Plaza de la Revolución (Revolution Square) in Managua.

By Saher Al Khamash

The author was part of a solidarity delegation of members of the Workers World Party and the Bronx Anti-War Coalition that traveled to Nicaragua for a memorial event in July.n the 45th anniversary of the victory of the Sandinista Revolution.

A week in Nicaragua expanded my imagination in ways that weren’t possible in decades in the United States. I had the honor of celebrating one of the most festive times of the year in the country, when Nicaraguans celebrate the victory of the Sandinista Revolution.

After arriving in Managua, our journey began not with setting up our accommodations, but with visiting museums and historic houses. Here my comrades and I learned about Augusto Nicolás Calderón Sandino, a proud indigenous man who organized a small guerrilla uprising that eventually led to the liberation of Nicaragua from US occupation.

During our further journey we encountered Sandino many times in the country, in monuments, murals and even on T-Shirts. I was surprised to find out that Sandino’s revolutionary activities took place in the 1930s, while the Sandinista revolution that Somoza Decades later, a regime change occurred under the leadership of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN).

The Sandinista National Liberation Front, named after Sandino, is just one example of how history is preserved in Nicaragua. Heroes and martyrs remain an integral part of Nicaraguan society, all of them aware of the history of their country and the sacrifices they made to ensure a dignified life for future generations.

While historical amnesia in the United States serves as a weapon to numb the masses and suppress mass mobilization against the war machine of the ruling class regime we call our government, in Nicaragua, the preservation of history is an important tool to maintain the values ​​and spirit of revolution in everyday life.

So what are the values ​​of the revolution? What is the legacy of the Sandinista revolution? It was really eye-opening to see a society where people exercise so much autonomy and are as politically aware as they are politically active. Our delegation met with union representatives, leaders of local water committees, health professionals and other everyday people. Working classSS men who hold positions of political power.

Each and every one of them has worked to help the poor and alleviate poverty through the development of infrastructure and access to basic needs. While in the United States the fate of the people is dictated by the ruling class, Nicaragua is an example of what true sovereignty, self-determination and a society governed by the working class can look like.

A visit to the workshop for hospital mothers in Nueva Vida.

Prioritize people and relationships

Nicaragua also taught valuable lessons about putting life first – reclaiming humanity and valuing people and relationships. -– over profit. One of the many moving experiences was our visit to the Nueva Vida Clinic, which is located in a modest community in Managua. which operates exclusively on a donation basis.

Despite its limited resources, the clinic provides holistic and accessible health services. It offers a wide range of services, from primary care to dentistry and psychiatry, and also conducts home visits. Health workers also identify various social and health needs within the community to create special group programs.

For example, the clinic developed a youth initiative to combat youth violence and set up groups for young pregnant women in response to early pregnancy. On the day my comrades and I visited, there were mothers with children ranging in age from newborns to 3-year-old came together for a workshop that focused on their specific needs.

As someone interested in women’s health, I was excited to watch the session. One by one, mothers came out onto the outdoor patio, each balancing a baby in one hand and pulling out a chair with the other. After aboutt20 After a few minutes had passed without the workshop starting, I became a little impatient and asked our Nicaraguan tour guide Harold when it would start. He turned to me and answeredied: “It starts when everyone is there. They know that not all the mothers are there. Some are still coming in little by little.”

And just like that, a switch was flipped in my brain.

Mural depicting the martyrs of the 1959 student protests massacred by the National Guard in León, Nicaragua. At the top is Carlos Foncesca Amador, founder of the FSLN.

“Shift our values ​​towards humanity”

When I think about this moment, I realize how different The The perception of time is different in Nicaragua compared to the United States. In Nicaragua, not only is the overall pace of life slower, but interpersonal relationships take precedence, meaning that time adjusts to those connections. In the United States, on the other hand, relationships often adjust to time, as time takes precedence over our connections with one another.

That’s why someone on the bus in New York won’t hesitate to swear on you if you don’t get out of their way at a pace they consider fast enough. Instead of acknowledging the undignified situation we all share – being crammed like sardines in a bus while COVID-19 is still present – people are directing their anger and frustration at each other rather than the fundamental structural problem.

In a society where time is money and most people barely have enough to keep themselves afloat, more people need to Neighbours aand realise that part of the solution lies in acknowledging that each of us deserves a dignified life full of love and protection and that we can only achieve this for one another as a united collective.

At the heart of the revolution is a deep love for people, and peace is our victory. To learn lessons from the Nicaraguan revolution, we must begin to shift our values ​​toward humanity, respecting and loving people, and working toward a dignified life for all. We must also address the material needs of our communities by asking what they need and how we can meet those needs. How can we empower people to achieve autonomy in their daily lives?

Finally, we must prioritize literacy and cultivate political and class consciousness in the United States. It is essential to help people recognize the erosion of their basic rights and dignity, because only through collective struggle and love can we win back these rights for our people and our country. In the words of one of the union representatives we met with, “Don’t prepare for war, prepare for peace.”