Apr
Historical Memory, News from Communities
The Commemoration of the Fallen in Cinquera
Sarah and new co-coordinator Alexandra arrived in Cinquera on Saturday April 17th to participate in their yearly Commemoration of the Fallen. The Commemoration began at dusk with a caminata, a candle lit procession through the town for which we joined about 200 community members. Participants shouted out the names of people from the region who had died in the war, and their names were met with cries of “Hasta La Victoria Siempre!” y “Que Viva!” At the end of the procession, the two lines of participants reunited at the statue of Faribundo Marti in the town plaza and everyone, young and old, placed their candles around the statue (see the accompanying photos).
Next, we moved to the central park where another hundred or so people were gathered. Mari, one of the leaders of Cinquera’s junta directiva, delivered a speech about the importance of keeping the history of Cinquera alive, especially for those too young to have lived through the civil war. An active local priest delivered mass with the uplifting assistance of a chorus of older women from the community. The priest described the determination of the people of Cinquera during the civil war and the sacrifices they had made: “Before the war everything was prohibited. It was prohibited to dream. It was prohibited to fight for your rights, your health and your education. They did the prohibited. They sacrificed themselves for the struggle.”
The highlight of the evening was a performance by Cinquera’s two theater troupes, the youth group and the “Senoras” group. Together the two groups performed a reenactment of the massacre of family in Cinquera that occurred during the civil war with the percussive accompaniment of other performers. The scene showed soldiers storming the family’s home and shooting the adults in front of the children. As the actors lay lying on the ground, a woman from the community sang about the massacre and the overall effect was chilling. The event certainly fulfilled its intended goal of educating community members about the civil war and inspiring them to continue the struggle for social justice.
