Primary Artist: Terry Forman
Created: San Francisco Collective, 1985
Medium: Silkscreen
Dimensions: 17.75″ x 22.5″
¡No Passaran! “They shall not pass!” was the rallying call of the FSLN directed against the US supported right wing “Contras.” No pasarán became a slogan in the 1930’s for the 35,000 volunteers of the International Brigades who travelled to Spain from more than 80 countries to defend its legal government from fascist-backed aggression. The Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) in Nicaragua had ousted the Somoza dictator government in 1979 and was governing Nicaragua. In 1981, alarmed that the Sandinistas were winning the hearts and minds of the Nicaraguan people by building clinics, schools, and improving living conditions, President Reagan directed the CIA to support a collection of counter-revolutionary groups to overthrow the Sandinista government.
This is known as the “Contra War” which terrorized the people of Nicaragua for over a decade. Under a secret National Security Directive (NSDD-17), the CIA was directed to provide money, military equipment and training to the Contras, financed by the illegal sale of weapons to Iran. The CIA also imbedded themselves in the command and operational structure directing the war. Under the auspices of the CIA, the Contras created government sanctioned death squads, bombed, displaced, and terrorized the civilian population to turn them away from the Sandinistas.
Image: Red and black abstract shapes with words dropped out of the shapes.
Words: ¡Viva Nicaragua Libre! July 19th/6 Anniversary. Defend the F.S.L.N.!, ¡No Pasaran!
Color: black and red on white paper
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