Nidia Bustos

Nidia Bustos is a Nicaraguan theater director, community organizer and cultural activist. She founded the theater organization MECATE that meanwhile consists of more than 80 theater and music groups.

Life Bustos was born in 1952. In 1980 she started her life-work, MECATE, a theater organization the grew out to be a nationwide organization with more than 80 theater and music groups.

After the era of suppression by the Somoza-regime (1936-1979), the social structures of little farmers (campesinos) had disappeared. With the foundation of the theater organization, Bustos has the objective to work at the reconstruction of the country by developing more social cohesion between the rural communities. MECATE (Movimiento de Expresión Campesina Artística y Teatral) can be translated to Campesino Movement of Rural Artistic and Theatrical Expression.

The performances induce artistic discussions on themes like replanting, malaria prevention, agricultural techniques, land speculation, and the consequences of trade pacts.

In 2005 Zurita made a short theater film of 50 minutes. In this film the complete cast was formed by members of MECATE.