Peruvian potatoes create unrest in Belgium!

Posted on May 31, 2011 by wwelvaert under Life in Peru

We earthly people take ourselves waaayyyy too seriously sometimes. Just take a look at the video taken this past Sunday when so-called environmental activists in Belgium destroyed a field of genetically modified potatoes. The field was a scientific test organized by multiple universities, where genetic material from Peruvian potatoes was added to Belgian potatoes to make the resulting potato resistant to disease.

There’s a fine line between idealism and stupidity. Both the scientist types and the so-called activists have too much time on their hands or take themselves too seriously, I don’t know. Perhaps they should do something that’s really important to the world, like, say, spend time with their families and loved ones.

Speaking of mixing Peruvian and Belgian genes, check out this apple 😉

Brianna Nayaraq, almost 2 years old!

CUSCO, LOS DE ARRIBA Y LOS DE ABAJO

Posted on May 15, 2011 by wwelvaert under Life in Peru

A loyal reader asked me to comment on the following video. From Melissa Peschiera at the Peruvian TV program “REPORTE SEMANAL”: CUSCO, LOS DE ARRIBA Y LOS DE ABAJO (“The haves and have nots of Cusco”):

It’s not a bad report, although it’s sensationalized as anything TV usually is. The report only takes 2 snapshots and leaves out the middle class, which is thriving in the city of Cuzco. Life in our middle-class neighborhood is nothing like either the partying tourists or rural poverty that is shown in the video.

As for the rural poverty, the longer I’m in Peru the more reluctant I’ve become to suggest that more money and material possessions equals a better way of life. Having said that, it is hard to comprehend how the South of Peru (especially the regions of Cuzco and Puno) can be so poor and with such bad infrastructure when so much tourist revenue is generated there. That has to be a failure of local authorities.

Much is said in the report about the popularity of Ollanta Humala in the South of Peru. On the surface it may seem that the rural poor support Ollanta Humala because they believe he offers them a way out of poverty. I’m not convinced of that. I think it has more to do with being able to associate with your leaders. The way of life of the market-oriented, neo-liberal ruling class in Lima during the last 10 years or so is completely foreign to the way of life of the rural poor as well as urban poor, and this in my opinion is the reason why the Peru presidential runoff is between Keiko Fujimori and Ollanta Humala, the 2 candidates who represent the greatest perceived change.

What do you think?

Happy Mother’s Day

Posted on May 7, 2011 by wwelvaert under History and culture

Dedicated to both my late grandmothers on Mother’s Day:

Spijt

Dat in gemelijke grillen
ik mijn dagen kon verspillen,
dat ik haar voorbijgegaan
of een steen daar had gestaan,

dat ik heel mijn zondig leven
heb gekregen zonder geven,
dat mij alles heeft gesmaakt,
dat ik niets heb uitgebraakt,

dat ik niet kan herbeginnen
haar te dienen, haar te minnen
dat zij heen is en voorbij,
bitter, bitter grieft het mij.

Maar de jaren zijn verstreken
en de kansen zijn verkeken.
Moest die kist weer opengaan
geen stuk vlees zat er nog aan.

Priesters zalven en beloven,
maar ik kan het niet geloven.
Neen, er is geen wenden aan:
als wij dood zijn is ‘t gedaan.

Ja, gedaan. Wat helpt mijn klagen?
Wat mijn roepen, wat mijn vragen?
Wat ik bulder, wat ik zweer?
De echo zendt mij alles weer.

Gij die later wordt geboren,
wilt naar wijze woorden horen:
pakt die beide handen beet,
dient het wijf dat moeder heet.

Willem Elsschot – Spijt (Antwerpen, 1934).

“Spijt” (regret) – A poem by the great Belgian writer Willem Elsschot, in honor of his mother. The poem was quite controversial when published because the words are not sweet and loving but raw, powerful and full of emotion.

Willem Elsschot, the great Belgian writer

A recent picture of our baby goose with mamacita in the Plaza Tupac Amaru, Cuzco:

In honor of Mother's Day

Happy Mother’s Day!