Word of the day
Acto- school assembly
As much as they have
frequently thwarted my attempts to teach here, I think I'm really going to miss
actos.
Put on for a variety of
holidays, anything and everything from Book Day to Mother's Day to a
Celebration of the Nicaraguan education crusade, actos always follow a
predictable sequence. First, the
national anthem is sung and then someone, usually a minister or preacher, but
not always, is called on to pray. Separation of church and state is not even
remotely a consideration in Nicaragua. Then, things get really interesting.
There might be a poem or some singing, but usually, it's all about the dancing.
Typically, there are several folklore numbers in which girls swirl in long
skirts, occasionally accompanied by boys dressed as campesinos,
sometimes even carrying toy machetes. San Miguelito takes particular pride in
having a dance teacher to help keep these artistic traditions alive. Then, out
come the modern dances, to punta, soca or palo de mayo in
costumes that my sitemate Christina memorably described as "Ethnic hoochie,"
ie vaguely alusive to the Afro-Nicaraguan culture of the Carribean coast, but
almost always including bare midriffs (or just bras) and mini-skirts.
I find two things about this
to be really interesting. The first I would describe as the "Not afraid to
bump and grind in a mini-skirt in front of the entire school but terrified to
pronounce words in English" paradox. Seriously, the same kids who are up
there shaking their booties are usually the same ones who freak out anytime an
oral assessment is announced. Misplaced pena? The second thing I find
really remarkable is that while Nicaraguans are very conservative in talking
about sex and sexuality, no one seems to find it weird that prepubescent girls
are baring it all and shaking it on stage. It seems oddly inconsistent to me.
But that's actos for you!
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