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Gabriel Traversari: Who Is To Give Up?

Gabriel Traversari is a Nicaraguan-American actor, television director, writer, singer, composer, painter, and photographer. Born in Los Angeles, California, he grew up in El Crucero, a municipality on the outskirts of Managua, Nicaragua. His first years of primary school were at the Central American School of Managua.

Gabriel Traversari, Nicaraguan American actor, director, writer, singer, songwriter, painter and photographer.

In view of the recent events in Nicaragua, the emblematic Nicaraguan actor has expressed his position on what his country is going through.

Read it below (the Spanish original published in 100% Noticias follows the translation):

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“As far as I know, and up to this moment, neither the students nor the population in general, in their demonstrations, marches, communiqués and public conferences, have shown an iota of pernicious confrontationalism, nor provoked violence. Rather, it has been the opposite: I have seen everywhere an example of the most optimal citizenship, solidarity, ethics and love of the nation. Despite the incessant harassment, threats and bloodthirsty government and its allies, this has been a dignified and exemplary civil uprising. Without the leadership of leading figures or meddlesome political parties, this peaceful struggle has belonged to all Nicaraguans and up to now has fulfilled numerous and vital tasks.

In such a case, the only moments of erratic jubilation in these tin forests (reference to the metal trees), but except for a couple of accidental and lamenting details, it (and as far as circumstances permit), it has been handled with a certain level of spontaneous coordination and respect for others and citizens. For those who do not think it necessary to dismantle such a disturbing symbology of authoritarianism and subjugation, your position is respected, but it is apparent that most of the inhabitants of this country are fed up with the imposed sinister urban landscape, those expensive and infertile structures. It would not be fair that now some cling to the public euphoria – and momentary – that they manifest in these peculiar rites of “aesthetic cleansing” and are labeled as acts of violence and irraciocinio (sic).

And the other thing that is happening with the vandals and opportunists across the country is an entirely different matter and one that, is worth clarifying, has been, since its inception, provoked by the same authorities. Citizens caught in these alarming situations document, clearly, how government institutions recruit and send criminal mobs to initiate these anarchic disturbances, which then give way to chaos and general disorder, and then absent themselves from what should be in this case their only legitimate function: to protect trade and counteract such looting and threats to public order.

I mention all this because I see how many, who initially embraced this transformative movement openly and effusively – as it has naturally developed – now neutralize their positions and assume a soft, lukewarm and dangerously conformist participatory attitude. Nobody wants or demands violence. Nobody wants more unnecessary deaths, no one considers that a disorderly behavior is the answer, nor that indefinite economic unemployment provides us with any kind of benefit, but if what is desired is a radical change, if what is sought is to remove from the root an anomaly, a terminal defect, an irremediable problem, as most already perceive, then we must assume the unpredictable colossal waves of this social tsunami.

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A “happy medium” does not exist under these circumstances. Is, or this or that, and if the impetus of the people has forced us to get here, why then they want to retract and invalidate what has so far been achieved so admirably? Why hang up the towel without even having sweated the sacrifices of this inevitable metamorphosis?

I perceive incomprehensible, then, the claim for “peace” when it has not yet been won, not the true one, not the permanent one; when the lives of so many continue at stake and when excessive innocent blood has been spilled to defend what now these individuals, protected from any genuine danger, acquainted with the comfort of their demands at a distance, refute with such desperate vehemence. Courage, please, that nothing was ever gained without effort and the road uphill has never been comfortable or free of obstacles, traps and setbacks.

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“Que yo sepa, y hasta este momento, ni los estudiantes, ni la población en general, en sus manifestaciones, sus marchas, sus comunicados y conferencias públicas, han demostrado un ápice de confrontativismo pernicioso, ni suscitado a la violencia. Más bien ha sido todo lo contrario: he visto por doquier un ejemplo del más óptimo civismo, solidaridad, ética y amor patrio. A pesar del hostigamiento incesante, las amenazas y el atropello sanguinario del gobierno y sus aliados, este ha sido un levantamiento civil digno y ejemplar. Sin el liderazgo de figuras protagónicas ni de partidos políticos entrometidos, esta lucha pacífica le ha pertenecido a todos los nicaragüenses y hasta ahora a cumplido con numerosos y vitales cometidos.

En dado caso, podrían considerarse como únicos momentos de júbilo errático los despales de esos bosques de lata, pero salvo un par de accidentales y lamentosos pormenores, hasta eso (y hasta donde se puede, dadas las circunstancias), se ha manejado con un cierto nivel de coordinación espontánea y respeto al prójimo y a la ciudadanía. Los que no crean necesario desmantelar tan perturbante símbología de autoritarismo y sometimiento, pues se respeta vuestra postura, pero es aparente que la mayoría de los habitantes de este país se artó de ver imponiéndose sobre nuestro panorama urbano tales siniestras, costosas e infertiles estructuras. No sería justo que ahora se aferren algunos a la euforia pública -y momentánea- que se hace manifiesta en estos peculiares ritos de “limpieza estética” y los tilden como actos de violencia e irraciocinio.

Ya lo otro que ocurre con vándalos y oportunistas en todo el sector nacional es un asunto enteramente diferente y uno que, vale aclarar, ha sido, desde sus inicios, provocado por las mismas autoridades. Ciudadanos atrapados en estas alarmantes situaciones documentan, claramente, cómo instituciones del gobierno, reclutan y envían turbas criminales a iniciar estos disturbios anárquicos, que dan paso luego al caos y el desorden general, y luego se ausentan de lo que debería ser en este caso su única legítima función: la de proteger el comercio y contrarrestar tales saqueos y amenazas al orden público.

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Menciono todo esto porque veo cómo muchos, que inicialmente abrazaron abierta y efusivamente este movimiento transformativo -a como ha venido naturalmente desarrollandose- ahora neutralizan sus posturas y asumen una actitud participatoria blanda, tibia y peligrosamente conformista. Nadie quiere ni exige violencia. Nadie desea más innecesarias muertes, nadie considera que un comportamiento desordenado sea la respuesta, ni tampoco que un paro económico indefinido nos brinde ningún tipo de beneficio, pero si lo que se desea es un cambio radical, si lo que se busca es extirpar de la raíz una anomalía, un defecto terminal, un problema irremediable, a como ya la mayoría lo percibe, entonces hay que asumir los impredecibles oleajes colosales de este tsunami social.

Un “happy medium” no existe bajo estas circunstancias. Es, o esto o aquello, y si el ímpetu del pueblo nos ha obligado llegar hasta aquí, ¿por qué entonces querer retractarse a inicios de jornada e invalidar lo que hasta ahora se ha logrado tan admirablemente? ¿Por qué colgar la toalla sin siquiera haber sudado los sacrificios de esta inevitable metamorfosis?

Percibo incomprensible, pues, el reclamo por “la paz” cuando esta aún no se ha ganado, no la verdadera, no la permanente; cuando las vidas de tantos continúan en juego y cuando excesiva sangre inocente se ha derramado por defender lo que ahora estos individuos, protegidos de cualquier genuino peligro, acuevados en el confort de sus demandas a distancia, refutan con tanta desesperada vehemencia. Ánimo, por favor, que nunca se ganó nada sin esfuerzo y el camino cuesta arriba no ha sido jamás ni cómodo ni exento de obstáculos, trampas y contratiempos”.

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