For our meeting in Lima all AFS participants had to write a couple of pages on a theme of their choice discussing their experiences and views of Peru. Below is what I wrote about development in Peru (it's only loosely about development, I just kinda started writing and then decided that development was more or less the theme). My editor/mummy suggested I put it on my blog and then later retracted and said that 'you never know who might be reading your blog'. But I figure, what are they gonna do? Accuse me of a terrorist act and lock me up? This isn't New Zealand. So here it is...
‘JUNTAS PARA EL DESARROLLO’ TOGETHER FOR DEVELOPMENT(Government propaganda on a spare wall)
There is a great creative initiative in Peru. In New Zealand we’d call it ‘Kiwi ingenuity’ where it harkens from the days of early European Settlement in New Zealand. Starting a new settlement meant overcoming many obstacles and coming up with ingenious ideas with few resources. ‘It’s amazing what you can do with a plank of 4x2 (wood) and bit of no.8 fencing wire’ is a common catchphrase in New Zealand. Peru is very similar in this respect. Every second house seems to be selling something and the public transport system is an ingenious communal answer to the lack of an official public transport infrastructure in most of the cities. There are many things that make me smile at the sheer cheeky creativity of it all - a gymnasium in the back room of someone’s house with homemade steps for aerobics class, houses constructed of mud and old cans, the loud speaker advertising system, the march/caminata advertising system, the man with his cart that comes to collect the rubbish and the array of street vendors with their musical announcements, ‘duuuulces’. When I arrived I didn’t understand anything and would have been completely lost without local guides. The populace has adapted cleverly to a country that has been plagued by government inactivity and corruption.
As a privileged foreigner it is difficult not to notice the things I think need to be improved, and to have opinions on what should be done. The truth, however, is that Peru is changing every day of its own accord. I have met many people that have the ‘ganas’ to change things and improve the lives of others. Working alongside the Tumbes health board, where I have been volunteering, there are a number of agencies working to fight HIV/AIDS through education programmes. Others are organizing regular exercise events to combat obesity and other health issues. One university group uses a theatrical approach to promote healthy habits in schools and the wider community. I also had the privilege to attend a meeting of various organizations working to fight poverty in Peru. The group included teachers, government officials, human rights workers, health workers, and tourist operators amongst others.
SOMOS PERU – para un Peru avanzado (We are Peru – for an advanced Peru)
The problems are pretty obvious – rubbish in the streets and waterways, poverty, poor sanitation and access to basic provisions (water, electricity, phone lines and nutritious food), lack of adequate jobs and low salaries. But the root behind many of these problems is more subtle. Many people have told me this is a resource-rich country and one has to ask why the people are not reaping the benefits of this. Why is the government electricity company paying another company to provide the power, thus increasing prices for the consumer? Why is Peruvian rice so strictly regulated in China and the United States while these countries get away with exporting lower quality rice to Peru? Why is it possible to buy Peruvian gas cheaper in Ecuador than in Peru? There are police officers that will catch the person that stole your possessions but charge you a collection fee if you actually want your things returned, and classes in state schools are often left without a teacher for hours at a time. Almost every available wall in Tumbes carries government propaganda complete with love hearts to show how much the government cares for its people and how important it is for everyone to work together for the development of the nation. But saying it does not make it so. It reminds me of the bathroom I used that displayed a sign strongly encouraging users to wash their hands, but didn’t provide soap or water.
I think it is an interesting time for Peru. If it’s going to move forward I believe the people need to think about what they want the country to look like. It has been exciting to be able to attend forums that have brought together various organizations to discuss social issues and come up with plans to develop the local community. This is a fantastic and vital approach.
Does Peru have to make the same mistakes other nations have made?
For example, my host father wants to buy a big 4-wheel drive car like they have in America. At the same time, in New Zealand, the government is trying to convince the population to give up their gas-guzzling cars in favour of more environmentally-friendly forms of transport. Many people want a life like those possible in Europe and North America, but the truth is that these parts of the world consume too many resources and it is just not possible for everyone to live like that. We are creating vast quantities of waste in ‘first world’ countries - we just don’t leave it lying around in the streets. We’re better at sweeping it under the carpet. Almost 3.2 million tonnes of waste goes into New Zealand landfills each year. That’s almost one tonne (1000kg) per person in the country. And we are a country that likes to advertise a clean, green image. The United States, in 2001, generated 409 million tonnes of waste from a population of 283 million. It is obvious Peru needs to develop some basic systems to clean up the environment, but New Zealand and other ‘developed’ nations need to do the same thing. It would be great if Peru could just jump ahead and set an example for the rest of the world in terms of recycling and sustainability, rather than go through the same process, making the same mistakes as other countries.
I think intercultural exchanges are useful for this kind of approach to development. It is a learning approach that I think the people of Peru are very open to. More than most of the countries I have visited in the past, in Peru the people have been curious about my culture and keen to talk about differences in government and approaches to development.
However, in a country where it seems people are more likely to have cable tv than an adequate daily water supply, I think the influence of foreign materialism is a strong one. The classic ‘American Dream’ is a house with a white picket fence a dog and a car or two. But what is the Peruvian dream? Development should not just mean the ability to store up more treasure on earth. It should mean that everyone has access to basic necessities such as quality education, sanitation, health provision, food, shelter and justice. I believe the people of Peru have the initiative, creativity and desire to build a strong, just nation. All they need to do is get together and do it. I look forward to watching the development of this beautiful and fascinating country over the next few decades.
