Three students and two exiled professionals explain why going back to Nicaragua isn’t in their plans, as they contemplate a future far from their native land.
By Ivan Olivares (Confidencial)
HAVANA TIMES – Six years after the 2018 April Rebellion and the violent government repression that followed, hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans have gone into exile. Many of the younger members of that diaspora have resumed their studies in the countries that took them in. Now, seeing that the repression hasn’t ceased, they view a return to Nicaragua as ever more difficult.
While, at first, the dream was to continue studying and be ready to return and support the reconstruction of a freed Nicaragua, the passage of the years and the conviction that the dictatorship is going to last for a long time is leading many of them to leave that dream behind.
“There are all kinds [of exiles]. There are kids who already said goodbye to the country and have no interest in returning. There are others who are studying here, with their minds set on returning. As in any process of exile – and we’ve seen this historically – some will stay, others will return, but in the end it’s the homeland that loses,” explains a Nicaraguan educator, now in Costa Rica.
It’s estimated that over 800,000 Nicaraguans are now living out of the country. As many as half of them left for exile after the regime led by Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo ordered the Police and paramilitary to use bullets to quelch the demonstrations of protesting citizens demanding freedom, justice and democracy.
Flor and Gustavo are two Nicaraguans over 40, both with Master’s degrees in Law. Although they still love their country, they’ve opted to continue their lives in other places – she in the US, and he in Spain. They’re well aware that their return to Nicaragua isn’t something that’s just around the corner.
“I live with my suitcase under the bed, always thinking how I might return, but after so many years, Nicaragua isn’t any better off. You can imagine this continuing for any number of years. The regime is set on not allowing even the tiniest pinch of organization, and only by being organized can we construct something like opposition,” Flor says. She adds: “you need to be where you have peace.” Although she wishes that place were Nicaragua, she fears that “ours is a failed system.”
For his part, Gustavo recognizes, “I haven’t been able to break away from my culture, nor from Nicaragua. In my house, we maintain the Nicaraguan traditions: our food, our way of talking – we maintain that a hundred percent. I’m proud to be Nica, but going back to live in Nicaragua – no, I think not. That’s not because I feel detached, but because I see reality, and it’s that the Ortega dictatorship isn’t going to fall.”
From a Master’s in Law to legal aide
Flor is an older woman, married and mother of four. She’s passionate about the law and about Nicaragua, the country she had to leave three years ago, when the government’s pursuit of all those who opposed it increased in intensity. Her destination was the United States, where she managed to settle with her family nucleus, waiting for the waters to calm.
But the waters never calmed. Instead, the sociopolitical situation in Nicaragua has continued deteriorating, to the point where 5,500 non-profit organizations have been shuttered, including hundreds of religious and trade associations.
While this was going on, and in the face of the need to generate an income to support her children’s studies, Flor found out that she herself had to return to the classroom, because her two Master’s from Nicaragua had no value in the United States.
“Here, you have to be certified. You can have 20 years of experience and five titles from your country, but outside of Nicaragua those diplomas are worthless. You have to get certified and have a credential issued here. Even if you’ve been a respected professional in your country, you get no recognition,” she explains.
Though she had some