Sandino Manifesto
2024, Print
This is a poster examinines three different periods in Nicaraguan history. In the middle column, a manifesto written and published by Augusto Sandino is displayed in a blocky font that emulates the writing commonly found painted in the Nicaraguan public space. Written in 1927, it calls on the unification of the Nicaraguan in the face of an American occupation. Sandino’s name and likeness were then used in the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN); the revolutionary party that defeated Somoza in 1979. In 2006, Daniel Ortega was voted into power and with him came the revival of the Sandinista party that is still present today.
Headlines from these three eras of Sandino/Sandinismo are displayed on the two columns framing the manifesto, and are typeset in fonts that are historically accurate based on examination of original newspapers. At the time of making, the last headline added was from two-weeks prior. I argue the middle font is timeless within Nicaraguan typographic history because it is the same blocky lettering that is found on the streets. It also embodies the Nicaraguan public, as it is done by everyday people aiming solely to communicate.