I belong to the Nicaraguan generation that was too young to fight against Somoza, but old enough to remember Sandinismo. Like many others, I stayed in Nicaragua throughout the 1980s, and I voted for Violeta Chamorro in 1990.
I thought the days of dictatorships were over then, but I was sadly mistaken. Nicaragua never had a chance to develop its fledgling democracy.
Now we are here. It has been one full year since the country erupted against Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.
Now we are here, and hopelessly divided, witnessing and experiencing a never-ending parade of of repression.
Now we are here, among the refugees of the world.
Now we are here, mourning our dead.
Today, we have reached 365 days of civic resistance against the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship.
Here is a compilation of retrospectives published by Nicaraguan and International media, marking the first anniversary of April 18. This is Part 1 of a two-post series. Part 2 collects music, graphic arts, and memes from the past year.
The Media Looks Back: Retrospectives.
Esta Semana
Carlos Fernando Chamorro and the team from Confidencial and Esta Semana produced a one-hour+ retrospective, honoring the victims of the repression.
El País
El País is one of the few international news organizations that has consistently reported on Nicaragua, primarily through the work of their correspondents Carlos Salinas Maldonado and Javier Lafuente.
A un año del inicio de las protestas que exigen el fin del Gobierno del presidente Daniel Ortega en Nicaragua, EL PAÍS presenta un especial multimedia que reúne estos 12 meses de intensa cobertura de la crisis nicaragüense https://t.co/bAbc533ceH Por @CSMaldonado y @lafuentejavi pic.twitter.com/96yFHkifKn
— EL PAÍS América (@elpais_america) April 18, 2019
Niu
Carlos Herrera, photographer at Confidencial, Niu, and contributor to El País, curated a selection of images of his work throughout the year. Niu is edited by journalist Yader Luna, and it is part of the Confidencial family of media outlets.
He revisado mi archivo de foto para hacer un homenaje a la lucha estudiantil para @Revista_Niu, esa chispa que despertó a toda Nicaragua para reclamar lo que es justo, y que al día de hoy, se mantienen firmes y consecuentes en sus demandas https://t.co/U6xM2ClLyI #SiempreAbril
— Carlos Herrera (@CH_fotografia) April 18, 2019
#Fotorreportaje | Resistencia estudiantil en la rebelión cívica a un año del 18 de abril. https://t.co/bqRFoVHUDN Fotos de @CH_fotografia en @Revista_Niu #Nicaragua1año #SiempreAbril #SOSNicaragua pic.twitter.com/GfDRTTFA8x
— Yader Luna (@Lunacero) April 18, 2019
PXMolina
The team at Niu curated a collection of editorial cartoons by PX Molina. The collection is free to download from their website.
#SiempreAbril | Descargá una selección de caricaturas con las que Pedro Molina, caricaturista de Confidencial, conmemora el primer aniversario de la Rebelión Cívica nicaragüense ➡️ https://t.co/gCDdoJti4o pic.twitter.com/oUhP6YYjfE
— Niú (@Revista_Niu) April 17, 2019
Javier Bauluz: The Rebellion of the Sandinista’s Grandchildren (originally published May 15, 2018)
Pulitzer Prize winner Javier Bauluz travelled to Nicaragua last year to document the protests. His work was published by Univision.
Hoy es 19 de Abril en Nicaragua
Ya van ocho meses de #SOSNicaraguahttps://t.co/xXy8B4nbLw— Javier Bauluz (@javierbauluz) December 18, 2018
Univisión
Univisión’s retrospective features Wilfredo Miranda, Maynor Salazar, and Javier Bauluz.
Tres nicaragüenses cuentan, desde distintas trincheras, cómo han vivido la crisis política en su país. Por @PiruloAr @Maynorsalaz y @javierbauluz https://t.co/GwbTiv3ft0
— Univision Noticias (@UniNoticias) April 18, 2019
The Conversation
Benjamin Waddell looks back over the past year in Nicaragua. He writes “I am an American scholar who has researched Nicaraguan politics for years. When the political chaos forced my family and me to abandon Managua in June 2018, I felt fairly certain that Ortega’s days were numbered. In a democratic society, I might have been right.”
#Nicaragua’s president Daniel Ortega has survived a year of widespread popular protests by using state power (including torturing opponents) and blaming it all on the U.S. https://t.co/svCB9Nqmic
— The Conversation US (@ConversationUS) April 17, 2019
Nicaragua Investiga
The team at Nicaragua Investiga is running a series today, called #EspecialesDeAbril. Here is the first installment
Remezcla
Alica Reina starts her recap of the past year with a quote from Ernesto Cardenal’s La Hora O, “But April in Nicaragua is the month of death.”
A year has passed since the beginning of the popular civic uprising, but for Nicaraguans it’s as though April 2018 never ended. https://t.co/uZ3t73K4vp
— REMEZCLA (@REMEZCLA) April 18, 2019