On March 18, 2013 over one hundred men and women affected by an epidemic of chronic kidney disease of unknown cause (CKDu) were holding a peaceful protest in Chichigalpa Nicaragua. By blockading traffic on the Leon-Chinandega branch of the Pan-American Highway they hoped they could draw attention to those suffering with the disease and the thousands who have died in the past decade. But what had been an entire day of peaceful protest turned violent in an instant, a reflection of the tensions that exist in sugarcane communities affected by the epidemic. This short film breaks down the “anatomy of a riot” as it follows a young woman who lost her sugarcane cutting brother to CKDu and their community that, lacking a voice or assistance, decided to organize and protest and was eventually violently repressed. The CKDu epidemic itself is the result of a structural framework that has resulted in the deaths and impoverishment of thousands of people in the Central American lowlands. This video is also an introduction to a full report on the human rights abuses committed by local police against the population of Chichigalpa.
View the full report here: http://laislafoundation.org/epidemic/anatomy-riot-page/
See a blog post on the days events here: http://laislafoundation.org/ckduprotests/
La Isla Foundation will work with all parties willing to be part of the solution. What can you do? Contact La Isla Foundation to be part of the solution.
