An interview by Tortilla con Sal 

[Alex Cox is a British filmmaker, now based in North America. For the general public, he may well be best known for two films Repo Man (1984) and Sid and Nancy (1986) produced within the North American studio system as well as a whole series of independently produced films and his very popular and influential British television series “Moviedrome”. In fact, Alex Cox considers his film about the filibuster William Walker (“Walker” 1987) his best film. It was a unique film for its time, highly accomplished and innovative with outstanding actors and a great soundtrack by the rock musician Joe Strummer. The big studios of the American film industry boycotted Alex Cox after the film about William Walker because of his obvious sympathy with the Sandinista Popular Revolution.]

Tortilla con Sal: For us in Nicaragua, the figure of William Walker represents the very essence and embodiment of Yankee imperialism – how do you see William Walker and has your sense of him changed since you made your film about him?

Alex Cox: What I find most interesting and astonishing and alarming is that in the West, nothing changes. William Walker represented a stern Calvinist crusader operating on behalf of big business. In the 1920s Smedley Butler played the same role in Nicaragua, but came to his senses and rebelled against his paymasters.

When we made our film in the 1980s, Oliver North fit the bill (though, being more of a weekend warrior, he never set foot in Nicaragua). Today one of the people playing that role is US Secretary of ‘Defense’ Pete Hegseth, a stern Calvinist teetotaler with crusader tattoos. So, my sense of Walker hasn’t changed at all. He was simply part of a pattern.

Ed Harris, the actor who played Walker so brilliantly, pointed this out in his improvised speech in the Managua Cathedral, at the end of the film.

Tortilla con Sal: Has your sense of Nicaragua changed?

Alex Cox: What do I know of Nicaragua? I haven’t visited your country since we finished editing the film. My memories are of amazing people, verdure, beauty, heat, endurance. The lands of mainstream media are the lands of forgetting, and one can only have a true sense of a place or a person by being there, or being with them. So, I look forward to returning.

Tortilla con Sal:  What did making the film about William Walker, which I understand you have considered to be your best film, come to mean for you in terms of both your professional career and your own personal and political development?

Alex Cox: Looking back on the production, it was an amazing thing. Two young guys – me and Lorenzo O’Brien, the producer – managed to spend five million dollars of an American studio’s money in Nicaragua, in a time of war, and tell the story of William Walker – not only to the Nicaraguans who already knew it, but to the Americans, and the world.

We did this in collaboration with hundreds of people: Nicaraguans, Mexicans, Americans, English, government officials, church officials, actors, cinematographers, designers, builders, sound recordists, drivers, extras, workers… and a uniquely talented composer.

And all that work was done in Nicaragua. It was a unique experience. Looking back on it now, Lorenzo and I are more than a little surprised we pulled it off. Successfully making Walker in Nicaragua set his career back twenty years, and got me blacklisted by the American studios for life. But you know what? Like the guy in the Peckinpah movie said, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

If I had stayed in Los Angeles, I would have been miserable. I might have become a Hollywood director, making Schwarzenegger films and Marvel comix. I would be rich, and probably dead of a heart attack. Instead, I was cut loose by the “industry” and wandered around the world, looking for money for films, and places to make them.

I’ve directed a film about the Mexican Highway Patrol, a Jacobean Revenge Drama, a re-imagining of the Birth of Jesus, three Westerns, a science fiction film, a road movie… My experience in Nicaragua set me on this path, and my work has been enriched by it, I think – by the way every film was its own struggle, in its own time and place, for its own reasons.

Tortilla con Sal: It’s hard for us in Nicaragua to appreciate the difficulties facing people of revolutionary anti-imperialist convictions in the US and Canada – how important for you are the revolutionary processes in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela?

Alex Cox: They are super-important, to me, and to you, and to millions of people all over the world. These three nations represent a vibrant, viable alternative to the dominant neoliberal/neoconservative nightmare. Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela are testaments to the importance of the nation state, as the only guarantor of its citizens’ interests. Sanctioned and terrorized, they remain beacons of independent politics and thought whose influence extends far beyond their borders. Their revolutions all point towards autarky [self-sufficiency] – something to which free nations must inevitably aspire.

Tortilla con Sal: Intellectual and cultural production over the last century has become increasingly weaponized to the point where now all information production seems to have been subsumed into psychological warfare of one kind or another – in your interview last year with Michael Fox you recalled how you saw initial US media sympathy for the Sandinista Revolution reverse completely in a matter of weeks or even days – how has witnessing that, together with your own subsequent experience, changed the way you think about your own intellectual and cultural production?

Alex Cox: I learned pretty quickly that one can only operate in the circumstances in which one finds oneself. Wishing things were different, or pretending they are different, will inevitably lead to inaction and failure. Once you recognise the situation for what it is, you are able to respond to it, and if it impedes progress, to resist and work around it.

You and I grew up in England in the 60s and 70s, I think. What a different country it was then! We had a genuine Labour Party, part of the Socialist International. Britain had socialist policies, with free health care, free education. Water, power generation, the post office and the telephone lines were owned by the state – that is, by us, the people. The airlines and railways had failed as businesses, and been nationalized by the state. We owned them, too.

Since the 1970s we have seen the destruction of socialism in England and across Europe, and the imposition of a neo-liberal/neo-conservative monolith, where everything is for sale, and we are endlessly at war. In the US two parties vie for the approval of the oligarchs.

Yet never and nowhere in my life have I seen such homelessness and destitution. Tomas Borge talked about a prolonged popular war. I think we are in a prolonged popular struggle to defend and advance the rights of people who are not oligarchs, or their managerial supporters.

Socialism has never been destroyed, it has only been pushed back and delayed in certain countries. One of the freedoms offered by socialism is the opportunity to change professions, to quit your job and not starve.

Austerity and scarcity are not natural; they are imposed. Bad movies and media are not natural; they too are imposed.

There is much to rebel against! And even more to build.

* * * * *

Briefs 
By Nan McCurdy

Lack of Consensus in CELAC Explained
The presidential summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) concluded April 9 in Tegucigalpa and for the first time, there was no official closing declaration.  A statement released by the Nicaraguan government explained that Nicaragua had supported “without hesitation” the draft declaration prepared by CELAC’s outgoing President Pro Tem Xiomara Castro, President of Honduras, but that declaration was “vetoed” by several countries. The Nicaraguan statement said, “We have identified those who have drawn red lines to our integration efforts. Nicaragua rejects any attempt to undermine not only the founding ideals of our community, but also to exclude and neglect the serious problems afflicting the peoples of our region.” The statement went on to say, that “They proposed a minimalist, diluted document that does not speak to the major issues confronting our peoples in this region and throughout the world.” Nicaragua vetoed that declaration. After expressing deep gratitude to Xiomara Castro and her team “for their successful work at the head of CELAC,” the statement listed what should have been included in a final CELAC declaration, including solidarity with migrants and support for their dignified treatment, a proposed session to analyze US tariffs newly imposed on the world, support for the return of kidnapped Venezuelans, support for the fight against poverty and for a dignified existence for our peoples. The statement concluded, “The Government of Reconciliation and National Unity of the Republic of Nicaragua will continue to actively participate in these spaces, promoting the unity of our peoples and governments engaged in the fundamental task of fighting poverty in order to achieve a better world.” (La Primerisima, 9 April 2025)

Nicaragua Resumes Participation in World Court Case on Genocide in Gaza
The Nicaraguan government had announced on April 1 that it had decided to discontinue its participation in the proceedings before the International Court of Justice at The Hague related to the grave violations of the rights of the Palestinian people and State. The decision was due to the high financial cost for a developing country, with the economic restrictions that Nicaragua suffers, to continue with those judicial processes.

A new government statement on April 10, however, announced a change. It noted that in the last week there has been a resurgence of violations against the Palestinian people and even against international humanitarian services, leaving in full evidence the violation of all norms of international law by Israel and the total complicity of some Western countries that have decided to continue their political, economic and military support to those responsible for these crimes. The new statement said that, in view of this, and making a great effort, Nicaragua has decided to notify the International Court of Justice that it wishes to continue with the judicial proceedings on the violations of the rights of the Palestinian people. The decision takes into account offers of assistance and collaboration the government has received in order to continue with this participation before the World Court. The statement summarized: “The Government of Reconciliation and National Unity reaffirms its commitment to the rule of law at the international level and the peaceful settlement of disputes between States.” (La Primerisima, 10 April 2025)

Holy Week Could Generate US$37 Million in Sales
The president of the Association of Markets of Managua, Jorge González, said that an increase in sales of up to 20% is expected in the various markets of Managua, during the Holy Week vacation. “I think we have all the conditions, but the most important thing is that the population is visiting the eight markets of Managua and I believe that this year we will exceed our goal by about 15% or 20%, because we will sell, according to projections, almost US$36 million.” González said that the merchants are prepared to satisfy the demand and for weeks sales have increased thanks to the discounts in all the articles typical of Holy Week, such as plastic swimming pools, hot weather clothes, and fruits for the elaboration of the traditional food of Lenten meals. He said, “We want to express and give thanks first to God and to Commander [Ortega] and Compañera [Murillo], for making possible this prosperity we have and this peace we have to take care of in this beautiful and always blessed Nicaragua,” he said. (La Primerisima, 11 April 2025)

Specialists and Sub-specialists Graduate at the Police Hospital
On April 11 the graduation as specialists and sub-specialists of 29 doctors took place at the Dr. Julio Briceño University of Medical Sciences and Nursing of the Carlos Huembes National Police Hospital. The chief of the police forces, First Commissioner Francisco Díaz Madriz, emphasized that these doctors have demonstrated their vocation of service and exemplary dedication to their education, which will allow them to provide a more human quality attention. He highlighted the memory of the heroic officers and heroines of the National Police who were killed during the failed coup d’état in April 2018. With this second graduation of surgical specialists dedicated to the fallen police officers, there are now 249 medical professionals graduated from that house of studies, according to the hospital’s director, Doctor and Commissioner General Julio Cesar Paladino. Among the graduates are three gynecologists, three orthopedists, two pediatricians, a dermatologist, a plastic surgeon, among other specialties and subspecialties. (La Primerisima, 11 April 2025)

Great Affluence of People from Masaya to Internal Medicine Fair
On April 12 the Sandinista Government held a mega internal medicine fair at the Comandante Hilario Sánchez Hospital of Masaya, where 8,676 attentions were provided to 3,301 patients. During the day, more than one hundred specialists provided care for early detection, care and timely treatment to patients with heart, lung, stomach and kidney diseases. Ultrasounds, endoscopies, heart and lung studies and laboratory tests were also performed. These actions reinforce the Family and Community Health Model, bringing specialized care closer to families throughout the country. (La Primerisima, 12 April 2025)

New Mental Health Center in Chiquilistagua District
Health authorities reported that the Dr. Jacobo Frech Mental Health Center located in Chiquilistagua, District Three of Managua, will be inaugurated in the first week of May. This space will provide emergency care, hospitalization, outpatient and assessments with specialized and comprehensive care to address mental health illnesses in dignified conditions, with dedication and affection. The government continues working for a world of affection, respect, dignity and well-being for the people of Nicaragua. (La Primerisima, 14 April 2025)

2024 General Budget Shows Many Advances
The Nicaraguan Ministry of Finance and Public Credit presented its final report on the General Budget of the Republic 2024, highlighting significant advances for the year in energy, health, education, water and sanitation, and housing, benefiting thousands of families in the various departments of the country. In energy, 166.96 km of electricity distribution networks, connecting 3,338 homes and providing light to 17,358 people in the municipalities of Boaco, Carazo, Granada, Rivas, Chinandega, Chontales, Estelí, Jinotega, León, Madriz, Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa and Nueva Segovia. In addition, progress was made with 77 km in the project to expand the La Esperanza Substation and the La Esperanza-La Gateada transmission line. In health, the El Empalme Health Post in Rosita and the Ernesto Hodgson Health Center in Puerto Cabezas, Bilwi, were remodeled and equipped. The Wiwilí Primary Hospital was also replaced and equipped and the Regional Epidemiological Laboratory was built in Estelí, strengthening medical attention in that region. Potable water and sanitation systems were completed in Terencio Munguía (El Realejo, Chinandega), Los Jirones (Diriá, Granada) and Taswa (Boaco), improving the living conditions of these communities. And in housing, 1,127 subsidies were delivered to build homes for low-income families, 480 subsidies for home improvement; 2,786 homes were built for families in extreme poverty, 235 for incomes from 1 to 6 times the minimum wage and 312 for incomes from 6 to 10 times the minimum wage, increasing access to decent housing. These projects reflect the government’s commitment to improving the quality of life of the population, prioritizing key sectors for the sustainable development of the country. (Informe Pastran, 14 April 2025)

Millions for Small Producers and Entrepreneurs
The 2024 final report of the Adelante and Zero Usury credit programs, promoted by the Sandinista Government, reflects a significant impact on poverty reduction and the strengthening of the social fabric by providing economic opportunities to thousands of families through accessible financing and training. The Adelante Program granted 9,941 loans last year totaling US$14.2 million and benefiting 5,239 men (52.7%) and 4,702 women (47.3%) around the country. The majority of loans were for cattle raising and coffee cultivation. In the secondary sector, baking and garment manufacturing stood out, while in the tertiary sector, retail trade and tourism were the most dynamic. This program has enabled small producers and entrepreneurs to strengthen their economic activities, generating stable income and combating poverty in rural areas, while promoting gender equity by including almost half of women as beneficiaries.

The Zero Usury Program extended US$5.1 million in loans, serving 147,867 women organized in 48,675 solidarity groups, according to the Treasury report. In addition, in alliance with INATEC, 159,730 women (including participants in Zero Usury) were trained in business administration and customer service, providing them with tools to maximize the use of credit. This comprehensive approach has not only improved the economic conditions of the beneficiaries, but has also strengthened their self-esteem and leadership, consolidating support networks in vulnerable communities.

Both Adelante and Zero Usury programs have been pillars in the Sandinista government’s national strategy to reduce poverty by facilitating access to credit under fair conditions and promoting financial inclusion. Adelante has boosted local economies, especially in the agricultural sector, while Zero Usury has empowered women in vulnerable situations, transforming their realities through entrepreneurship and training. Together, they impacted more than 157,000 people in 2024, generating employment opportunities and improving family income.

The report further noted that the Ministry of Finance expended US$7.2 million in 2024 to subsidize the consumption of electric energy and drinking water of retirees. Of this amount, US$5.2 million was allocated to subsidize electric energy, supporting 67,687 pensioners, while US$2 million covered the subsidy for the consumption of drinking water for 56,102 pensioners. The report stated that this initiative reaffirms the government’s commitment to the welfare of the elderly, guaranteeing access to basic services through significant financial support. (La Primerisima, 15 April 2025)