, I continue to stay involved with the ATC as a coordinator of Friends of the ATC, a Global North-based institution that strengthens network of solidarity & support for the ATC and the connected Via Campesina movement. I'm happy with the work so far, and I'm glad to have finally found a place where those I work with are articulating struggles for social justice that are in alignment with my own world view.
I represented Friends of the ATC at the School of the Americas protest in November, an annual convergence of people who are working to resist US empire and militarization. I met people on the Left from throughout the States and Americas and talked to them about food sovereignty as a response to neoliberal economic polices and US empire. I received a positive response and was also reminded of the potential for many different movements to effectively work together.
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| Protesting at the for-profit immigration detention center in Lumpkin, GA. |
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| Tabling at the gates of Fort Benning, where the SOA is located. |
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| SOA Watch leaders and founder Father Roy Bourgeois leading the vigil. |
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| Vigil at the gates of Fort Benning. |
The puppetistas at the SOA vigil were especially memorable for me. The story depicted peasants who overcame free trade policies and agricultural corporations in order to re-gain autonomy and community health. The puppetistas provide a hopeful note after the the solemn funeral procession where names of hundreds of innocent people who have been killed by SOA graduates are read.
 |
| Puppetistas: Peasants on left, export bananas on right. |
My first big project with Friends of the ATC is organizing a delegation to Nicaragua that will focus on food sovereignty and agroecology through the lens of social movements. We'll be visiting some of the places I featured on my blog over the summer. Please consider joining me and what will be an inter-generational group of students, activists, and farmers. You can contact me at erikatakeo.atc@gmail.com for more information or an application. And, if you're on Facebook, please keep in touch by liking and following the Friends of the ATC's page.
Erika
