Activism in Peru

            In several of the cities we have visited, we have witnessed locals voicing their opinions on topics they care passionately about.  This has often taken the form of individuals sharing their personal ideals, but on a few occasions, we have witnessed large scale protests.   The smaller examples of activism seem to mostly concern preservation of the rich Incan architecture.  For example, on nearly every walk down the streets of Cusco, you can see individuals holding signs reminding tourists not to touch the stone walls.  Although apparently not paid to enforce this rule, it seems that the locals have so much pride in the work of their ancestors that they spend hours a day drawing attention to its preservation.  Another example of individual activism in Lima was a man who had a large poster attached to his bike promoting veganism.  This sign was clearly handmade, and more than likely impeded his ability to maneuver his bike.  Regardless, he was passionate enough about promoting veganism that these inconveniences did not stop him.  These examples show that many Peruvians feel empowered enough to speak up about issues that bother them.

            We have also seen people work collectively to have their voice heard.  The first large scale protest we witnessed was in Ollantaytambo.  Despite the relatively small size of the town, the crowd that gathered to march was large enough to occupy nearly two blocks worth of road.  This group was very well organized, carrying banners that spanned the width of the street and shouting chants in unison.  At first glance, I admired the unity of these locals; however, on closer inspection, I realized that the purpose of the protest was very vague.  For example, many of the signs condemned governmental corruption, something that everyone can agree with.  In fact, I was unable to determine the specific purpose of this march until I heard some guards at the ruins of Ollantaytambo describe the locals’ anger over agricultural issues.  Overall, the way in which locals conducted this protest made it seem as if their real goal was to get the government officials’ attention, rather than bring awareness to the issue itself.

            In contrast, the large protest which occurred in Cusco had a very specific purpose.  In this case, locals had bright pink and blue signs with phrases criticizing the view of gender as a spectrum.  Without even closely approaching the group gathered on the steps of the main plaza, the colors of the signs made it clear that this protest concerned gender.  Upon closer inspection, we discovered that this group opposed the country’s decision to include education about the gender spectrum in schools.  Although I disagreed with the opinion of these protesters, I believe their strategy for getting their opinions heard was quite effective.  By choosing the main square, they were able to get the attention of both the locals and tourists in the area.  This assures that their voices would be heard by the most people, thus creating the most potential for change.  In this case, not only did people get attention, but they also clearly conveyed the issue they were concerned about.

            One final march we witnessed occurred in Lima.  In this case, a church group marched in a much more refined manner than either of the other large groups we have seen.  They were still holding signs and chanting, yet they presented a much more reserved attitude.  Their march ended in a square, where they planned to conduct mass for the crowd.  This type of activism, recruiting for religion, seems to be present worldwide, with Peruvians being no exception.  In all, the fact that people in both smaller towns and large tourist cities choose to protest as a way to make their voice heard shows that across this region of Peru, people feel empowered enough to stand up for what they believe.