Walking With El Salvador

Yellow and white paper flags lined the little street that leads uphill to the chapel at Divina Providencia. Each flag featured a hand-colored, cut out figure of Monseñor Oscar Romero. I chuckled to myself, thinking of of the Flat Martins we have colored with children for Reformation Day, and of course, Flat Stanley from the beloved children's book. I think Saint Romero might also chuckle at the idea of children coloring Flat Oscars and taking him on adventures with them, or pasting him onto a fluttery flag next to the noni trees at Divina Providencia. Flat Martin Luther hanging out in my office Yellow and white paper chains decorated the chapel fence. The doorway was arched with white and yellow flowers. We peered inside: not too many people yet. The altar was beautifully surrounded by hundreds of yellow and white roses. This is the altar where 45 years ago today, Oscar Romero stood saying mass and where he fell - murdered by an assassin's bullet. Many years and many masses of ...

El Salvador held elections on February 4, 2024, and, in breaking with a tradition of many years, this time I was not a credentialed international election observer.   During previous elections, I served on a team of national and international observers organized by the Salvadoran Lutheran Church. Although the church did not make an observation plan for 2024, the role of observers from the Salvadoran citizenry, political parties, government agencies and international organizations continues to promote trust and transparency in electoral proceedings. Observers have noted that the election day process in El Salvador has been, for the most part, free and fair over the last many years.  In the days surrounding the February 4th election, Salvadoran and international media have widely reported on and analyzed the presumed election of Nayib Bukele to a second presidential term, the constitutionality of his election, and the consolidation of power for his political party, Nuevas...

After more than a year of completely shuttered classrooms and parents facilitating their children's education at home, the Salvadoran Ministry of Education has announced that schools will begin to re-open after the Holy Week holidays. Ministry of Education Graphic posted on social media Return to classes + April 6, 2021 Optional:  If the parent in the family decides that the child should stay home, they can do that. It is not obligatory to send them. Semi-in-Person:  The students will be present on [specified] days in order to maintain social distancing in the classrooms. Mult-modal:  Classes continue in Google Classroom, with guides, television and radio. Gradual:  This is a process to care for ourselves.  Not all students should be present on April 6th. What will the re-opening of schools look like? The Salvadoran government has established detailed criteria under which the schools may open.  It is likely that not all schools will be ready to open on Apri...

For the last several election seasons, I have been able to both observe the pre-election campaigns and the inner workings at polling sites on election day.  This year, due to the pandemic, my observation experience was limited to what I could observe while driving around and what I could observe while following live streaming reports from other observers. Car Window with a View On February 27th, the day before the election, we took a drive around San Salvador to check out the set-up process for the voter information tents and polling sites.  We specifically headed to places we had visited prior to the 2019 election so we could do a comparison.   So, just a refresher:  Nayib Bukele was voted in as President of El Salvador in the 2019 election.  His party, Nuevas Ideas (New Ideas) was not allowed on the ballot because it was too new.  Bukele struck a deal with GANA and ran as the GANA candidate.  GANA, formerly covering the country with its orange a...

This very morning, church leaders, water protection advocates, citizens and journalists are gathering in the Valley of the Angel.  This is the valley to the north of San Salvador, to the south of Apopa, and from which, on a clear day, one can see the surrounding circle of volcanoes, from El Boquerón (San Salvador), to the hills of Nejapa, to the ancient volcano of Guazapa, to the hills of Chalatenango, to the twin peaks of San Vicente.  At one time, this was forest.  Long ago, people recognized that this large inland plain with rich water resources was suitable for agriculture.  For a long, long time, sugar cane has grown in the valley. With the construction of the San Salvador bypass, the valley opened up to traffic, especially truck traffic.  Small roadside stands popped up, as did gas stations.  A large customs depot for land transport and unsightly truck corral followed.  Nearby businesses, especially the famous Coca Cola, began extracting huge q...