MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1999
Action and Activists
By Tricia Thompson[Tricia Thompson lives on Kia orana, one of the Cook Islands] In 1985, the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior was bombed and sunk by French agents in my home country of New Zealand, New Zealand activists stopped a NZ Rugby team playing in South Africa, the NZ Labour Government had incurred the wrath of the USA by refusing to accept nuclear ships and I was privileged to visit Nicaragua.
We stayed with local families in rural communities, documented their roles in the revolution, visited schools and admired the courage and commitment of the young people involved in the literacy campaigns. We talked with factory workers and workers in co-operatives, listened to tobacco and coffee farmers talk at public meetings and watched the debates on TV about forming a constitution.
It was wonderful to see women taking control and painful but amazing to hear their stories of struggle and survival. So much was happening so fast in a dynamic, ever changing scene. I learnt so much about how communities working together really can make a difference in people's lives.
Our photos and stories were developed into a kit for secondary social studies programs in NZ schools and distributed by a local development agency. A Nicaragua Must Survive Campaign ran throughout New Zealand with concerts, meetings, festivals and speakers raising funds and resources which were sent to Nicaragua.
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