Make Dance, Not War!

It’s Veterans’ Day there in the U.S. of A., and I understand Wall Street is open for business. Says a lot about how much the capitalists think of our troops, doesn’t it? “Just keep America safe … for our profits,” I suppose would be their motto.

Here in Costa Rica, my thoughts are on the men and women in uniform all around the world, visualizing their safe return to their families and an end to all the conflicts, and I’m remembering my father who fought in World War II with the Navy Seabees. As much of a pacifist as I consider myself to be, I was reminded this morning of the importance of Costa Rica’s friendship with the armed nations of the hemisphere when I saw headlines stating: “U.S. Willing To Help In Costa Rica - Nicaragua Dispute If Asked” and “Canada Offers Costa Rica Military Aid.”  It seems that the disagreement with Nicaragua over just where the international border between the two nations lies is not yet over. Nicaragua is accusing Costa Rica of “expansionist pretensions,” while Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla calls the San Juan River dredging by Nicaragua “the invasion of one nation [by] another.”

Apparently, the river has changed its course over the decades since the Cañas-Jerez  treaty of 1858  established the meandering waterway as the official dividing line between the two nations. In that agreement, Costa Rica’s northern boundary was identified as the southern bank of the river, with Nicaragua owning the river itself but granting Costa Rica unrestricted use of the waterway. An area known in Costa Rica as Isla Calero, but as Isla Portillo in Nicaragua, is now the contested part of a vast network of lagoons and water channels that makes up the eastern mouth of the San Juan where it empties into the Atlantic. And in an almost comical twist to the tale, Costa Rican media is blaming Google Maps for the confusion because it shows Isla Calero as being in Nicaraguan territory. Although Nicaragua denies that it relied on the maps, Google officials are scrambling to correct what they say was an “inaccuracy” in their online service. (Image courtesy of Search Engine Land.) 

In an effort at peace-making, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) has recommended that all armed forces leave the disputed area on the Rio San Juan and that the two countries cooperate to clarify and demarcate the boundary. So far, Nicaragua has refused to remove its troops, arguing that they are on their own national soil, not trespassing on Costa Rican land. In fact, on Wednesday afternoon, the entire Nicaraguan National Assembly, which is ordinarily divided and squabbling along partisan lines, held a special legislative session in a local gym on the banks of the San Juan to send a unified message of defiance to Costa Rica and the OAS. But this is not the first time these two countries have argued about borders and it likely won’t be the last. Evidently, Nicaragua holds an historical grudge for Costa Rica’s annexation of the northern province of Guanacaste and the Nicoya Peninsula 186 years ago, following a democratic vote by residents there to join the nation to the south instead of Nicaragua to the north. Time to get over it, boys!

Meanwhile, life here in Atenas, many miles away from Rio San Juan, seems unaffected by the quarrel. We are yet to hear any of our Tico friends discuss the situation and the regular Friday feria or farmers’ market has been busy as always. Unfortunately, the organic feria has been suspended indefinitely because the recent heavy rains ruined much of the crops and transportation problems related to washed out roads has prevented deliveries. But the children’s dance festival was held last weekend as scheduled and it was a festive affair indeed, with homemade food dishes and desserts for sale and cars parked in every available space near the Catholic Church community center.

Billed as “Una Hora Para Bailar” or An Hour For Dance, it was put on by Su Espacio (Your Space), an activity center and dance studio that offers ballet classes, English and Spanish classes, Pilates and aerobics, volunteer services and more. An annual event under the direction of Su Espacio owner Tina, the festival has been in the works for weeks. In fact, for a few of those weeks, I served as a volunteer dance instructor in the children’s ballet classes and watched as they perfected their routines for the event.

As usual for community affairs here in Atenas, the turnout was large and enthusiastic. Many local schools were represented, each putting forth costumed dancers to fill the stage with color and energetic movement. Cheering clusters of kids in the audience made it clear which team they supported and parents and grandparents beamed their pride. For about $3 per person, Layne and I enjoyed an evening of youthful dance in a lively atmosphere that truly captured the spirit of Pura Vida!

Beware Nicaraguan Cow Killers!

We’ve had some military drama over the last couple of weeks here in Costa Rica, a nation, you’ll recall, with no military. So when a neighboring country, in this case Nicaragua, starts to step on toes, it does make one a little nervous. From news bulletins, we learned that the Nicaraguans had started dredging the eastern end of the San Juan River, which forms the international border between the two countries, and was dumping the resulting sediment onto Costa Rican soil. According to a farmer whose property was being damaged by the dumped materials as well as by the unauthorized clearing of trees on his land, the man in charge of the dredging project is none other than Eden Pastora, formerly known as Commandante Cero (Commander Zero) during the Sandinista Revolution and later a Contra rebel leader. Interestingly, Pastora spent eight years in exile in this same area of Costa Rica, after breaking with the new Sandinista government in the early 1980’s.

 

Marco Reyes, the owner of a large farm on the Costa Rican side of the river, claims that the trouble started earlier in October when a number of armed men led by Pastora entered his land, informing him that the land belonged to Nicaragua. When Reyes objected and stated he was in Costa Rican sovereign territory, the Nicos, as Nicaraguans are known, harassed his workers and killed several of his cows.

        

As the situation has developed, it appears that Nicaragua was hoping to carve a new channel for the San Juan in order to open the river to more tourism, but in the process, chopping off a piece of Costa Rica for themselves. Naturally, Costa Rica lodged a protest with the Nicaraguan ambassador to Costa Rica and sent some 90 members of the National Police, a sort of army-lite, to a small village just south of the disputed river area. A Tico Times report says the police force was dressed in military fatigues and carried M-16 assault weapons, but apparently most of their duty involved periodic flyovers of the area to assess environmental damage. As of last Friday, the dredging had been moved to the Nicaraguan bank, according to one report, on the direct order of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, but a number of police were still stationed in the small town of Barra de Colorado as diplomatic efforts to settle the dispute dragged on. The river has served as a border between the two countries since a treaty in 1858 but has been a point of contention on many occasions. It’s times like these when it is nice to have a big, strong friend like the good old U.S. of A.

And it’s Halloween weekend in the States and although Costa Rica considers that a “foreign” holiday, they still find a way to celebrate. It seems to be a part of the Pura Vida lifestyle here to celebrate for just about any reason and since kids of all ages love to dress up and hide behind masks, Costa Rica has its own Día de la Mascarada Costarricense. A decree in 1997 made the fiesta official but masks have been part of the cultures of indigenous people such as the Boruca and Bribri Indians since pre-Columbian times. So Sunday will see parades full of colorful masks and costumes in cities across the country, along with dancing and music in the central parks. In Aserri, the party will last all day with a Feria de Tamal (Tamale Market) and fireworks in the evening.

But there’ll be no masks for Layne and me as we join the festivities at Kay’s Gringo Postre for a Halloween dance party tonight. Putting a costume together here just seemed beyond us this year. The best I could do was to buy a lovely seed necklace from an elderly Tica in a small home along our walk the other day. That, along with a yellow  hibiscus in my hair, will have to suffice to turn me into a “Sweetie from Tahiti,” as my beaded capri pants and top will attest. Layne says he plans to go as “a Gringo.” How’s that for creative? Just as we left the woman’s house, we encountered this spirited horse and rider, a typical Costa Rican high-stepping steed. But the caballero was cooperative enough to stop and pose for my photograph.

 

As we enjoy the music tonight, we will remember fondly the many great Halloween parties at our friend Ruth’s home in Auburn when we adults all dressed up in the most outlandish costumes and half-scared the kids who came to the door for candy, unprepared for crazy costumed grown-ups. Happy Halloween to all!