The Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua: rabble columnist draws parallels between the 1980s and now

During the 1980s, many young people from Canada and around the world traveled to Nicaragua.

Young and idealistic, they wanted to help the people of that country rebuild after the revolution which saw the election of the Sandinistas. The Sandinistas were a people's party which came to power after 40 years of military dictatorship under the repressive Somoza family.

Lois Ross is an Ottawa-based journalist and communicator who has had a longtime interest in Nicaragua. She was one of the young Canadians who went down to Nicaragua to support agrarian reform and the progressive Sandanista government. She lived in Nicaragua for two years in 1985 and 1986.

Lois is a columnist on issues of agriculture and food security for rabble. She's done two installments of a three-column series for rabble where she draws from that experience in Nicaragua all those years ago, drawing parallels with what's happening there today.

She talks to rabble podcast exec producer Victoria Fenner about her series of columns and why she wanted to write them more than 30 years later.

Read Lois's columns:

Are the real Sandinistas in Nicaragua standing up?

Nicaragua's agrarian reform and revolution 40 years on

Help make rabble sustainable. Please consider supporting our work with a monthly donation. Support rabble.ca today for as little as $1 per month!