Flying into the Managua airport above the tin roofs and streets of colorful vehicles is both a trip into the past and a window to the future. In Managua’s haphazard surroundings of people trying to wash your car window, of street vendors and of huge contrasts in wealth is where the beauty of human rights first really worked its way into my thoughts. It is where working at an orphanage and painting the walls drew me to connect the meaning and beauty of art as a possibility of an answer to some of the world’s problems. Not the answer, but a part of the answer nonetheless.
Now I am back in Nicaragua as the first leg of this round the world project. Back to the streets and centers where it all started, only this time new occupations have sprung up in the streets, besides the usual car-window washing and snack selling there is a new growth of people juggling fire and dressing up as clowns, to make things more interesting.
Perhaps a quick introduction would be helpful for those who don’t know about me or my project. My name is Amy Powers; I am a senior, French and Chinese Major, and I am incredibly blessed in the fact that I am on a one-year, round the world scholarship studying my project of choice.
My topic is Art and activism; particularly the role of art in the human rights movements. The inspiration for this has come from some amazing experiences abroad with Wofford. One of the first experiences with Wofford Abroad was a program which allowed for students to design an interim around service. That trip to Nicaragua is what I consider the prelude to this trip, really, because the purpose was the same; find a way to use art to serve in human rights.
After that trip came a study abroad semester in Senegal, where part of my independent study project was painting murals with kids at a center for street kids. Again, this situation brought home how powerful art is in healing and growing.
I hope to understand more and more as the year goes along of exactly how art can play a role in the struggle for justice and human rights. For now, my first few days in Nicaragua, I have been sitting in on some of SIT Nicaragua (another study abroad program)’s lectures about social movements and history in Nicaragua. They have really helped me to understand so much more about the country of Nicaragua, the passionate politics, and some of the long term human rights issues here. But really what I have learned that is the most important is how little I know.
This weekend I had the chance to travel to Granada, which is a colonial town of Nicaragua, my host sister and I had fun checking out the art, the scenery, and trying to figure out a few contacts. I’ll be putting my nose to the grinder to get some work done and get out more in the next few days, so keep posted for the beginning of a new adventure!
Itinerary of Countries
September 6th Nicaragua
October 8th Ecuador
November 12th India
December 20th Tanzania
January 31 Rwanda
March 3 Thailand
April 1 Morocco
May 1 USA
Amy! I hope you are having an amazing time! And I will be reading your blogs 🙂