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2017 Humans of Guanacaste: An Interactive Showcase of Costa Rican Leaders Juan Camilo Barco
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THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
HUMANS OF GUANACASTE:
AN INTERACTIVE SHOWCASE OF COSTA RICAN LEADERS
By
JUAN C. BARCO
A Thesis submitted to the
Department of Political Science
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation with
Honors in the Major
Degree Awarded:
Fall, 2017
“Even the most casual observer of American politics cannot help but notice that partisan conflict has grown sharper, more unrelenting, and more ideological over the last decade.”
- C. Hare & K. T. Pole
“The Polarization of Contemporary American Politics”
Introduction enabling people to live and work together, especially with people from different cultural Over the past decade, there has been a backgrounds. An individual’s sensitivity to our significant increase in political divide across the cultural differences, combined with an ability to United States (Dunlap, 2016). Partisan polarization adapt one’s own behavior to those differences, is an has become a notion very prominent in today’s incredibly valuable asset to have in a society society, creating a political climate characterized by characterized by a diverse workforce and a tense debate, where casual conversations about globalized economy (Landis and Bhgatt, 1996). ideological differences have now turned into violent protests, such as the ones recently seen in One theory suggests that study-abroad Charlottesville, Virginia. As suggested by programs found at the university level can have a researcher Liliana Mason (2015), partisan positive impact on the overall development of polarization has also been strengthened by the intercultural sensitivity (Anderson, 2006). Being growing tendency of individual Americans to treat immersed in a different culture, being aware of party identification as a social identity, where being different perspectives, and being knowledgeable of a Republican or a Democrat is important in how the variety of social issues present around the world people see themselves. are key components of the cultural integration offered by study abroad programs. However, how This national in-group identification has also can we integrate this principle to individuals outside been characterized in predicting negative feelings or of the university sample and/or to those who don’t hostility towards immigrant groups, especially in have the necessary economical means to travel individuals who hold a high level of moral outside of the U.S.? Also, how do we integrate key superiority (Brewer, 1999). This notion has been cultural aspects of other nations to the average demonstrated in recent political candidacies both at individual/consumer? And how do we provide the the local, state, and federal level. However, this rest of America, and the world, the benefits that concept does not imply that all Americans are only privileged college students are able to receive narcissists. Nonetheless, it is perhaps noticeable that by studying abroad? This thesis seeks so answer Americans do hold a much more grandiose and these questions. nationalistic view towards their own country when compared to other western nations. (Baldwin, Through methods of creative storytelling, I 1956). However, when this notion becomes have created a documentary film where I portray the threatened, individuals with higher nationalistic and experiences, the lessons, the stories, and the cultural narcissistic views have been associated with higher issues that students, such as myself, have levels of aggression, hostile intent, and violence encountered studying abroad. This documentary towards others (Baumeister, 2003). This is focuses specifically in learning about the multiple incredibly noticeable in today’s political climate, social, environmental, and political problems where calls for immigration (a threat to nationalistic present in the region of Guanacaste, Costa Rica; ideals), have become more prominent and present in highlighting individuals’ lives, their stories, their both our political debate, and our proposed struggles, and their initiatives to fix them. I believe legislation. that through this mean, we can cultivate and increase our overall level or intercultural sensitivity, So how do we change our opinions towards thus reducing the effects that political polarization immigrant populations without letting go of our has brought upon our nation and the rest of the national identity and our long-lasting belief that the world. United States is and has been the greatest nation on earth? To put it simply, how can we, as a nation, Problems Studied cultivate a higher level of intercultural sensitivity? The answers to these questions are significantly Why Costa Rica? important to find, considering we are living in an era where intercultural sensitivity is critical in
Costa Rica, located in Central America, has This project sought to discover local leaders usually been characterized by its high level of involved with such initiatives; disclosing their tourism. In fact, Costa Rica ranks 56th in the world involvement, their effectiveness, and most for tourist arrivals, receiving over 3 million tourist importantly, their intrinsic motives to serve. visits in the year of 2016 (ICR, 2016). Keep in Overall, this project provides a general mind, Costa Rica has a population of only 4.8 evaluation of the tertiary sector present in million (World bank, n.d). Although Costa Rica has Guanacaste. been marketed by its beautiful beaches and its biodiverse parkland, it is a nation that holds an immense amount of social, political, and Methods environmental issues which most visitors will never come in contact with. Being the most visited This project placed a focus on utilizing country in Central America (UNWTO, 2012), I individual storytelling as the main source of data. believe it is important to highlight the issues the During the span of six weeks, over 20 individuals people of this country are constantly dealing with, were formally interviewed via face-to-face video as well as the initiatives taken by non-profit and audio recordings. Participants were individuals organizations and average citizens aimed at fixing directly involved with the topics of interest. them. Participants were citizens of the neighborhood of Martina Bustos, government officials, founders and Topics Investigated directors of Non-Profit Organizations, and citizens of the region of Guanacaste. Interviews ranged from 1) The level of poverty and the living conditions 20 minutes to 60 minutes. Government officials and present in the neighborhood of Martina Bustos. the founders of Non-Profit Organizations were Located in the outskirts of the city of Liberia, recruited via email. Citizens of Martina Bustos were Martina Bustos has been known for its harsh selectively chosen by Gerardo Fuentes, City living conditions, its high level of immigrant Councilman for the City of Liberia, and founder of populations, and its lack of basic public the NGO Manos Abiertas. Gerardo has been resources such as potable water and electricity working in Martina Bustos for the past 15 years and for almost 3,000 of its residents. This project has extensive personal relationships with the highlights individual stories of the residents of citizens of Martina Bustos. I believe that the Martina Bustos, while outlining political issues recruitment of participants of such vulnerable at the municipal level which prevent this populations had to be done under the supervision of community from developing. someone well trusted by the community. This allowed me to conduct more friendly, more 2) The effects of Global Warming on the dry personal, and more in-depth conversations with the pacific regions of Guanacaste. More citizens of this neighborhood. specifically, how elongated drought seasons have exacerbated water shortages. This project Further on, I utilized the content of my focused on disclosing how unorganized and interviews as the main sources of data, which fragmented political institutions have provided a significant amount of information in exacerbated this problem, while highlighting the regards to the topics I studied. Only a selected importance of developing bottom-up number of these interviews were compiled into the educational initiatives aimed at cultivating a documentary film. However, following every higher level of environmental consciousness interview, participants took part in a 15-minute from early in the public education curriculum. photoshoot where portraits of them were taken. These portraits, along with every participants 3) Local grassroots initiatives implemented by translated and transcribed portions of their established Costa Rican and foreign Non-Profit interviews, will be compiled into an interactive Organizations which aim at bettering living photography book, which will be sold to the general conditions, such as in the ones presented above. public. All profits from this book will go directly to
the non-profit organizations mentioned in the Bustos have worked at the landfill at some point in documentary. their lives.
Results / Observations Our conversations with Gerardo Fuentes also revealed a significant flaw in the local political Martina Bustos structure of the city of Liberia, which ultimately limits their ability to develop the neighborhood of Martina Bustos is a 45-acre piece of land Martina Bustos. Gerardo, who is also the president located in the outskirts of the city of Liberia, in the of the housing commission for the City Council, region of Guanacaste. This is a neighborhood with explains that due to the nature of this land being very distinct characteristics, as it is a private land private, the local government is unable to step in owned by the family of Martina Bustos, where the and provide any source of help. Further on, he name derives from. Martina Bustos, who is now explains that the political situation is very delicate, deceased, donated all her land over 30 years ago in as there are multiple agencies (ministerios) in order to provide low income immigrants the ability charge of urban development, and not enough to take a piece of land, build their own home, and consensus on how to move forward with the “own” it for free. development of this neighborhood. Although Costa Rica provides temporary housing for individuals in Martina Bustos, now a community of almost poverty struck neighborhoods during times of 3000 people, is easily distinguished by its poor development, more than 50% residents of Martina living conditions. Due to the nature of this land not Bustos are unable to receive this, as they are legally being public, the advantage of being able to immediately disqualified due to their illegal receive a piece of land for free, comes at the immigrant status. disadvantage of the local governments inability to provide basic resources such as: a sewage system, Although minor government aid has been potable water, public roads, and public education. established, such as the implementation of seven Further on, Martina Bustos is characterized by its water fountains where people can go collect their high levels of prostitution, drug addiction, and water and bring them into their home, Gerardo alcohol related problems, in turn exacerbating the explains that most help and progress can be derived issues brought upon by poverty. from tertiary industries, such as non-profit organizations. I will discuss their involvement and A common theme present in Martina Bustos the impact they have placed in the following is people’s inability to find well-paying jobs, as sections. However, it is critical to note that over its more than 90% of its residents are of immigrant 30 years of existence, the progress Martina Bustos descent, mostly from Nicaragua, with over half of has seen has been very limited, and politicization of them lacking proper legal documentation. As a this neighborhood has become very prominent over result, one of the most well-observed sources of the recent years. With this in mind, we found it income for individuals comes through working at necessary to disclose the stories of individuals of the local landfill, picking up materials to sell, and this neighborhood into the documentary film, and I even food to eat. These people are regularly known hope that through this mean, we can ultimately as “busos”. Marta Romero, a resident of Martina develop critical consciousness about this issue and Bustos, explains how she worked at the landfill for open the door to multiple national and international over six months when she first moved to the donors who’s help can ultimate reduce the neighborhood, working Monday-Saturday picking incredible burdens the people of Martina Bustos up rulers to sell as school supplies, and finding face. canned beans and bagged rice as her main source of nutritional consumption. Our conversations with Liberia’s City Councilman Gerardo Fuentes Political Influence in Water Sustainability revealed that over 90% of the people of Martina Outcomes
Throughout the documentary film, I discuss Cuencas), and other rural development associations Costa Rica’s susceptibility to the effects of Global (Kuzdas, Weik, Warner, Vignola & Morataya. Warming, and I note how governmental 2015). ineffectiveness at the local level, such as in the case of Martina Bustos, is also seen at the national level, These studies revealed an absurd amount of affecting people in regards to one of their most governmental fragmentation, which includes a basic and fundamental needs: Water. “El Niño”, a significant lack of communications between these recent environmental pattern, has led to an increase agencies, which has then led to little systematic of rainfall across the U.S. and Peru. However, it has knowledge of how much water is available, who is also brought devastating droughts to the Pacific using the most, and what we can do to preserve a regions of North and Central America (NOAA, nd), healthy and sustainable environment (Kuzdas et al., the area where Guanacaste is located. 2015). Kuzdas has also studied how other emerging forms of water governance could fix this problem. Conversations with Carolina Muñoz, an Multiple alternatives have been studied and results environmental lawyer for Costa Rica’s Ministry of showed that those with deliberate stakeholder Environment, Energy, and Communications investment and secure groundwater reserves were (MINAE), revealed that Costa Rica has experienced the most effective (Kuzdas et al., 2015). These longer dry seasons in the past decades, noting the results not only show which other alternatives are drastic change of climate manifestation. This present, they also show how much better they decrease in rainfall from 400mm of rain per month perform compared to the current water governance during peak wet months, to less than 70mm during regime that exists today in Costa Rica. peak dry moths (World Bank, nd), has led to the drastic decrease of hydric resources such as those The documentary film notes the importance found in underground aquifers, rivers, and streams. of the notion of “deliberate stakeholder investment” This problem has drastically affected the people of presented by Kuzdas. Creating community Guanacaste. My conversations with Carolina engagement and communication in order to develop revealed that during peak dry seasons, residents a higher level of environmental consciousness have experienced drastic water rationing in their within the community. Conversations with Carolina homes, almost every day, from 7AM to 8PM, Muñoz, revealed that the most effective way to do particularly in the cities of Samara in Nicoya so is by implementing environmental educational County, Sardinal in Cardillo County, and curriculums early in the public education system, Nimboyores in Santa Cruz County (Kuzdas, 2012). and continuing them all the way up to the university level. Although alternate governmental solutions are Furthermore, these events have put into present, without active citizen engagement this questions the sustainability Costa Rica’s water would never possible. I further examined governance regimes. Throughout the documentary educational institutions implementing these kind of film, I discuss scientific research conducted by the programs in the following section. Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE), which has highlighted the many problems present in the water governance The Influence of the Tertiary Industry regimes of Guanacaste. These studies revealed that there is little coordination between public and The previous points have highlighted the private entities that are responsible for water supply, importance of having institutions present that work delivery, use, and outflow. These entities include, selflessly and efficiently to solve the problems but are not limited to: ACT (Area de Conservacion present in Costa Rica. These institutions are critical Tempisque), AyA (Acueductos y Alcantarillados), in filling the aid gaps which the public political MINAE, ASADAs (Rural Drinking Water sector has been unable to fulfill. During the final Asociations), The Ministey of Health, SENARA part of the documentary, I focused specifically on (Servicio Nacional de Aguas Subterranes Riego y non-profit organizations and leaders of the Avenamiento), PC (Comision para el Manejo de las
community, outlining their involvement in the Finally, La Paz has also brought together the community, their initiatives, and the results they local community, providing full paid scholarships to have been able to achieve in providing individuals local students, and enhancing the overall level of with education, social services, and community education in the area; providing students with the development. ability to receive a world class education, and giving them the resources to come back to the The documentary film focused on four community to implement the skills they have prominent non-profit organizations working to learned. Sara and La Paz are incredible examples of eradicate the issues I have mentioned. These the humans and non-profits present here in organizations are La Paz Community School, Guanacaste, who, through education, are trying to Abriendo Mentes, Un Techo para Mi Pais, and solve the many social issues present in this region. Manos Abiertas de Liberia. Moreover, I also drew the focus to citizens of the community such as Abriendo Mentes Valerie Eschuck, who have gone above and beyond to fulfill the call of service, in this case by creating a Another non-profit organization highlighted food bank and providing over 1000 families with in the documentary film is Abriendo Mentes. necessary nutritional means, all funded through her Abriendo Mentes, similar to La Paz, focuses on pocket. providing educational services to young underprivileged students, as well as older members La Paz Community School of the community. Abriendo Mentes focuses primarily in providing after school education La Paz is a non-profit K-12 IB accredited programs to children who go to the local elementary school present in the city of Flamingo, Guanacaste. school, ranging from kinder up to sixth grade. They Conversations with its founder; Sara McGowen, provide up to eight hours of extracurricular learning gave insight into La Paz’s environmental education activities for students which ultimately enhance the curriculum, and how they have incorporated it in all level of education. These extracurricular activities aspects of their education, from kinder, all the way include English classes, computer classes, and art up to twelfth grade. The documentary notes that programs. their environmental curriculum educates students not only through books and lectures, but also Furthermore, Abriendo Mentes has also through hands on experiences. During my created an environmental curriculum for students interviews, Sara emphasizes the importance of called FuturoVerde (A Greener Future). This students being in touch with nature through their environmental curriculum extends for a period of field trips, and her desire of teaching students how one year, providing students with complementary to be independent learners, leaders, and conscious field trips to local estuaries, water treatment plants, consumers. and local national parks to learn about the vast environmental biodiversity present in Costa Rica. Also, the documentary notes that educators Apart from the field trips, students are encouraged at La Paz are able to develop their own to make a presentation about everything they have environmental curriculums without being bogged learned to their peers and their community down by standardized tests, Sara explains. This has members. Conversations with Rachael Sine, the proven to be effective with now over 30% of country director of Abriendo Mentes, shine a light twelfth grade graduates pursuing science related on the fact that Abriendo Mentes’s main goal is to careers, and with one graduate joining the ranks to provide young students with educational become the next secretary of education. Also, experiences the public education system is unable to throughout the documentary, I joined a group of provide, all while teaching students to be leaders in high schoolers on one of their environmental their community and educating their peers and education field trips to provide audience members themselves about the environment. with an example of the initiatives implemented by La Paz.
Aside from teaching English and computing Abiertas has held a lunch room, also known as the skills, as well as advancing the environmental “comedero”, where with the help of local food education curriculum, Abriendo Mentes has been banks, Manos Abiertas had been able to provide active in empowering woman though their Mujeres daily meals to the people of Martina Bustos, Abiertas Initiative, creating after school sport particularly to those who would normally find their programs which have lowered the level of gang meals at the landfill, a prominent example being involvement in young at-risk children, while also Marta Romero whose situation was described being the creators of numerous food banks, where earlier. based on socioeconomic studies, Abriendo Mentes has been able to provide food boxes monthly to Unfortunately, following my departure, a families in need. lack of donations and funding for Manos Abiertas has forced the “comedero” to shut down indefinitely. However, through this project, I firmly Manos Abiertas de Liberia believe we can create the resources to support non- profit organizations like Manos Abiertas by opening Perhaps one of the most prominent, beneficial, and the doors to the international community and most effective Non-Profit organizations in the allowing the creation for a broader set of donors and region of Guanacaste is Manos Abiertas de Liberia volunteers, which all of these organizations deeply (Not to be confused with Abriendo Mentes). Manos depend on. Abiertas works directly to better the living conditions in the neighborhood of Martina Bustos. Future Directions & Conclusion Founded over 15 years ago by Liberia’s City Councilman Gerardo Fuentes, Manos Abiertas has Is it without a doubt that this project faced provided a broad range of education opportunities some major setbacks, one being a very limited for the people of Martina Bustos. Manos Abiertas sample. Due to time and location constrains, it has provided reading and writing classes for citizens proved to be very difficult to obtain a higher like Juan Garcia, who explains in the documentary amount of participants. Future studies of this sort his gratitude for being able to receive such a will benefit from having a much larger time-frame fundamental skill. to recruit participants and conduct interviews, a bigger budget, and bigger and more experienced Moreover, Manos Abiertas has provided film crew. It is relevant to note that these sorts of individuals of the community with the resources documentary films take months, if not years to necessary to create jobs, which have ultimately complete, and that is with relatively larger budgets allowed community members, such as those and bigger production teams. This was a one-man mentioned earlier like Marta Romero, to give up the band. However, it is the help provided by multiple practice of working at the local landfill. Manos community members (most credited in the Abiertas has also partnered with the University of documentary film) that made it possible to create Costa Rica to create an initiative called Un Techo this project. Para Mi Pais (One Roof for My Country), which has built over 300 houses for the people of Martina Aside from this documentary film, this Bustos, for free. Manos Abiertas has also created undergraduate honors thesis will be enacted as a multiple counseling and family strengthening research to action project by creating an interactive programs which aim at fighting issues related to photography book with the stories of each drug addiction, prostitution, and alcoholism, most individual interviewed in this study. All proceeds which are very prominent throughout the from this book will go directly to the non-profit neighborhood. organizations mentioned, placing a priority in those which lack the necessary resources to continue Finally, Manos Abiertas has worked to running, such as Manos Abiertas. Also, future eradicate issues related to malnutrition, particularly documentary films and research projects of this sort in young children. For over three years, Manos will be conducted, as it has proven to be an in-depth
and highly interactive method of conducting and publishing research. Due to my future involvement with National Geographic’s Young Explorers Grant, Humans of Guanacaste hopes to expand its creative research to other parts of the world, bringing together a more diverse group of cultures into this medium. Future Humans initiatives include investigating the integration of Ex-FARC Guerilla members back into Colombian society, the stories of the families who were displaced by the Colombian FARC, and the publics opinion on the recent Colombian Peace Treaty.
To conclude, the issues and stories portrayed in this documentary serve a greater purpose aimed at achieving a broader vision; allowing consumers to reflect on social issues worldwide to ultimately develop a higher level of intercultural sensitivity. This in turn has the ability of allowing us to step out of our cultural and political bubbles, and experience a broader set of mindsets, problems, and opinions present worldwide, in an interactive and more open medium, which is filmmaking.
The stories and issues presented in this documentary film are a reminder of the vast amount of individuals that go through immeasurable economic challenges both in Martina Bustos, in Costa Rica, and throughout the world. This documentary film is also a reminder that Costa Rica, as tranquil as it seems from the surface, is a country tasked with a significant amount of social, political, and environmental challenges, ranging from poverty, to political disorganization, and to environmental degradation. These issues also remind us of the incredible non-profit organizations and the incredible humans working endlessly to solve them; Humans like Gerardo, Valerie, Carolina, Sarah, Rachel, and the thousands of public servants present in this region, are prime examples of leaders, which whom Costa Rica and the rest of the world would be nothing without.
The stories of these humans, remind us that behind every nation, every culture, and every individual, lies an endless story. It is our duty, to become aware of these stories, and to become culturally aware of the many different stories and opinions that make this nation, and this world so great.
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