Teodoro Alejandría

A few weeks ago, our colleague Alfredo Mires visited Teodoro Alejandría, community member and Coordinator of the Sector of la Cullana, in the South-West of the province of Cutervo.  Alfredo later told us of the exemplary encouragement displayed by Teodoro on his journeys.

Although some communites in the area have lost interest in continuing with their libraries, the effort persists in places like Conday, Chipuluc or in Cullana itself.  Teodoro encourages reading in the meetings of the Peasant Rounds – once a month- and each time youngsters meet to play on the community sports fields.  They have organised with the patrolmen what they are calling The Cultural Hour: “There we talk of the importance of reading”, Teodoro tells, “we talk about the books which we have read and say something about what we have learnt.”

The community members are dedicated to beginning the recovery of the oldest traditions, encouraged by Teodoro and the rural libararians: “We want people, for example, to understand the tradition of the farbulitos (the name given to a child who dies and becomes an angel); to respect places like the tacshana (the place where the clothes of the deceased are washed)”.

As the Nicaraguan writer Gioconda Belli said, “solidarity is the tenderness of the people”.  Dedication like that of Teodoro tells us that the road is long, but it is one worth walking.