Tortilla con Sal, September 24th 2020
Interview with the family of Santos Romero Reyes. Nueva Guinea September 24th 2020. In this interview Santos explains how his family has abandoned their land because of the murder of his son by armed members of the Movimiento Campesino. For reasons of personal safety Santos and his family did not want to be filmed.
Audio of the interview in Spanish
Interview with Santos Romero Reyes
and members of his family
Nueva Guinea. 24 de septiembre 2020
Santos explains how his family has abandoned their land because of the murder of his son by armed members of the Peasant Movement. For reasons of personal safety Santos and his family did not want to be filmed.
Tortilla con Sal: Well, we are here with some comrades from the Nueva Guinea area, and perhaps you could explain to us, sir, what your name is?
Santos Romero Reyes: Santos Romero Reyes
TcS: And where do you come from, sir?
Santos: Comarca de Pijagua there, from Puerto Príncipe one hour
TcS: Pijagua, and that’s one hour from Port-au-Prince…?
Santos: Yes, one hour from there.
TcS: And that place is in the municipality of Nueva Guinea or in the municipality of Bluefields...?
Santos: Here in Guinea, it belongs to Nueva Guinea...
TcS: So, I understand comrade that you and your family had some problems there in the area where you live... Can you tell us what happened?
Santos: Of course I can. Look, the problem was that they started the roadblocks. The roadblock activists wanted us to go to support the roadblocks and since I didn't like that, they spread hatred for all of us. They spread hatred about us to the point where they even killed one of my sons.
Then they were coming after me to kill me with all my family and all my children. Here they came looking for me there, namely Medardo Mairena, Francisca Castillo, others from the area...
TcS: When you say Francisca Castillo, is that Chica Ramirez?
Santos: Yes that’s right. I get things wrong sometimes... Francisca Ramirez. Medardo Mairena and other road block activists from there, Reynaldo Flores, the Chavarrias from Santa Isabel, the Tellez, they spread hatred about us, that they didn't even want to see us and at the same time they came after us and set people on us to kill us themselves.
TcS: Are you a farmer there?
Santos: I am a farmer. All of us are farmers. So you know, we are not from any party. We are rural workers, rural workers who just like to work to make a living.
TcS: And they weren't threatening you because you were a Sandinista?
Santos: That’s what they have put about, but as I was saying, I am neither a Sandinista or a Liberal, my vote is to work for a living.
I don't get involved with any party, none of my family. That's why they didn't like us, just imagine that they were after us to kill us. Even now they are looking for us.
TcS: And how much land did you have to work on there?
Santos: Land? It was not much. There were 70 acres of my son-in-law, who has already given up on them. I had a bit of land there in Pijagua, there were five acres there. We made a living there, and we had to give it all up.
TcS: What did you grow?
Santos: Corn there at my sister's place. There she gave me land to work. Yucca. Beans. Everything. Everything.
TcS: And you didn't have any cattle?
Santos: No. I didn't. A few mules that we left there.
TcS: So, at that time... more or less when? was it in April, or May?
Santos: When the roadblocks started... We had been moving around for fourteen months now, just imagine... Because I was there in Costa Rica working. Then I came here. I thank God that these friends here got me a little house to live in while I get my own place to live, because I thought that... we don't have a place to go....
TcS: How many are there in your family?
Santos: There are five of us because they are my children, but each one of us is a separate family. The women and the children already have their own... we are five families...
TcS: There are five families?
Santos: Yes, yes...
TcS: And among these five families, how many people would they be?
Santos: We are about.... fourteen...
TcS: Fourteen people?
Santos: So, listen to me... After that they came to my son-in-law, Abel Vevilla, to tell him that since we didn't support them, some people came. They took him out. They beat him up. They almost killed him... The road block activistss. It was them They set people at him, armed people, and they took him out and almost killed him. They put him in a lake. That's the kind of outrage they were doing.
TcS: What's that comrade’s name?
Santos: Francisco Rocha, he is my son-in-law.
TcS: So Francisco was attacked?
Santos: From his house... they took him to a lake and held his head down in the lake water and they almost killed my son-in-law
TcS: And Francisco came with you?
Santos: Yes here he is but...
TcS: Is he out milking? Out with the cows?
Santos: He’s gone to look after a mule that is about to give birth, he said, and let's see if he can get the little colt out, I thought he would be back today... maybe they won't kill him there...
TcS: There? That's where he went?
Santos: Yes, yes, yes...
TcS: So do you have friends there who are looking after your property?
Santos: Well not me... He has a friend of his there who kind of takes care the land now and then but he does so with fear. Francisco was told that the little animal was there, so he went there. I thought he’d be back today. Maybe they won't do anything to him...
TcS: So you were all there...
Santos: All of us...
TcS: What's the place called?
Santos: Look, I coming from Pijagua Hill. He was living in Las Delicias de Masayovo, my son-in-law with them.
Marlene: I am his wife...
TcS: Francisco’s?
Santos: Yes, yes.... But when we left there and he stayed because he did not want to leave, people came, took him out and almost killed him in the house where he was living... in Las Delicias de Masayovo.
TcS: And among all of you then, you took the decision to come?
Santos: That's right, yes yes... to move away, because if we had not, they would have killed us all.
TcS: And apart from what they did to Francisco, you... among the family, did you suffer any other type of aggression? Or just that?
Santos: That's what they did to my son-in-law and in my case they killed my son.
TcS: Your son? You killed him?
Santos: Yes, they killed him...
TcS: And what is his name?
Santos: The dead one?
TcS: Yes.
Santos: Roberto Romero Morales
TcS: And how old was he?
Santos: 26
TcS: 26? And how old is your husband Francisco, señora?
Marlene: 56
TcS: And how was he killed?
Santos: My son? They shot him.
TcS: With a rifle?
Santos: Yes, yes... he was shot.
TcS: Do you remember the date?
Marlene: August 10.
TcS: The 10th of August... Of 2018?
Various people: 19
TcS: From last year?
Various people: Yes
TcS: Sorry, I find it difficult to... So, you came, you left there in April or May of the eighteenth...
Various people: Nineteen...
TcS: Last year?
Various people: Yes.
TcS: So you endured that whole period of the blockades there, you stuck it out...?
Santos: Yes we put up with it there we had to ... but there are many, a lot of people who suffered all kinds of outrages and we had to leave because otherwise they would have killed us all.
TcS: So it was the murder of your son that caused you to come here?
Santos: Yes. And afterwards they came for us to kill us because we wouldn’t help themon the roadblocks. Because I used to tell them that I wouldn't help the roadblocks or anything else because, as I told them, we are all farmers, we work to make a living. So they told me, "So you don't support either the Liberals or the Sandinistas”. No. I don't support any side because I insist that we work to make a living... I don't bother anyone...
TcS: And were you the only ones who were attacked? Or were they harassing other people as well?
Santos: There were several people there, my friend. There were several people getting harassed there...
What happens is that out of fear they don't file a complaint or I don't know what happens in their case because they put the word out on you, if you go around talking against them, then they send people to kill you. That's why they don't complain, because of the same fear, that very same fear that they have.
They're a lot of people. They've affected a lot of people there, but because they're make threats to say that if you say what we do, we'll send people to kill you or we'll arrive to kill you, and so everyone, out of fear, won't say what those others are doing.
TcS: So how have you managed to survive? If you have had to leave their land and you are people live working the land...
Santos: Of course. From those little jobs there are, you get your corn, your beans, you harvest what you can and from there you eat...
TcS: So how have you managed after leaving your land?
Santos: The people in these hamlets here in the region have helped us here, man. They've given us a place to stay, they've given us little jobs like this, day work. We work for them and make a living.
TcS: You haven't sold your land there, have you?
Santos: No, no, no, no
TcS: Are you going to sell it?
Santos: Let's see and keep an eye out. I'm may not even bother because I'd have to go and sign documents or try and find a buyer and they might well kill me and there’d be no coming back.
TcS: So you run the risk that other people will settle on your land
Santos: Yes... they do take over land there, that and the animals, they do that there.
TcS: One thing they have said to me. I don't know if it's true. It's that what those people from the so-called Rural Workers Movement do there... in that movement what some of them do is... they harass the peasants to make them sell their land cheap...
Santos: Those roadblock activists? Of course they do, they just want to get hold of everything they can. Yes, because those who don't support them they want them to leave... and with this constant harassment they want to make them sell cheaply or else leave
TcS: And you think that's what happened to you? That you were harassed because you wanted to take over your land, is that right?
Santos: Yes, because as far as I’m concerned, first of all because we don't support them with the roadblocks, and secondly because they want to take over our land, and if other people allow it, that's how it will be... and fear, and fear of whoever may be the next there, my friend, because people have to move away, otherwise they will kill them... one cannot even sleep peacefully there.
TcS: And for you, as women of the family, what has the experience been for you?
Marlene: Well, that's why we left there too. And why we are here. For the same reason, I am here with my husband.
TcS: Excuse me, señora, can you tell me your name?
Marlene: I can't read...
Various people: You only have to say it
Marlene: Ah...Marlene, my name is Marlene Romero Morales...
TcS: Marlene, so what has it meant for your children to have to abandon their land...?
Marlene: Abandonment... because I am very afraid to return to my village so I don't go there and nor does my husband because they spread hatred for us threatening our lives.
So I say I don't go and I don't go and what we left there, there it’s left...
TcS: How has this affected the children?
Marlene: Since there are people who help us... we are working, there are days when my husband finds work. There are days that I also do laundry. I go out to do laundry in the other places, and they pay me so as to to take food for my child.
TcS: Can you tell us as a family what has been the most serious effect on you? What else affects you? I don't know if I’m explaining myself...
Santos: Just ever since the roadblocks happened that has been the most serious effect for us ever since the roadblocks, that has been the most serious effect that has happened because many people have been affected by these roadblocks.
TcS: What is your name, señora?
Ana: Ana Morales
TcS: Ana Morales? And señora, can you tell us a little bit about how this whole problem has affected you?
Ana: Yes. The same thing. We left out of fear. Because since we are afraid and my son was killed... so then... we moved away.
TcS: And how have you managed to take care of the children?
Ana: Here we help my children the best we can. My children help me and Santos also... they find odd jobs and people who have befriended us help too.
TcS: Thank you... What is your name?
Nelson: My name is Nelson Ramiro Romero Morales
TcS: And Nelson, when you left the land how have you manage to work, because...?
Nelson: Now and then they give us odd jobs, looking to manage to make a living, to buy even if only a few beans to eat and here and there we go looking for day work... and here we are staying temporarily because we cannot go back home because they make us...
We are afraid that they will kill us, you see, well... and that is why we staying temporarily here... they got us some houses to stay in while we see what we can do
TcS: Anyone else? What's your name, comrade?
Melvin: Melvin Romero Morales.
TcS: And Melvin, what has this problem meant for you?
Melvin: Goodness... we left You know, out of fear, and we have been moving around ever since my brother was killed and we were threatened, but you know it's better... it's better to leave the house where we were, because it's better to move... we are living here temporarily, but we are out looking to finding the odd day's work here there, earning enough for food.
TcS: And how do the children go to school? Do they continue to study?
Melvin: My child is small. He’s not in school yet. They won't accept him.
TcS: Excuse me... What is your name?
Arelys: Arelys.
TcS: Arelys, are you studying or have you had to stop studying?
Arelys: I've had to stop studying because of what happened there.
TcS: And how has it affected you emotionally? Has it affected you a lot?
Arelys: Goodness... the effect is that you don't have the same facilities that you have at home, living temporarily in other places
TcS: Well, thank you very much.... excuse me sir. So one last question I have is, what future do you see for solving this problem? How are you going to solve it?
Santos: Well as far as I’m concerned we hope that maybe things will get sorted out so we can continue working in peace.
TcS: There...?
Santos: No... anywhere we can find a place to settle down so we can continue to work in peace and continue to strive to make a living.
TcS: Do you think it will be possible to return to your land?
Santos: Not at all... and I say not with those people... those people don't leave you in peace... did they leave us in peace there? Because, as I told you, there are several roadblock activists there, and I know all the roadblock activists in that area...