Solidarity/Arts Nicaragua’s coffee picked, thanks to young volunteers Every year for the past four years an international youth organization called the World Federation of Democratic Youth has organized volunteers from around the globe to help Nicaragua pick its coffee beans. For this labour the young workers receive no paycheque, and Nicaragua can not pay the air fare. So it’s hardly surprising that only three Canadians were available for the harvest this spring. British Columbian Matt Tarasoff would like to change all that. He hopes to help launch a national campaign that will put more Canadian youth on Nicaragua’s cof- fee slopes next January and February. “I’m definitely planning to go back next year. And having five or so more Canadians with me would be perfect,” he said. Tarasoff and fellow Lower Mainland res- ident John Rex were two of the three Cana- dians who, on behalf of the Young Communist League, joined dozens of like- minded youths in the fields near Mata- guelpa. , “T had to sell almost everything I own to get there. I came back to almost nothing,” Tarasoff related. An urge to see how other people live, and respect for the commitment the Nicara- guans show for their nine-year old revolu- tion, are reasons why youth make the sacrifice, he said. Rex said there was no special treatment for the volunteers of the fourth annual Augustino Cesar Sandino International Brigade. They lived in dirt floor huts, slept on wooden slabs for bunks and showered under a pipe that tapped a mountain runoff. Volunteers were up at around 4:30 a.m. After breakfast they lined up in formation to hear news reports and details of the day’s task. Pickers broke at noon for lunch, usually rice and beans, then resumed work until about 3 p.m. First into the fields were members of the Young Sandinistas — those with the most military experience. Heavily armed, they checked the steep slopes of the plantation for signs of contra activity. Contras, the counter-revolutionaries who wage war with the financial support of the United States’ government, have been stag- ing raids within nine kilometres of the site, in north-central Nicaragua. Rex and Tarasoff say the work isn’t par- ticularly back-breaking — unlike work performed by international brigades in the cotton fields of the Central American nation — but it can be dangerous. “You're hanging, sometimes literally by clinging to a coffee tree, on slopes than can be as steep as 80 degrees. And you always keep an eye out for snakes, many of which are poisonous,” Rex reported. “Much of it was actually fun,” Tarasoff related. ““We’d have competitions to see who would be the ‘vanguard’ group for the day. Sometimes you'd win a tee-shirt, or the applause of the others, for your effort.” For entertainment, the volunteers them- selves put on shows and. small banquets, displaying both their country’s culture and its cuisine. Countries involved in the project included Greece, Argentina, Norway and the German Democratic Republic. Sadly, the Canadians could not provide a “Canadian night,” Rex and _ Tarasoff reported. “We had nothing to bring, and we didn’t play guitar or anything. And there were only three of us,” Tarasoff said. Rex said the “very dedicated” Young Sandinistas 19th of July leadership corps kept the group up to date with evening talks on the revolution and the international situation. The brigadistas at “La Pentada” — the 10 ¢ Pacific Tribune, March 23, 1988 Young Sandinistas (top) help pick and guard the coffee crop; Vancouver resi- dent John Rex (r) in the fields. name of the plantation, or State Production Unit — were also treated to a week of tours after the harvest was over, Tarasoff said. The pickers were not attacked by contras, but Rex recalled the almost constant sound of mortar fire — some attributed to Sandi- nistas training, and some to the sounds of battle. There were also the reports of attacks on Mataguelpa to consider, said Rex. “We were told of attacks on schools, nurseries and stores. At one point, we saw some choppers and found they were carry- ing bodies,” he related. Tarasoff recalled meeting a woman who had lost’ two sons in the war against the contras. “She was sad about that, of course, but also really proud that her sons died defend- ing the revolution. She was the kind of per- son who would pick up the gun herself. “She was impressive, just a really strong woman. She owned a bakery in Mata- guelpa.” An unseasonal drought contributed to a 40-50 per cent crop loss this year. Pickers were taking green beans and sometimes even those. which had fallen to the ground, Rex said. Still, the volunteers met their quota, pick- ing 30,000 “‘llatas” — a metal canister to contain the beans — one day before the six-week harvest was to end. Loans and donations helped the tiny Canadian contingent reach their destination — but not without a few pitfalls along the way. They missed one flight to Managua, the capital, when it was summarily cancelled and were forced to spend a few unscheduled days — with few personal funds — in Mexico City. “When we finally got to Managua, no one was there to meet us at the airport. We walked around and finally wound up sleep- ing outside, which we were told later is defi- nitely a no-no. Managua can still be a dangerous place,” Tarasoff reported. “Finally, we found a Sandinista Youth office and connected with our party.” Rex recalled seeing a small boy carrying a 100-Ib. sack of coffee beans on his back. He said that kind dedication means that U.S. forces will never be able to conquer the country. Tarasoff said that although he is broke from making the trip, he has no regrets, and hopes to convince others to return next spring. Canadian song satirist Nancy White plays the Vancouver East Cultural Centre for six days beginning March 29. Presented by the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, White, outspoken on topics such as United States intervention in Nicaragua, also has a host of new songs for children. The centre is at 1895 Venables St., phone 254-9578. Also upcoming is We the Undersigned, a comedy from Soviet playwright Alek- sandr Gelman. A satire on bureaucracy, the play has packed audiences into theatre houses since 1979, and a television version has been produced. It runs, in translation, at the Vancouver Playhouse, March 26-April 23. Phone 873-3311.