Nicaraguan teacher says united action key to building international solidarity and peace

Since 2017 UK – Nicaragua exchanges of teachers have taken place through a continuing collaboration involving the National Education Union (NEU) and the Nicaraguan teachers union (ANDEN). See above a delegation of UK teachers who visited Nicaragua in August this year meeting ANDEN officials at the airport in Managua.

This exchange continued with a visit to the UK from 10 – 21 October by Sebastian Mendieta. Sebastian is a teacher from Diriamba in the Carazo department and also a member of ANDEN’s Executive Committee.

During his visit, Sebastian spoke at the NEU’s international solidarity conference held on 12 October in London and at an NEU Yorkshire & Humberside international solidarity conference held in Hull on 19 October.

Participants in this year’s exchange visit to Nicaragua hosted Sebastian and arranged a programme of school visits and meetings for him in their respective regions.

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The following is a transcript of the speech made by Sebastian at NEU’s international solidarity conference held on 12 October.

“I was involved in the war of liberation (against the 43-year US backed Somoza dictatorship). At the age of 16 -17, I had to leave my home because there was no peace, no tranquillity because the dictator Somoza was killing young people. It was a crime to be young. I had to do something, either sit at home and wait for death to come to me or go and fight for my family as well as for myself.

There were people from 14-18 years of age with a gun, defending our people and fighting to bring an end to the dictatorship.

.In 1979, we won this fight with the triumph of the [Sandinista] Revolution, we defeated imperialism by defeating Somoza, a puppet of imperialism.

Anastasio Somoza Debayle, the last member of the violent, corrupt, US backed dictatorship that ruled Nicaragua for 43 years that was overthrown by the Sandinista forces on 19 July, 1979.

We started to move forward with the government of reconciliation. With Daniel Ortega as our leader, we did our best to move forward with homes, schools, to rebuild after the devastation of the previous period.

Yet only a year later, that enemy of humanity started to organise a counter-revolution and launched the contra war against the people of Nicaragua. This was again a very difficult period for us, with thousands of deaths, particularly in the countryside.

And once again, it was young people who were defending the country. At that time, we received a lot of solidarity from our friends around the world, for example from Panama, Palestine, El Salvador, Argentina, Cuba, China, Venezuela, and Chile.

More than 25,000 people were killed and we had to come to a peace agreement, but the war continued. Then in 1990 President Violeta Chamorro came to power and this began a period of 16 years’ struggle against neoliberalism which we faced clandestinely, working by organising from below. We organised in the countryside and in communities because neoliberal governments never represent poor people.

At last, [in 2007] we took power, not with arms but through the ballot box. When we won the election, the situation in the country was tense, with many economic problems, lack of transport, fuel etc. and Cuba and Venezuela came to our aid. We only had electricity for four hours a day but received supplies from Venezuela, from Hugo Chavez – and Venezuela, Cuba and other countries that helped us and remain dear to our hearts.

Also, the solidarity that we have received from the UK – the solidarity from unions such as the NEU has been very important to us.

It has been a very long struggle to be where we are today. We know who our enemy is – it’s imperialism. We don’t expect to see any change with the US elections – whoever is in power will do the same as they have always done.

As our President has said we in Nicaragua have nothing against the people of the US. But it is the same group of people who want to dominate and take all of the resources and riches of the world. So why the fight against Nicaragua? It’s because Nicaragua is a beautiful country with its own natural resources – while there are struggles in the world for water, we have plenty of water, we have gold.

And why the fight against Venezuela? Because they are a primary oil producer in the world. And why Cuba, also a beautiful country. So why? It is because these countries are on the left, and Nicaragua doesn’t want to join in this imperialist game.

In 1986, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered the US to pay reparations to Nicaragua for the damage caused during the contra war, but this has never been paid. And in Venezuela, the US has frozen the country’s assets. And the US has tried to put a stranglehold on our countries.

Our President has made a statement which the whole country agrees with. If we need to mobilise Nicaraguan forces to fight in Palestine, Cuba, Venezuela or any other country, we will be there.

We can only achieve victory if we are united. The motto of our union ANDEN is ‘Only unity makes us strong and respected’. The task for us, for the left and globally is to achieve this unity, but peace building, and solidarity starts at home, in the family, in every community. Unity is important, and in Nicaragua we talk about unity of action as being important, i.e. if other people are taking action, you need to join them and not stay at home. “

Sebastian went on to thank the NEU for making his visit to the UK possible and for the opportunity to share this experience. He also thanked the NEU for their solidarity with the Nicaraguan Teachers’ union ANDEN and with Nicaragua and went on to highlight how this kind of solidarity is an example of what is needed to achieve a global solidarity movement.