— |
"Neither of us has ever
been in Nicaragua, but after reading the book it makes you
think you have been, since it conveys such intimate knowledge
about the people there through the pictures and words. We
will certainly treasure the book. Please convey our congratulations
to your daughter and son for their accomplishment in creating
this excellent book."
- Tom and Tracy, Ohio, 8.2004 |
— |
A book for all People
A review of the book "Dreams and Hopes - Portraits of
people from Matagalpa, Nicaragua"
Let us say it up front: It is a beautiful and moving book,
which this reviewer put down after a cover to cover looking
and reading and was left with a deep joy of revisiting the
area and people of Matagalpa. This is how it looks in this
part of Nicaragua: touching green and beautiful in the rainy
season and a suffering dryness and dust in the dry season.
These are the people: Warm, guest-free and proud in the midst
of their daily fight to survive as small and medium-scale
farmers, in an economic and political system which basically
does not recognize these people.
Through black and white photographs by Maj Britt Hansen and
texts by Sven Gårn Hansen, Nikoline Agger and Maj Britt
Hansen this book has succeeded in an elegant way to draw deeply
enlightening portraits of what in DANIDA-lingo is called the
target group for the Committee for Central America's Project
in Matagalpa – "PROMAT - 1999-200". Portraits
of strong and beautiful (!) men and women, plus their wonderful
children, are mixed with everyday images, and in a subtle
way hints at daily challenges and struggles. The texts describe
- free not only from DANIDA's bureaucratic language but also
from the usual propaganda - what this project is about: To
give Matagalpa's farmers organisational and educational tools,
so that hopefully they can turn some of their burning dreams
and hopes of a better life into reality.
This book should be a Christmas present (and obligatory reading)
for the minister of development, Per Stig Møller and
the board-members of DANIDA, who in the midst of their dealing
with large and twisted sector-programs in multi-million amounts
have had difficulty recognising (and accepting) real people
programs at a much more modest level. Currently, there is
a problem with the acceptance of the second phase of PROMAT.
Let us hope that the fight for the project's continuation
through DANIDA succeeds to the joy of first and foremost the
people whom have been shown so with so much warmth and such
solidarity in this book.
The books texts are in English and Spanish and include, in
addition to the portraits, an introduction, timeline and a
short description of the project. The authors finish their
description as follows "The stories in this book show
why we feel it is worth the effort to continue the project".
I can only share this feeling after reading and viewing the
book.
You can find more information on how to obtain this book later
in this paper. May it be sold out quickly, so that maybe we
can have a second edition in Danish and Spanish.
Finn Jørgensen, 12.2003 |
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