The Rama-Kriol Territorial Government (GTRK), based in Bluefields, is responsible for administering a territorial bloc that broadly corresponds to ancient Rama ancestral lands. As a local authority, it provides political representation to both indigenous and Afro-descendant communities. Interamericana talked to the GTRK’s President, Mr Santiago Thomas, about Law 445, the demarcation process and recent acts of violence that have occurred in Rama lands.
After the passing of Nicaragua’s progressive Law 445 in 2003, which demands the official demarcation of all indigenous and Afro-descendant territories, The National Commission for Demarcation and Titling (CONADETI) was created. Interamericana talked to CONADETI about law 445, the challenges of demarcation, and the problematic nature of Nicaraguan politics. This post features nearly 30 minutes of interview footage.
Subject to harsh tropical elements, the Caribbean port of Bluefields carries an unmistakeable air of decay. But like any good Central American town, life here is conducted in the street, whatever its state. This photo set features an excerpt and link to a piece published on the award-winning Perceptive Travel website.
Mr Edgar ‘Rasta’ Coulsen is a native of the Caribbean town of San of Juan del Norte – an end of the world settlement perched at the mouth of the Rio San Juan. In this short video interview, Interamericana talked to him about the changes that have taken place in the region since his childhood.
Nicaragua’s Caribbean Coast followed a very different course of development from its Pacific cousin. It was the English, not the Spanish, who made colonial strides here, drawing together the region’s indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples under the banner of the Miskito Kingdom. This article gives a brief history of the region and its on-going dream of autonomy, 1710-2003.
Nicaragua’s Caribbean provinces have been engaged in a struggle for greater autonomy ever since they were annexed in 1860. Finally, in 2003, a new law was passed demanding the demarcation and titling of all Nicaragua’s indigenous and Afro-descedant lands. That law is law 445, defined, explored and explained in this article.
Nicaragua’s Rio San Juan province is one of the most verdant and entrancing locales in all Central America. Home to the vast and endlessly meandering San Juan river – a waterway that connects Lake Nicaragua in the west with the Caribbean sea in the east – the region was nearly selected as the site for a transoceanic canal. Fortunately, the concession went to Panama, and the province remains a bastion of remote intrigue, as this photo set attests.
The remote jungle gateway of San Carlos is perched between Lake Nicaragua, the Costa Rican border, rainforests and the San Juan river. It is an important transportation hub, but it sees few visitors beyond the itinerant workers and frontier-men who pass through on their way to ever more obscure locales. This brief snippet, first published by The Independent in 2009, describes a black-out I experienced when I visited the town.
One day, me and my compadres took a trip up the Río Istiam – a tranquil waterway that meanders inland at the isthmus between Ometepe’s two volcanoes, Concepción and Maderas. The river is home to abundant bird life, caimans, turtles and herds of indolent livestock. Many thanks to Jennifer Kennedy and the three Matts – Barwick, Hicks and Ashford, who appear in this video clip.
The mystical island of Ometepe, rising from Lake Nicaragua with twin volcanoes, exudes an intense, otherworldly quality. Scores of ancient statues and clay urns litter the isle, where a highly organized society once lived, thrived, died and practiced wide-spread human sacrifice. I began to wonder if any remnants of the old religion had survived the centuries, and my search for ancient traditions led straight to the unsettling world of sorcery.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
0 Comments