Goodbye Heroes and Martyrs

As we have navigated through Nicaragua and been exploring its history and culture, we quickly noticed that Nicaragua has a unique way in which it honors its heroes and martyrs that provides an important glimpse into the country's values and psyche. We learned about, talked about and focused on many of these folks during our time in Nicaragua and in previous blogs, ranging from poets to athletes to dancers to revolutionaries.

One of these folks who has captured my interest is Carlos Fonseca. We were previously wondering why Carlos Fonseca was not recognized in monuments or on T-Shirts like his spiritual counterpart from Cuba, Che Guevara. Was he too radical or leftist for even the Sandinista leadership that still governs Nicaragua today? Had he been forgotten 35 years after his assasination? Were the many books we read on Carlos Fonseca misguided? What was the real story?

In our visit to Managua, we finally found the Carlos Fonseca tomb. This resting place, in a very prominent location immediately off Plaza de Revoluccion, was elegant and is surrounded by azul-tiled pools with an eternal flame to symbolize Fonseca's contributions to Nicaraguan thought and the revolution. As we experienced the memorial, it finally struck me what was happening. Fonseca, by not being seen and featured all over the country, but instead enshrined in one magnificent place, is elevated and his stature heightened. This elegant monument is truly a haunting place and it brought the full force and significance of the 1979 revolution into sharp focus.

Another prominent hero and martyr--Augusto Sandino--stands tall over Managua in a very symbolic way. We walked around the grounds at the top of the Tiscapa Crater, the highest point in Managua (1.6 million people) where the Somoza Presidential Palace was located before the 1972 earthquake destroyed most of Managua, including the Palace. The Tiscapa memorial now has a larger than life statue of Augusto Sandino, the national hero who is the namesake for the Sandinista movement and party. Sandino was assasinated near this spot (supposedly by the Somoza family), as he was leaving a meeting at the Presidential Palace with President Sacasa. With the Somoza family in power, Sandino was hardly recognized in Nicaragua for thirty years after his death. It was Carlos Fonseca who had a large role in intellectually exploring Sandino, his role in Nicaragua, and then capturing Sandino's philosophies (and his name) in creating the FSLN that ultimately led the successful 1979 revolution against the Somoza regime. You can still get a feeling for the nature of "torturo las noches" in seeing El Chipotle, the prison and chambers under the same hill overlooking Managua where political prisoners have been brutally tortured for the past century. An eerie place after reading many accounts of the brutal political tactics that have pervaded Nicaraguan and Latin American politics for the past century.

The next evening as we were experiencing the music, dance and poetry of Nicaraguan culture, our friend Mundo read Ruben Dario's Autumn in Springtime, his sister Marianna presented his Los Cisnes (the Swans) from memory and then our friend Flavia read his famous poem, To Margarita Debayle. In English, Margarita is a beautiful poem for what it says--in Spanish it is magical for not only what the words say, but for the way the words all come together in a truly beautiful song. It was obvious after hearing heartfelt renditions of these poems why Ruben Dario is a deserving national hero and why we had seen him all over the country.

As we were getting ready to depart for the U.S., our amigo and Managua companion and guide, Roberto, had found a Carlos Fonseca T-Shirt that he presented to me as we were leaving. Earlier, our friend Flavia presented us with a beautiful copy of Ruben Dario's famous book of poems: Azul. These treasures meant a lot to us not only as a sign of friendship, but I am also guessing as an acknowledgment of appreciation for our efforts to delve into and better understand this beautiful Central American country and its wonderful and very proud people!

As we were departing Nicargua and standing in line for passport inspection in the Augusto Sandino Aeropeurto, we were struck by and could not help notice (and then smile with warm memories!) about the larger-than-life portraits of Augusto Sandino and Ruben Dario that graced the airport walls. Although there was not a portrait of Carlos Fonseca--his eternal flame for Nicaragua was casting a warm glow on those same walls.

Posted by David