Profile
Nidia Bustos is an inspirational leader based in Nicaragua. She has empowered campesinos (peasant farmers) to develop their communities through cultural activities. Campesino cultural groups were repressed by the brutal Somoza regime (1936-79) and following the successful Sandinista revolution, Bustos recognised their potential in rebuilding and sustaining rural communities. In 1980 she founded MECATE (Campesino Movement for Artistic and Theatrical Expression) to organise and support village-based performing arts groups completely staffed and run by campesinos.Drawing on their cultural heritage, the campesinos create narratives, songs and poems, and devise costumes and props using minimal resources. Their improvised dramas attract the entire community, providing humour and entertainment as they raise awareness and provoke discussion on relevant issues such as reforestation, malaria prevention, local impact of trade agreements, trickery of land speculators or the latest agricultural techniques. The performances affirm local values and identity, encourage self-expression, provide a means for addressing difficult issues and confronting injustices, and stimulate communal confidence and pride, building social cohesion. MECATE has grown to include more than 80 theatre and music groups.
