Day of the autonomy of the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua October 30, 2014

The last 30 th of October, The Autonomous Regions of Nicaragua (Autonomous Region RAAN North Atlantic Autonomous Region and South-Atlantic RAAS) celebrated the autonomy´s day. During the last week, there have been activities in the square, as traditional dances, music concerts of (Miskito, reggae, cumbia…), many shops with indigenous craft and typical food.

The legal status of autonomy enjoyed by the citizens of the Atlantic coast is the culmination of a long process of seeking peace, national unity and reconciliation between the coastal families and communities, by which he ended an intense period marked by armed conflict, political conflict and historical disagreements. The autonomous region was created in 1987, electing its first regional government in 1990.

Its original population is indigenous and ethnic communities with multilingual features (Miskitu, Creoles, Mestizos, Mayangnas, Rama and Garifuna), located in areas with a strong sense of ownership of their communal lands that inhabit the coastal and inland areas of high ecological and environmental vulnerability

Although the Statute of Autonomy, the territory from the Atlantic coast has been subjected to a high isolation from the rest of the country due to historical lag is now manifested in the lack of social and productive investments in the absence of infrastructure, transportation, dismantling of the regional productive structure, insecurity, limited coverage of basic services and the still weak institutional framework.

by Loli Piqueras