OBOC - Honduras

One of the most maligned careers during the last presidential elections was that of a "community organizer", but what does it truly mean to be one, especially in a country with no real democracy, facing abject poverty and subject to the whims and fancies of the super power(s). "Dont be afraid Gringo" by Elvia Alvarado has the power to do to community organizers what Indiana Jones did for archaeologists, or the Millenium Trilogy did for hackers - except that this one is all real, and unfortunately is not widely read or known!

Elvia is an extraordinary, courageous activist working with some of the poorest of Honduras attempting to do land recovery. The reason the book is such an interesting read is because Elvia has a unique way of analyzing both micro and macro level problems and shows quite a sense of humor and directness when articulating her views.

Through this book she sheds light on some of the real Hondurans living in rural areas on less than a dollar a day whose fate seems to be determined by the United States and the politics of Nicaragua. This is the time when Reagan was funding the Contras against the Sandinistas and Honduras was an important base for many of the American operations. Elvia doesn't hesitate to offer her opinions about Reagan (she had a funny piece where she concludes that Reagan must indeed be a Communist :)!) and American foreign policy, but like so many others in many parts of the world has a fondness for Americans, just not their Government. She also talks about the role of the Church, the local politicians, unions, aid agencies, non-profits, and the power of her analysis and the persuasiveness of her arguments are quite remarkable.

The book is not just about the macroscopic events, or even about blaming others for the plight of Honduras. She also narrates so many incidents from ordinary campesinos lives that it is an amazing insight into the lives of the ignored. She longs for a better future for her grandchildren as she doesn't have much hope that things will change much for her own children. Better education, healthcare, freedom, land ownership - these are all the things she is fighting for and has even gone to jail for.

She has been labelled everything from being a communist, to an atheist and an immoral woman, but she hasn't let any of those stop her. At one point she says how she has never met a Russian and has no idea how a communist even looks. After all the only Gringos she has seen were American soldiers. Although she feared them initially, she gradually comes to sympathize these soldiers as she understands that they are just doing the job that their government was making them do and most of them did not even understand why they were in Honduras in the first place.

This book is certainly worth reading for anyone associated with any kind of grassroots, progressive cause or anyone interested in understanding the plight of Hondurans or countless people all over the world whose life is determined by unseen political forces. The title of the book was a bit confusing for me when i first started to read, but it makes sense when she concludes the book with an appeal to the "gringos" of the world who are sympathetic to the Hondurans and asks them not to be afraid to take on their own governments if they see injustice being perpetrated.