Roberto Vargas (poet)

Roberto Vargas (born 1941) is a Nicaraguan poet and political activist. He was born in Managua, Nicaragua and raised in the Mission District, San Francisco where he became a prominent political activist. From 1974 through 1979, he taught Creative Writing at San Francisco State University.

He is best known for his work during in the San Francisco Mission district during the Nicaraguan Revolution and bilingual poetry.

Political Activity and work in The Mission

Roberto Vargas was among many Nicaraguenses who mobilized in San Francisco to form the Nicaraguense Comité Cívico (Nicaraguan Civic Committee) following the 6.2 magnitude 1972 Nicaragua earthquake. The committee set up donation centers in the San Francisco Mission to benefit those affected in the earthquake, however the ruling Nicaraguense party headed by Anastasio Somoza García was criticized for not distributing the aid received.

Among the tools used by the Nicaraguan Civic Committee to help liberate Nicaragua from Samoza were the recruitment of local and international Latino artists to add an extra artistic element to the political movement. This way the committee helped inform the community of the realities of Central American poverty and oppression.

Notable artists who collaborated with the committee were Nicaraguense poet Ernesto Cardenal and artist Juan Flores.

Vargas decided that the political action taking place in San Francisco was not enough, so he and other Nicaraguenses joined the armed struggle in Nicaragua. To prepare, Vargas trained in martial arts and learned to fly small planes through their hourly rental at an aviation facility in San Francisco. Once in Nicaragua, Vargas fought for a year, during which time he would frequently visit family in San Francisco.

In 1974, Vargas cofounded the Gaceta Sandinista, a San Francisco Spanish-language newspaper dedicated to covering the struggle in Nicaragua. The creation of this newspaper helped further his wishes of bringing the revolution to both countries.

Vargas became involved with El Tecolote, a bilingual newspaper headquartered in San Francisco. And in 1975 wrote,

Every Latino has the responsibility to work toward the liberation of our people. There is no neutral or middle ground, and we must join the struggle

Credentials

• Neighborhood Arts Program Organizer, San Francisco Arts Commission (1969-7194).
• Translator and facilitator for Poet Ernesto Cardenal (1974-present).
• Associate Director, San Francisco Art Commission, Neighborhood Arts Program. (1974-1979).
• Creative Writing instructor, San Francisco State University (1970-1973).

Diplomat

• Counselor, Cultural Affairs, Embassy of Nicaragua, Washington, DC (1979-1986)
• Director of North American Affairs, Foreign Ministry of Nicaragua.
• Nicaragua’s Ambassador to China, Beijing (1990).
• Consultant for Social and cultural Programs, CITGO Petroleum of Venezuela (2006-2009)
• Field Representative, American Federation of Teachers (2009-present)

Awards

Vargas has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors including:

• Life Time Achievement, University of Massachusetts Amherst. December 2005
• Honorary Chairman, San Francisco Arts Commission. May 2008
• Certificate of Honor, San Francisco Board of Supervisors. May 2008

External links

• example.com