Nicaragua Resources: Videos

"This documentary by Scott Garen, is about Abe Osheroff and his lifelong fight for social justice."

"'Hot as hell, strong as sin, and black as the devil'. However you take it-or even if you don't-coffee has a special status in society. Fast-paced and lively, Java Jive explores the vitality of cafe culture, the conditions of coffee production and the links between the two."

"Living at Risk takes us inside Sandinista Nicaragua five years after the revolution that overthrew the dictator Anastasio Somoza. Subtitled "The Story of a Nicaraguan Family," the film centers on five brothers and sisters who commit themselves to remaining and working with the revolutionary government in various professional capacities: medicine, community organizing, agricultural reform."

"The struggle for ownership of land in Nicaragua has been particularly bitter. This film takes an in-depth look at the history of agrarian reform policies since they were first instituted by the Sandinista administration in 1979. In 1979, about 20 percent of the country's rich farm land formerly owned by the Somozas was turned into state farms. Eleven years later, the Sandinistas lost power and President Violeta Chamarro dismantled the cooperative movement and established a commission to adjudicate the land claims. Farmers lost title to the land and much of the best farm land was sold to rich private individuals. Protests against the government by impoverished farmers continue to this day. An informative film for classes in the politics and economics of Latin America."

"Filmed in Nicaragua and Vietnam, the film describes the human consequences that the collapse of coffee prices has caused in producer countries. Among the poorest countries in Latin America, Nicaragua is more dependent on coffee production than other South American countries Rosa Maria Mendez buried her six-year-old son, who had died of starvation. "We have nothing left but to wait for death," she says as she looks after her five surviving children."

"In this documentary, several women describe their husbands' and partners' attacks and their frustrating attempts to obtain justice from the Nicaraguan police, district attorneys and judges. The victims are routinely ignored by the police and bureaucrats responsible for arresting their attackers. The media makes fun of the women's suffering, using songs to encourage male chauvinism."