Nicaragua

Dear Friends

Envío team

Greetings again from Nicaragua Libre! The past month has been a busy one here at the Instituto and we hope that our efforts result in providing you with information than is useful to you.

Among the events which took place in Nicaragua during the past month was the Second Social Sciences Congress. Over 400 persons from all over Latin America attended. A series of studies were presented concerning the Atlantic Coast, communications media, the Church, the economy, and problems of bureaucracy – all major concerns in Nicaragua today. Nicaraguan participants emphasized the need to apply theories with flexibility, constantly considering the concrete conditions of the country.

On September 9, the National Reconstruction Government announced over national television a state of economic and social emergency in the country. Comandante Daniel Ortega attributed the causes of the crisis which necessitated such action to the ongoing problems resulting from the devastated economy inherited from the Somoza dictatorship, the growing foreign debt, rising prices of necessary imports, a decrease in prices of exported products, and the continuing factor of decapitalization by some sectors.

The primary concern of the country will be in increased production. The measures announced include the prohibition of those things which seriously hamper increased production such as work stoppages in public or private transportation, the diffusion of false information used to provoke price changes, hoarding and speculation. Strikes and land or factory takeovers are prohibited except as outlined in the Agrarian Reform Law. The government has taken certain fiscal measures to improve the economy, including a 5% reduction in government spending and a 10% reduction in government subsidies, plus a substantial increase in taxes on non-essential import items. Also affected is the “parallel market” which has operated in córdobas per dollar; on the parallel market, not called a black market because it is not illegal, the rate has fluctuated between 24 and 30 córdobas per dollar in recent months. The parallel market will continue to exist but under much more stringent control of such factors as the amount of money that can be changed and the purpose for which foreign currency can be exchanged. The measure is to prevent the decapitalization that has plagued the country in recent months.

Next month, we will treat more in depth the new government measures and the effect they have on the country.

In this envío, we are covering a topic that has begun to gather attention abroad, that of the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua. It is an extremely complex and delicate situation to which there are no easy solutions. We hope that our article, which is the result of a ten-day trip to the Coast and interviews with Government, Church and community representatives, will give you some background as well as insight into the current problems there.

We are also presenting you with a view of a popular urban barrio in Nicaragua, as exemplified in some of its regular activities. We hope you will taste the vitality that we have seen and felt in our experiences in these barrios.

The church continues to be an area of conflict in Nicaragua today. Clergy, religious, laity, press and government are all affected by the dynamics that exist. Our treatment tries to give you an idea of the confusion felt by the people in the face of a bombardment of propaganda from all perspectives.

In order to amplify and diversify information from Nicaragua, we are now collaborating with the Centro Ecuménico Antonio Valdivieso. We hope that the information of both centers will prove helpful to you.

Sincerely,


Information Center Staff
Instituto Histórico Centroamericano
Apartado A-194
Managua, Nicaragua

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