Since the commercialization of the May Pole celebration, merchants from the
Pacific make the long journey to Bluefields to set up tents and sell their
goods in the central park. The merchants pay just a little
less than $400.00US to sell for the entire month of May. On the outside of the
park there were three tents each run by a black family selling beer and soft
drink while entertaining the patrons with reggae, soca and the new hit in
Bluefields "Table for Two"
photo: bluefieldspulse
As I walked through the park I noticed that there weren't much
activity going on. Not much consumers. I wondered if the merchants were selling
enough to cover their fee and at the same time make a profit for themselves. The
first stalls I saw when I entered the park were the food stalls, deep fried
chicken with rice and beans a la Managua style and bajo, the unfinished run down
as I call it. Then I ran into the young man pictured here. He was shot in the
knees by a local merchants after police failed to arrest him for repeatedly
stealing from him. He uses a wooden home made walker to get around. A lady who asked not to be identified said when she saw him she stopped and stared
and he said to her "don't worry miss. I am doing fine. I am getting
better." The lady said she kindly replied, "I am not worried about
that. I am worried that
you are getting better because you are going to go back and do the same thing
again."
As I move toward the central part of the park I saw a music tent selling
illegally burned audio cd's. Selling illegally burned cd's in Nicaragua has
become a common practice among merchants and non merchants alike. In Bluefields
you can walk into a music store and find yourself a burn cd of any artist you
can think of. This illegal practice is done without the fear of prosecution
because the government is not enforcing the copyright law.The only time you realize
the cd is burned is when you open the jewel case and look at the back of the cd
with the writing "CD R". The jewel case looks authentic but reality hits when
you open it. This is call piracy. Some people think of it as smart business. I
think it stinks and urge the government to crack down on it.
photo: bluefieldspulse
As
I left the park I saw a tall man on the steps of the local municipal building.
He was displaying some authentic work of art on a little wooden table. His name
is Julio Lopez. He is a crafstman from Orinoco who now lives in Bluefields. All of
his work are hand carved and they are truly a work of art. Julio is one of the
few who continue to do this type artisan work on the Caribbean coast with the
help of a few young men. Julio explained to us that he uses rose wood for his
work. During the month of May he displays his work to sell and at the same time
expose what we have on the Caribbean coast. He said all the work is done by
themselves with no help from any cultural institution. When asked about the
sale, he said it was slow and hope by month end that it would get better. Mr.
Lopez said he always encourages the youth to learned his work. He hopes for
some type of ONG or someone to set up a local where they can work and maybe export
their work of art. Julio said he is willing to teach others for a minimal fee
since he doesn't have a regular job.
As I walked through the park I noticed that there weren't much
activity going on. Not much consumers. I wondered if the merchants were selling
enough to cover their fee and at the same time make a profit for themselves. The
first stalls I saw when I entered the park were the food stalls, deep fried
chicken with rice and beans a la Managua style and bajo, the unfinished run down
as I call it. Then I ran into the young man pictured here. He was shot in the
knees by a local merchants after police failed to arrest him for repeatedly
stealing from him. He uses a wooden home made walker to get around. A lady who asked not to be identified said when she saw him she stopped and stared
and he said to her "don't worry miss. I am doing fine. I am getting
better." The lady said she kindly replied, "I am not worried about
that. I am worried that
you are getting better because you are going to go back and do the same thing
again." 
As I move toward the central part of the park I saw a music tent selling
illegally burned audio cd's. Selling illegally burned cd's in Nicaragua has
become a common practice among merchants and non merchants alike. In Bluefields
you can walk into a music store and find yourself a burn cd of any artist you
can think of. This illegal practice is done without the fear of prosecution
because the government is not enforcing the copyright law.The only time you realize
the cd is burned is when you open the jewel case and look at the back of the cd
with the writing "CD R". The jewel case looks authentic but reality hits when
you open it. This is call piracy. Some people think of it as smart business. I
think it stinks and urge the government to crack down on it.
As
I left the park I saw a tall man on the steps of the local municipal building.
He was displaying some authentic work of art on a little wooden table. His name
is Julio Lopez. He is a crafstman from Orinoco who now lives in Bluefields. All of
his work are hand carved and they are truly a work of art. Julio is one of the
few who continue to do this type artisan work on the Caribbean coast with the
help of a few young men. Julio explained to us that he uses rose wood for his
work. During the month of May he displays his work to sell and at the same time
expose what we have on the Caribbean coast. He said all the work is done by
themselves with no help from any cultural institution. When asked about the
sale, he said it was slow and hope by month end that it would get better. Mr.
Lopez said he always encourages the youth to learned his work. He hopes for
some type of ONG or someone to set up a local where they can work and maybe export
their work of art. Julio said he is willing to teach others for a minimal fee
since he doesn't have a regular job. 