Peru is a very interesting and exciting country in which to serve in the Peace Corps, because of how many rapid changes have occurred over the last few generations. Although there still exist many sad realities of poverty in my town and elsewhere, in some ways it seems that the march of development on the northern coast of Peru is unstoppable. The obstacles are quite obvious- corruption, poor education, and expectations of outside help are probably the three biggest to me. But it is obvious that the young people in Monsefú today are growing up in a completely different world than their grandparents and parents did.
To give you an idea of how much Peru has gone through in the past few decades on the national scale, here's a brief timeline:
1968-1980: MILITARY RULE. Aggressive agrarian reform seeks to redistribute an essentially feudal landownership system to a more inclusive system. Capital-poor and mostly uneducated farmers were not equipped to meet previous production and distribution capacity. SHORTAGES, RATIONING, SOCIAL UNREST, AND INFLATION. El Niño in 1972 worsens the agricultural and fishing crisis.
1980s: RETURN OF DEMOCRACY. Peru returns to civilian rule with re-election of Fernando Belaunde as president. More El Niño in 1982-1983, which means more agricultural destruction, shortages and inflation, worsened by the mismanagement of bloated state-owned companies. Desperation spurs the social and political conditions for the birth of SENDERO LUMINOSO (Shining Path) and Tupac Amaru, two terrorist groups that dominate poor Andean regions and eventually reach Lima. Blackouts, public executions, etc. The election of Alan García in 1985 marks the first democratic transition in 40 years, but the economic and security crises continue to worsen. Hyper inflation reaches over 2 million %. Emergency zones are established to fight the terrorists, and thousands of peasants are killed by both terrorists and military forces. |
| Shining Path activity decreased significantly after the capture of Abimael Guzman. |
1990s: Newly-elected President Albert Fujimori implements drastic economic policies to tackle inflation (which dropped from 7,650% in 1990 to 139% in 1991). The program restores macroeconomic stability but not without significant social agony as the cost of living rises rapidly. Privatization, replacement of the currency, and restored confidence from international loan institutions leads to high and stable economic growth, reaching 13% in 1994. In 1992, Fujimori dissolves the Congress, saying they didn't allow him to effectively combat the economic crisis or terrorism- this act is highly supported by the citizenry. Military responses to terrorism intensify. Abimael Guzman, leader of Shining Path, is captured and sentenced to life in prison. In 2000, Fujimori seeks an unconstitutional 3rd term and soon after his tainted victory, a bribery scandal breaks the news, leading to a flood of new information on an elaborate web of corruption. Fujimori resigns and flees the country, new elections are held.
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| Alejandro Toledo was the first President of native Indian origin. He also grew up with a Peace Corps Volunteer in his house who helped him enter college in the United States. |
2000-2011: Under President Toledo (2001-2006), stable economic growth continues. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission finds that 69,280 people died or disappeared between 1980 and 2000 as a result of the armed conflict. Former President Fujimori is sentenced to 25 years in prison for corruption and human rights abuses. Poverty reduction programs are implemented throughout the country with mixed results. Alan García is re-elected in 2006, continuing poverty reduction (although uneven) and market liberation- Free Trade Agreement with the United States goes into effect in 2009, and deals with a number of other important countries (China, European Union, etc) were signed. Dissatisfaction with social progress leads to the election of leftist Ollanta Humala in 2011, who so far has maintained market-oriented policies. Eleven of Peru's 24 departments still have poverty levels above 40%.
If I haven't lost your interest yet, here are some things to keep in mind about the recent history of Monsefú:
- Before 1961, there was no high school in Monsefú, or pretty much anywhere in the region of Lambayeque except for the capital city Chiclayo. My host father was a member of the first class of high school graduates in his town of Olmos- he waited four years after graduating primary school for the high school to open. Also remember he was also one of his mother's 24 children (many of which didn't live long). There are now two public high schools in Monsefú with about 1000 registered students each (although not all of those students attend), and a number of small private high schools. The city of Chiclayo's first university was founded in 1970, and a number of private universities now exist too. The difference in educational opportunities is obvious, although I don't want to give an overly rosy image. High school attendance rates are not good and the quality of teaching/curriculum hardly ever leaves a student prepared to apply for university, so additional years of private study is necessary. And if they do apply, they are often competing with thousands of other students for under 100 spots.
- My host brother estimates that the internet arrived in Chiclayo somewhere around 2000-2002, and in Monsefú somewhere around 2005. Until very recently, access to it was very limited and expensive, but internet cabinas are now found all over the center of Monsefú. Not many students know how to use the computer for more than Facebook or games, but the access to information is at least there potentially (And I plan to give computer classes to various age groups).
Okay, now on to some observations about the generations in Monsefú/Peru.
A while ago, a Lima-educated professor friend commented to me that some people in Monsefú (and other towns) treat the mayor as if we still live in a feudal system. I saw this first-hand today, in a short parade the mayor sponsored for the adultos mayores, senior citizens as part of the town anniversary celebrations. This generation of mostly very poor and uneducated grandparents (who lived through a nearly-feudal agrarian system and military rule) were hailing the mayor (Viva la Alcaldesa! Viva la Alcaldesa!) with enthusiastic thank-you's and unending applause as she handed out free shirts, bottles of water, and crackers. I'm not saying it wasn't a nice event, but the blind obedience and God Bless the Alcaldesa's for the gracious gifts wasn't right to me. As I discussed with the professor friend, they don't understand that the mayor's money is their money, and the mayor is supposed to be a public servant working for the benefit of the town. Instead, I saw them treating her like a feudal lord.
In training, we also talked about how the feudal system and later economic crises have led to an expectation of "gifts" and hand-outs from the government, which was clearly evident in this adultos mayores event. And as a foreigner I am basically a walking dollar sign to most people in my town, so after the mayor briefly introduced me to the crowd, one abuela pulled me down to her level to beg to me, that she doesn't have children to support her and she's all alone, please help her (she's the one farthest to the right in the front row, in the picture above). I told her I'm a volunteer, I don't have a salary or funds, I'm sorry. I can't really tell what her reaction was, either disappointment, indifference, or anger, but she let go of me and didn't make any more eye contact.
Contrast this with last Wednesday, the central day of Monsefú's anniversary. While all of the town's authorities were in the Municipality listening to the mayor's speech and award recognitions, we started to hear chants outside. When I exited the building, I saw a large group of protesters, almost purely young and middle-aged men, blocked off by police with riot shields. While I was there they seemed civil but clearly angry with the mayor (she's got a lot of enemies). I later learned that it was a demonstration by the mototaxistas, and supposedly rocks and bricks were thrown which led to the Vice-President of the group being arrested. I don't know how to directly relate this to recent history in Peru, but it was clear that this younger and possibly more high-school educated group had very different expectations of the mayor. I'm also willing to bet the access to TV has a lot to due with the younger generations' attitudes, as national and international news gives lot of information on investigations, corruption scandals, demonstrations, strikes, etc. I should also mention that mototaxistas are not exactly the most passive group of characters, so they don't represent the majority of the younger generations. Lastly, the comparison between old women and younger men definitely is a huge factor- my town is no exception to the machista culture of Peru. Anyway, take the comparison for what it's worth.
Last night I talked with a woman from another town about how Monsefú seems to be stagnating as other nearby towns progress. There are a variety of obstacles to Monsefú's development, but advancement seems inevitable in the end. The people here are hard-working and are gaining more access to education and information. It's encouraging to think that I will see positive changes here over the next two years, although most advancement will probably only occur in access to basic services. But it's definitely an exciting time to be in Peru, because you never know what might come next to a small town.
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