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Nicaragua twinning

Author Message
Mrsh
Joined 25-02-2005
Posted on Monday, 21 March, 2005 - 08:44 am:   

Being twinned with places in Europe is common enough, does anyone know why FH is twinned with a town in Nicaragua?
Baggydave
Joined 19-05-2004
Posted on Monday, 21 March, 2005 - 01:30 pm:   

Assume it's do do with trendy lefty solidarity with troubled countries around the world. Central Europe was particularly popular about 20 years ago (you could go and help pick the coffee there if you chose).

Not that I am against twinning with more exotic parts of the world
Mrsh
Joined 25-02-2005
Posted on Monday, 21 March, 2005 - 01:59 pm:   

yes - a friend of my mum's went to pick coffee in nicaragua to 'find herself' in the late 70's - think she's still looking.

i can see the solidarity thing - but isn't twinning also about similarities between places twinned, school exchanges? am i being a nerd, being interested in this?
Baggydave
Joined 19-05-2004
Posted on Monday, 21 March, 2005 - 04:38 pm:   

All this negativity and complaints on other web sites about lack of decent discussions and yet here's an interesting thread yet only two of us are on it! As my interest doesn't go beyond my lack of a local pub and other facilities I can't contribute any further (although do recall when it was trendy to wear pro Nicaragua and pro El Salvador rebel T-shirts and I have several Billy Bragg albums). There's laying down the gauntlet.
Ophelia
Joined 18-03-2005
Posted on Tuesday, 22 March, 2005 - 10:08 am:   

Councils started twinning with places in Europe after WWII to build bridges, encourage reconciliation. As Europe's near, was easy to arrange school exchanges. Twinning with Matagalpa was a solidarity link but also practical - supporters sent a dust cart there at the time! Click on google and Lewisham and Matagalpa and there's a link to an old Lewisham Life Article on fair trade coffee growing and Lewisham aiming to be (and now is) a Fair Trade Council).
Councillorsusanwise
Joined 20-03-2005
Posted on Tuesday, 22 March, 2005 - 07:15 pm:   

Lewisham twinned with Matagalpa after a vote at Council on 28/10/86 to support the democratically elected Sandinista governement of Nicaragua. St. Swithin's church in Hither Green already had links with a church in Matagalpa and it was decided to build on those links. We continued the support by raising funds for Hurricane Mitch in 1998, and by promoting awareness of trade justice-FairTrade-and we are proud that Lewisham is now a FairTrade borough
Mrsh
Joined 25-02-2005
Posted on Monday, 28 March, 2005 - 09:45 pm:   

interesting - thank you. but what does it mean that Lewisham is a Fair Trade borough, or that the council is a Fair Trade Council?

and, baggyd, maybe you should take down the Che poster.
Julianm
Joined 05-08-2004
Posted on Tuesday, 29 March, 2005 - 06:58 am:   

Fair Trade - it's all here:

http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/fairtrade/index.asp
Baggydave
Joined 19-05-2004
Posted on Tuesday, 29 March, 2005 - 12:25 pm:   

Hasta la Victoria Siempre.
How did you know that I had been to Cuba amigo?
Actually more thinking what a disappointing album Sandinista was (the Clash's fourth long player for anyone under 35).
Councillorsusanwise
Joined 20-03-2005
Posted on Tuesday, 29 March, 2005 - 02:19 pm:   

Thank you Julianm


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