Murals

The Cultural Center in Batahola Norte where I am currently the General Coordinator, is full of beautiful murals (as you can see here to the left). The first murals were painted in 1985, when two international volunteers from Australia (Ben and Michelle) came to share their talents with the community. They taught painting to the kids at the Center and together they began using the Center walls to tell stories.
Those original kids, who started painting murals by filling in outlines and practically painting "by number" became muralists in their own right--two are now Painting and Drawing instructors here, teaching yet another generation. So the first murals were painted from 1985-87, but there are many, many others that were created throughout the 1990s.

After the change of government in 1990, when the Sandinistas were voted out and the first of a succession of neo-liberal presidents (and other public officials) took office, many (if not all) public murals were painted over. I've been told that when Arnoldo Alemán was Mayor of Managua--he went on to become president in 1996 and is currently serving time for major corruption--he came to the Cultural Center with the intention of painting over our murals. Sister Margarita held firm, and thanks to her resolve the murals are still here today.