For weeks, unrest has rocked Nicaragua as the country’s citizens protest the government and demand justice and freedom. While many factors led to the current turmoil, things hit a fever pitch when President Daniel Ortega decreased the pensions of retirees by 5 percent. After several nationwide protests – some of which turned violent – and outcry, the government revoked the pension reforms. But it hasn’t quelled protests. Nicoyas continue protesting Ortega and Rosario Murillo, his vice president and wife. Police have responded by using excessive force, particularly against students and young people. On April 19, for example, the government opened fire on student protesters, killing more than 40. As the protests show no sign of slowing down, media coverage has not kept up. But Nicaragua-born Bianca Jagger is using her considerable platform to draw attention to the plight of her people.
This is important because as the Nicaraguan government tries to control what is reported on, people have turned to social media to tell their stories, the real stories. “Social media has shown that the emperor has no clothes,” Nicaraguan media analyst Alfonso Malespin told Fusion. “The Nicaragua that the presidential couple was selling didn’t exist.”
Jagger is retweeting first-hand accounts, but she’s also turning a critical eye toward the government.
It’s not the first time, Bianca – who is a noted activist and president of the Bianca Jagger Foundation – has used her celebrity to bring awareness to the plight of Nicaraguans. Back in 2017, she joined a protest in La Fonseca. She called on the government to stop the construction of a canal project in the country. The building of the canal will displace many of the most marginalized in the country.
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