ASI SOY: El Campesino is a pilot for a proposed documentary series on average, hard working Nicaraguans who best articulate for themselves the joys and struggles of their own lives and who have a lot to teach an increasingly fast paced world. The title of the proposed series, ASI SOY is a typical Nicaraguan expression that translates roughly to “That’s how I am.” “Campesino” could be translated as ‘farmer’, or ‘peasant’, but throughout Latin America the term is used as an identity while generally referring to someone from the countryside who works with agriculture, livestock and the land. “Campesino” is a culture and Don Orlando Rugama from Miraflor, Esteli is true to that culture. By following Don Orlando through his morning work of milking his cows he shares insight on “campesino” life and the importance of preserving the surrounding nature that directly affects himself and his family. His community, La Labranza has no electricity, but not due to poverty. La Labranza functions more in a cooperative spirit where young and old work together tending beans, corn and coffee bushes in the surrounding mountains. They have maintained a less hectic lifestyle that ebbs and flows with the seasons and contributes to healthy families and a healthy community. The elders, like Don Orlando, have a deep connection to the land they work and see changes and consequences due to changing farming practices. ASI SOY seeks to let the viewer to think about the ways different people live and listen to what they have to teach.
