Obdulio describes the war left Arcatao without priests, and community-trained teachers (called “popular teachers”) began to emerge around 1987.
- Interviewee:
- Obdulio
Transcription
When things were at their worst, when there were no priests here— for example, I got married in 1978, we were among the last people to get married here— so by the 80s, from 1980 onward there were no priests here. Things were really serious, and so our lives became very difficult. We wanted to leave, but we knew that no one was expecting us elsewhere, right… It’s difficult... to find yourself in a moment when you don’t have anywhere to go. Thank God we have overcome all those difficulties. So in my life, by 1987, I got together with a few comrades to teach the children. Which is very important, that’s where the idea of the “popular teachers” began in this area. We started by getting some paper. We took paper from big notebooks and tore them and made little notebooks to start giving classes for the children, under whatever roof or tree we could find. My experience was in Sicuahuites, when this process began at the municipal level. We were afraid but we did it. In spite of the threats, because at that time, if they saw you involved in even the smallest form of organizing they would be after you. But thanks to God we got started. I remember the first few notebooks that I was able to get ahold of for the Sicahuites area. I had to go all the way to the Archbishop of San Salvador. I had a thousand problems getting them through the checkpoints, but we got them through. After that, the Church opened up a bit more space, when it returned and placed a priest in the area. That helped us a lot, supporting the popular schools, which was very important. The Church helped us with everything. I remember that it was Father Nicolás who started the school for teachers of adult education in this area, always alongside the popular teachers. Over time the population became more organized and there was no longer just one teacher in the community, but three or four.