Some people will roll their eyes at the title “women’s rights”. And I, too, thought that the topic of women’s rights would not be a topic we still have to talk about. But, there will always be something to do when it comes to our rights. And we have to keep at it. I understand that. But I’m sure I could have a discussion with one or two people about how intensively we have to.
But when I look at some of the women in the USA? Oh man, I have no words for this.
Ever heard about “Tradwives”?
Tradwife or tradwives = “traditional wife”. Children, kitchen, church! That can’t be true. Back to the 50s, only without the flowery dress? Even if it might seem reassuring to watch women cooking and decorating elaborately, we shouldn’t forget that tradwives are ultimately just serving us what we all already know – the patriarchy – in a new and modern way on the internet.
And just as I think or thought about the issue of women’s rights, a young woman thought about the issue of human rights and wrote in a comment on the subject: “I can’t believe we’ve reached a point where we have to remind people of this.”
“Peaceful protest is a human right”
“You have the right to say what you think, share information and demand a better world.”
“You have the right to agree or disagree with those in power and to express your opinion in peaceful protests.”
Back to Nicaragua
None of this is the case in Nicaragua. Couldn’t a dictatorship perhaps even be better than any democracy? Now you’re probably rolling your eyes again. Dictatorship can be defined as “rule by a person or group that appropriates power in the state, monopolizes it and exercises it without restriction”.
Well, if that’s for the good of the people!
Plato was of the opinion that a popular community was too seducible and dependent on moods to be able to rule a country – the philosopher was an opponent of democracy. For ancient Athens, he saw a philosopher on the royal throne. Someone who embodied wisdom and justice at the top, naturally for the good of the people, but as an autocrat.
Unfortunately, such a wise man will probably never exist.
Okay, of course I won’t be able to answer this question, but with everything that’s happening in the world, you could perhaps question democracy.
Here in Nicaragua there is a dictator, or rather his wife. They implement religious views. But other religious institutions are also administered in a dictatorial manner, i.e. one person decides what all his sheep have to do. The seat of government is in Rome.
Life in a dictatorship:
People who disagree with the dictators, question their views, criticize them, are expelled from the country.
Granada
We are in Granada and it is somehow quiet and peaceful in this city. As a tourist I’m allowed to stroll around, to take pictures. Of course, this is a touristic side. And although cameras were banned, they backed down on the tourists and are now allowed again. At least that is at the discretion of the authorities. And with us old harmless people, they don’t think of spying or bad words about their country. And so I can take my completely irrelevant photos unmolested.
There is no sign of unrest, most people are doing quite well, there is enough to eat, education is free, medical care is free. Our city guide raves. But of course we sense that this is only one side of the coin. Masses of people are being evicted from their land to build roads for tourism, and more than 3,500 political associations, parties and NGOs have been suppressed and closed since 2018. The accusation: financial irregularities. This is how the government got a lot of money, because of course they withheld it.
NGOs in Granada
And, of course, NGOs were also closed, like the one here in Granada, which give young people access to artistic training in music and dance, for example.
Yes, you need these NGOs, because there is free access to education, but only if you live in the few cities and your family has enough money, otherwise you will have to work early as a child.
Our city guide is keeping a low profile. She is doing well. She opened a business in 2018 and it’s going well. The tourists are coming back. And she has positioned herself somewhere in between. She doesn’t want to be extreme right or extreme left. There isn’t really anything in between in this country. So she is looking for her way. She simply wants to continue running her business and lead a good life.
And I can so understand that. This country has been constantly torn back and forth. Everyone once wanted sole power. What madness.
Our guide in Granada is a woman with an own business
“Machismo” is still widespread in Nicaraguan culture and was one of the biggest obstacles to equal rights for women. Machismo is a source of pride for men, the assertion of superiority and dominance over women, which often leads to violence. This transgression in turn teaches women to see machismo as a normal part of culture and keep it alive, enabling and even passing on the same behavior to future generations, rather than breaking the rules and norms to create a healthier cultural behavior in their household. And so we learn that mothers care about raising their children well and perhaps even providing them with education. But that doesn’t mean that the girls don’t do the same and so on.
Of course, this is not a phenomenon unique to Nicaraguan culture.
Could a dictatorship be an alternative?
And then it occurred to me that a dictatorship could perhaps bring peace and quiet? Just to live for a change? Not for me. I grew up differently and I will continue to speak my mind. I know many people who claim that this will soon no longer be possible in Germany either, that perhaps it is already no longer possible. But that’s exactly what they’re doing by expressing their opinion, which I’m sure many in the government don’t like to hear. It’s not up to the government, it’s up to each and every one of us and if we allow ourselves to no longer be allowed to speak our minds, then it’s our fault.
I will continue to stand up for women’s rights and support people who do and continue to go to demonstrations for environmental protection. I will continue to demonstrate against wars, against weapons, for self-determination when it comes to abortion, for e-mobility, renewable energy and so much more.
Yes, I have a clear view 🙂
If you don’t want to talk to me ever again, please do. But think about whether this is not exactly what you are denouncing.
On the subject of women’s rights in Nicaragua
There are of course impressive women in this country too.
They are fighters for the environment, for women’s rights and human rights, they work for the space industry, they organize themselves in trade unions, they are ambassadors for peace.
In 2013, the World Economic Forum in Davos ranked Nicaragua among the ten countries in the world where women’s equality has been achieved the most. Within Latin America, the country is even at the top of the list. In fact, a new law for parliament and municipal councils stipulates that women must be represented 50:50 on all party lists. Women also make up half of the cabinet. At 33 percent, women are better represented in the police force than anywhere else in Central America. I also notice the latter immediately in the first few days. But I will learn that this goal is just a kind of checklist. The reality is quite different.
We will learn that a man who says he doesn’t beat his wife is already a good man.
Oh oh….
The dictator in Nicaragua is for sure not interested in women’s rights
He and his wife are only interested in themselves and their quest for power and money. Women also took to the streets with the students in 2018, taking part in the social protests that were brutally crushed.
In April 2018, there were massive protests in Nicaragua. The trigger was the increase in social security contributions and a pension reform. Protests that were brutally crushed by Ortega. 325 people died and more than 2000 were injured. Around 70,000 people have fled into exile. There is no longer any freedom of the press and demonstrations are banned.
These women are a thorn in the side of the authoritarian regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo – because as feminists, activists and part of the opposition, they have taken on leading roles.
They are arrested, tortured and ultimately many of them are expelled from the country and stripped of their citizenship. What a pathetic president.
And so the families split into those who reject the left-wing dictator and those who support him. They are divided between those who reject the old right-wing dictatorship and those who continue to support it.
And that’s how it is for our city guide in Granada. She is caught in the middle, has lost many friends and has fallen out with parts of her family because she does not take a clear stance. There is no right position for her. She is a woman, has started a business and yet, for me, she is a fighter with a clear position: women’s rights!
Street art in Nicaragua is usually about its heroes
Two of the street arts in Leon, which are not about heroes, but about what people in Nicaragua want: “Peace and Love” and “Dialog”
